Implications of BOS making NBA Finals to ATL front office are substantial

[sturt]

1. They were sitting at home this time last year watching us while their fans were yelling for significant changes to their roster.

2. Granted, they did make changes eventually (at the trade deadline in-season), but not until then, and even then, they didn't move core pieces.

3. And. Remember. Just prior to BOS going on the rampage through the rest of their season, they got absolutely throttled by... yes... your Atlanta Hawks. I still remember it vividly as does Big2O...

 

[Packfill]

The Celtics did jettison two of their primary starters from last season - Kemba Walker and Tristan Thompson - and brought in Al Horford (and you could count old friend Dennis too I guess, though they moved on from him quickly) in the off-season so hard to say they stood pat.  

It also bears mentioning that, if you look at team records over the past 5 years, the 20-21 Celtics team results are the outlier versus the other seasons, and the 21-22 Celtics season is in-line with what they did in each of the three prior seasons.

[NBASupes]

Bringing in Al Horford for a washed Kemba helps a lot. But it was the Derrick White trade and getting rid of Dennis for Theis is what put them over the top. 

The NBA is all about talent and fit. The teams that win have elite fit like our 60 win team but they have the talent like the Warriors dynasty. 

[Atlantaholic]

44 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Bringing in Al Horford for a washed Kemba helps a lot. But it was the Derrick White trade and getting rid of Dennis for Theis is what put them over the top. 

The NBA is all about talent and fit. The teams that win have elite fit like our 60 win team but they have the talent like the Warriors dynasty. 

I would have loved to have gotten White and Theis.

[theheroatl]

The Celtics are not a model for not changing a team. If anything they show the importance of us improving our defense which is severely lacking, by either adding Gobert and/or a better defensive guard. Derrick White would have been the move for us at the deadline. 

[sturt]

11 hours ago, sturt said:

2. Granted, they did make changes eventually (at the trade deadline in-season), but not until then, and even then, they didn't move core pieces.

Perhaps I should have elaborated.

In sturt vocabulary...

BOS Core Pieces = FRPs who asserted reason for optimism and patience with what they could be come

Thus, BOS core pieces were/are...

 

(Footnote: Nesmith and Pritchard, by virtue of being drafted only recently, automatically get the benefit of a doubt until one or both prove not to be.)

[sturt]

1 hour ago, theheroatl said:

The Celtics are not a model for not changing a team. If anything they show the importance of us improving our defense which is severely lacking, by either adding Gobert and/or a better defensive guard. Derrick White would have been the move for us at the deadline. 

 

1. I think anytime a team has ultimate success, they automatically become "a" model... whether one wants to buy-in that it's "the best" model is a different conversation. Mind you, they're still one step away from claiming ultimate success, of course. So even being "a" model remains a question mark.

 

2a. I think you're spot-on that there can be no higher priority this off-season than to improve our defense. None. All the hand-wringing over our offense in the MIA series is terribly misplaced--the players that had otherwise put together very good years and had won two play-in games, either hit a wall or weren't 100% or weren't on the floor at all. Put succinctly, matching MIA's offense wasn't the problem. Matching MIA's defense... that... was the problem. We were capable of the former. We were incapable of the latter.

 

2b. Self-evidently, the quickest way to improve your defense is to improve your defense at those places in the roster where the divide between what you're getting and what you could get is widest.

I'm on board with Gobert if the ideal somehow could work out that you obtain him without taking a wrecking ball to the roster... if not, not so much, and I think we're all, even the Gobert advocates, a bit skeptical that that wouldn't happen.

And while Gobert represents an improvement over Capela, he's also going to cost you about twice what Capela does... and it's not as-if Capela's chopped defensive liver... you can win with Capela as your starting center. I believe that. I believe it even more based on my bullish view of Big2O... I believe the combination of those two is a big, big plus as a person assesses the stock/prospectus of the Atlanta Hawks.

 

2c. If you can't make a reasonable trade to get a Gobert-like asset to insert into your starting line-up, then what can you do? What's the next most impactful way of improving the defense?

I think that's where we quite possibly are... we have to look at what are the other options. And logically, you look to inject into the rest of your roster good-to-very-good defensive assets who can be obtained at a reasonable price but who legitimately could be expected to see significant minutes as part of the rotation.

