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Continuing the Boredcast series.
Where will this team be in the rebuilding process in 3 years?
Kevin O'Connor - CelticsBlog
I don't think this team will win a championship in the next three years but I think they could be a serious contender. There is a lot of talent on this team and that is undeniable. Whether they work out or not is the main question and only time will answer that. I think most of them will work out and I think Danny Ainge has a few tricks up his sleeve with all the assets he has. Will he trade for a stud next offseason? Maybe. That could make them instant NBA Finals contenders for the 2014-2015 season. In short, I think this team will be contenders in three years, but not yet champions.
Bill Sy - CelticsBlog
They'll be pretending contenders. Think the current Indiana Pacers or Houston Rockets; they'll have a young, emerging team on the cusp with a fan base that thinks they can win a championship but won't be disappointed in a deep playoff exit. Consider this: in three years, the dead weight of Gerald Wallace's and Kris Humphries' contracts will be off the book, Rondo, Bradley, and Green could both be on new contract extensions (hopefully with a hometown discount), Sullinger and Olynyk will still be under their modest rookie deals, and six (yes, SIX!) first round draft picks could be blossoming in Brad Stevens' system. If Stevens and Ainge can correctly guide this ship, the Celtics could mirror the progression of the Thunder. In Scott Brooks' third season (Durant's 5th, Westbrook's 4rd, and Harden's 3rd), he guided Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals. That's well in reach for a team that's way ahead of the curve in their rebuild.
Josh Zavadil - CelticsBlog
I think this team will still be a pretender in three years. Sure, I'm a pessimist, but I anticipate the Celtics being in that "fighting for playoff contention and making it before losing miserable to the best team in the league" area. It makes me sad.
FLCeltsFan - CelticsBlog
I'm hoping they will be contenders. They may not make it back to the championship yet, but Danny has proved that once he starts gathering chips and assets, it doesn't take long to secure stars to get back to contention. We will have several picks in a strong draft next season and we have enough trade assets that I believe we should be contenders within 3 years.
Tim MacLean - Celtics Spot / CLNS Radio
In three years the Boston Celtics will, unfortunately, be contenders. Although Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green will be 30 and 29, respectively, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger, and Avery Bradley will all have a few more years of experience under their belts. Not to mention the fact that MarShon Brooks could potentially be a valuable scorer off of the bench. However, the difference between being contenders and being champs could come down to who the Celtics add as complementary pieces in the coming years.
Mike Dyer - Celtics Life
I'm going with contender. It's impossible to speculate what the roster will look it specifically, but Danny Ainge has already proven that he can turn a rebuilding team into a contender, and I'm betting on him to do it again. In the NBA, there are two ways to become a contender: 1. If you're an attractive free agent destination, clear enough space to sign multiple stars (i.e. the Heat in 2010, and probably the Lakers next summer); 2. If you're not in a market that easily attracts stars, you need to compile the necessary assets to make a deal for a superstar (or two). That's what Ainge did in 2007, and I think he can do it again. As of now the Celtics have one superstar in Rondo, a talented wing paid at market value in Green, a few good cost controlled players in Bradley, Olynyk and Sullinger, nine first round picks between 2014-18, a $10.3 million trade exception acquired from the Nets, and a ton of cap space come 2015. In short: they've already put together quite a few assets that could help bring a star to Boston to pair with Rondo. Give Ainge three years (and hopefully some lottery luck), and I think this team could be in great shape.
Mark Vandeusen - Celtics Life
There's not a single player on the Celtics roster who will still be under their current contract in the summer of 2016 (Olynyk does have a team option for that year). It's quite possible there will be 100% turnover by that time. My guess is that out of the current "core 5" (Rondo, Bradley, Green, Sullinger, Olynyk), 2-3 of them will still be around; however I have no idea which ones. I expect that Ainge and Stevens will be good enough at there jobs to have the C's continuously in the playoff picture, probably around a win total in the high 40's. I do not see them as serious contenders though. I think we spoiled Boston fans forget how hard it is to get to that level; most NBA teams are out of contention most of the time. Even if Ainge/Stevens make every possible right move, it will still take a lot of luck to return to greatness.
HeisenCelts - Truth On Causeway
It largely depends on this season. If we get a Top 5 pick (and Rondo stays) I'll say contenders. If not, we will still be rebuilding.
GeeZeeCelts - Truth on Causeway
I think the Celtics will have assumed some sort of Nuggets/2011 Thunder position. They will be a team that has to already be reckoned with but still not quite there. However, all the young players on the team will still continue improving. Year after year, they will grow until the team morphs back into a contender. I don't think they'll be a contender in 3 years simply because it's too little time, but I do think that Ainge will put them on the right track. In three years, the Celtics will be midway on their journey back to relevance.
Shawn Cassidy - Celtics Title Town
Anythings Possible!! I think in three years this team will be a playoff team. I think will find out if Rondo is a guy you can build around. I don't see the Celtics rebuilding in three years. Danny is a seasoned GM, who built a team before to contend, and that won a championship. He may not copy the same model as before, but his plan calls for about 3 years.
Especially if he sticks with Rondo.In 3 years Rondo is 30, and after that he's got about 4 great years left, and that's a big if when you think about potential injuries. The end game is to win banner 18, and the Celtics will be nearing that point by year three of this rebuilding project.
Call me an optimist but I think we'll be contenders in 3 years. I'm down on next year but at least some small part of that is because I'm hoping for a high pick in the draft.
I think between Rondo, the current young nucleus, and the picks and movable assets that Ainge will be able to use next summer, that we'll have a bounce-back year in 2014-15 and be right in the thick of things the following year. Perhaps even one of the top 6 teams in the league.
Ainge has done it before and he's in a much better starting position than he was back when he took over in the first place. With that said, obviously a lot would have to go right. I'm kind of counting on another team (or teams) to mess up enough to where a star player wants to move on and the Celtics end up being the highest bidders (while keeping enough assets to build around that star). Or if the draft works out where they hit a home run, then Ainge will still need to work hard to put the right supporting cast around him and Rondo. This won't be easy by any means.
But I do have a lot of faith in the ownership and front office and I have high hopes for this coaching staff as well. With that kind of team all working on the same page, a lot can and hopefully will go right.
That might not mean a banner in the next three years, but it would be nice to be in the discussion at the end of the year.
Your turn. Tell us where this team will be in the rebuilding process in 3 years.