Answering the CelticsBlog mailbag - late-July edition

Thanks for all the questions folks. Here's my humble attempt at giving some answers and/or opinions.

Green4Life Although it seems that Phil Pressey was a nice find as an undrafted free agent, aren't you worried that Pressey is the only other PG on our overloaded roster? Rondo is not a guarantee to be ready by game one and even if he is back, it would seem likely that the Celtics will be very cautious with his minutes, etc. Do you expect the Rondo/Pressey combination to remain the same as we move into next season?

I'm not overly concerned for a couple of reasons. First of all, in a perfect world, if Rondo is healthy then he's playing almost 40 minutes a game. In an unfortunate situation where he has to miss some time or delay his return, then the silver lining is that our draft position is slightly improved. Of course, if they are just monitoring his minutes, then I think you can get away with Lee or Bradley playing some 5 to 10 min a game at the point. Where they were hurt was when they had to start there and play the majority of their minutes at the PG spot.

B Who do you think will start for the Celtics next season?

Rondo obviously starts at point guard whenever he's healthy. I like Bradley to start at the 2 and let Brooks, Lee, and Bogans compete for the 1st guard off the bench role. Jeff Green starts at small forward. I like Jared Sullinger at the 4 (again, assuming he's healthy) and at this point I'd put Olynyk at center. I know they want him to be a "stretch 4" but at this point he's talented and 7 feet tall, so he's probably the best option we've got (unless this Vitor guy surprises us all).

greenmachine34 Hey Jeff. I was just wondering why Boston isn't a popular big name free agent destination. I mean, we are a large market team right? we got the cash, the means, plus all the championships, the legacy and culture and all that. So why do the Dwight Howards and Chris Pauls of the NBA shun the Celtics? I don't get it.

I guess every situation is unique, but for the most part other cities have inherent advantages that Boston doesn't. Los Angeles has Hollywood which isn't just for aspiring movie actors. Chris Paul's exposure went up a lot when he went out West. As someone on the radio pointed out, without the trade to the Clippers, there would be no Cliff Paul. Texas and Florida have the no-state-taxes thing going for them. And the biggest thing we hear about is the weather. Guys (and their WAGS) just prefer to live in a warmer climate if given the choice.

JRs scooter I really like Shav & I know his contract isn't guaranteed but this dude hustles & plays hard. Do you think we should bring him aboard next season?

I like Shav a lot as well, so I'm hoping that Ainge can find a spot on the roster for him. With that said, I wouldn't move heaven and earth just to make it happen either. If he's a casualty of the roster space or a throw in to make a trade happen, so be it. But yeah, I like his effort and I'm a sucker for guys that gobble up boards. So I'd like him to stick around a while.

manen Are we going to be able to be a title contender by 2015??

That's probably a little aggressive, but you never know I guess. It is more likely that we'll take a step back this year and start working little by little, step by step. I hope it doesn't take 4 or 5 years, but you never know what could happen. I think for the most part our hands are tied this year, but next offseason we'll have a lot of options and who knows? (How many different ways can I say "I don't know?")

craziness@analltimehigh Which current new Celtic interests you the most and why?

Probably MarShon Brooks by default. We kind of know what we're getting (at least best case/worst case) with Wallace, Humphries, and Bogans. Brooks is at least young enough to have potential to grow into a much better player than he's shown thus far. He could also prove to be a one dimensional gunner too. It will be interesting to watch.

coffee_beans Who's the greatest Celtic power forward of all time - Kevin Garnett or Kevin McHale?

After growing up watching McHale I never thought I'd say it, but I think Garnett edges him out because of his defense. McHale was better on offense (he and The Dream are the two best low post players I've ever seen) but KG was an MVP caliber player simply for his defense (the offense was just gravy).

Farias Do you think we should hang on to Courtney Lee? Doc didn't really give Lee a chance. I feel like Lee's super underrated as a Celtic.

I think that is the most likely plan right now. He's coming off a down year and his trade value isn't all that high and I'm with you that he's probably a bit underrated at this point. His shot got better over the course of the year and he's got real value as a 3 and D guy. I think a fresh start with a new coach is probably the best thing for him right now.

derekg49 "Hi Jeff There's much talk about Rondo getting traded, putting aside whether this is a good or bad idea what do you think Danny would be looking for if he started shopping him?"

Ainge has said before that he'd want a star player in return. The last legit rumor that I remember hearing about was back when Ainge tried to trade him for Chris Paul, who's a legit upgrade to Rondo. Short of that, I don't see the point. Taking a step back just to take a step back seems silly to me, but I suppose if Detroit offered Drummond AND a pick (which a Detroit fan would tell you is completely out of the question) then Ainge I'm sure would listen. Basically I'm the wrong guy to ask because I'm such a Rondo fan. I could be wrong, but I say keep him.

screaming jay "This is the dog days of the NBA. Can you hookup some kind of game for us to play here at CelticsBlog, tournament style, until there is more basketball action to report on? How about a Connect Four tournament? Maybe we'd even get Rondo to participate... I've been playing Connect Four online for fun, is it possible to do this?"

Tell you what, you set it up and work out all the details (on this or any reasonable kind of game) and I'll be happy to help you promote it (within reason of course). Is that fair? Consider yourself empowered.

Thanks again everyone, this was fun. I'll probably be doing it again over the summer, so stay tuned.