 

 

3. It's my understanding that we were one of the competitors for DW (maybe based on something Supes said, maybe not), but we just didn't make the winning offer to SAS.

[sturt]

 

 

[hylndr11]

they drafted 2 stars we didnt.  So they arent in at all same situation, unless this year Hunter can develop in the offseason and I fully expect him to be a bit better on Off.

[Hawkmoor]

A team where every player passes the ball on offense and every player plays hard defense.

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Hawkmoor

[GameTime]

I hope this informs the Hawks Front Office to get Trae two all stars and sign as many good/great defenders they can find. And see what happens.

[sturt]

2 hours ago, GameTime said:

I hope this informs the Hawks Front Office to get Trae two all stars and sign as many good/great defenders they can find. And see what happens.

Is that what BOS did?

[JayBirdHawk]

2 hours ago, GameTime said:

I hope this informs the Hawks Front Office to get Trae two all stars and sign as many good/great defenders they can find. And see what happens.

Boston drafted their 2 Allstars in Tatum and Brown, two #3 picks.

Hawks drafted Trae #5 and Hunter #4, we see what Trae is, Hunter should be the other - he's gotta stay on the floor.

I do agree we need better defenders.

[benhillboy]

8 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Bringing in Al Horford for a washed Kemba helps a lot. But it was the Derrick White trade and getting rid of Dennis for Theis is what put them over the top. 

The NBA is all about talent and fit. The teams that win have elite fit like our 60 win team but they have the talent like the Warriors dynasty. 

Yeah Al (best defensive rating of the series at 101) beside Rob Williams and Smart is just too much defensive firepower.  They all communicate like crazy, I don’t recall a single Miami back cut basket and that’s a staple for them.  White hit some threes that are way out of character but ultimately Tatum was forced into becoming the player I hoped he’d be after his rookie season; more Jimmy Butler than Kobe Wannabe.  He got off the ball, defended, and cut beautifully in Game 7.  He been hitting the glass hard af. Difference between he and Butler is his three ball is cash f&@kin money.  
 

So proud of his growth, that is if he keeps it up and trusts his mates.  They should beat the Warriors in 6 if Williams can give them 24 per.  You literally can’t do sh@t near him on offense but throw up an awful floater his awareness and jump is so damn quick.  Fool rating in the series was only 150 to 103.  GS boxed the Mavs out quite easily, ain’t happening versus the Cs.

I’m late to the party on Jaylen Brown too.  His decision making and handle still irks me but you can’t deny dude is a damn gamer.

Edited May 30, 2022 by benhillboy

[Dynamo]

The right veteran leadership is important.(It sets the tone.)

[GameTime]

1 hour ago, sturt said:

Is that what BOS did?

Nope, but it is too late to draft one. The tanking days are done. 

[MaceCase]

Boston’s success thus far is solely from banishing Dany Ainge and his edge kink for dangling his precious assets over every star name, from their franchise and back to Utah where…other video stars of yesteryear go to retire…perhaps because they believe they are less likely to be recognized by the local populace? What was I talking about again, I feel lost on the string?  Oh yes! 
 

Ainge sucks!

 

I can already see his seediness infecting the Jazz.  It wont shock me at all if we’re sitting here in October watching Gobert and Mitchell still remain on the team but there’ll be some pervasive rumor of “oh they had a deal in place for Embiid but Philly pulled out last minute wanting to see a full season with Harden first”

[NBASupes]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Boston drafted their 2 Allstars in Tatum and Brown, two #3 picks.

Hawks drafted Trae #5 and Hunter #4, we see what Trae is, Hunter should be the other - he's gotta stay on the floor.

I do agree we need better defenders.

They robbed the hell outta Brooklyn 

[sturt]

3 hours ago, GameTime said:

Nope, but it is too late to draft one. The tanking days are done.

John Collins called to say, "No need to draft one. I'm already here."

Dre Hunter could be heard yelling in the background, "So am I!"

Never heard Dre yell before. He sounded like he meant it.

[sturt]

This isn't an exact fit for this thread, but close enough...