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So, I suppose Jared Sullinger jumped the gun on the "worst case" yesterday, but this is a continuation of a series I began yesterday (see Part I here). Note that all these responses were written before the Sullinger news came out.
Yesterday's theme was happy and carefree. Today is the flipside. Enjoy, ...or endure rather.
What is the worst case scenario that you can come up with for this year?
Kevin O'Connor - CelticsBlog
Call me an optimist but I don't think this team will be terrible. I think all this talk about tanking for Andrew Wiggins or one of the other top picks is a bit ridiculous...unless Rajon Rondo is held out for 75 percent of the season. Maybe this is the best case scenario in some fan's eyes, but not mine. I don't want this team to be horrible. The worst case scenario is a year of heartbreak and let downs as Rondo is sidelined until late in the season.
Bill Sy - CelticsBlog
The nine-first-round-draft-picks-in-the-next-five-years safety net assures that even if this season is a wash, there are still building blocks that have yet been set in mortar. For a lot of players on the roster today--arguably, all of them--the 2013-14 season is a year long try out. Who will gel with Brad Stevens and make it to next season and more importantly, be either extended or re-signed in 2015 when the team opens up some cap room? Passengers on the USS Tanker want to see this team fail and land on a favorable lottery spot, but beware of this strategy. It didn't work in 1997 or in 2007. There's also the issue of value. Teams are always looking to increase the value of their players, regardless of whether you're rebuilding or making a run at a championship; if your players play well, not only are they contributing to your team, but they also become commodities to other teams. That's just the business of basketball. The worst case scenario for this season is that our players are labeled losers. If Gerald Wallace rots on our bench, how will Ainge convince another GM that he's worth the $30+ million over the next three seasons? If Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee don't play better than they did last year, their reputations as potential role players on a championship team are ruined. If Marshon Brooks and Jordan Crawford don't pop going into their option years, nobody's going to want to trade for their upside. A lost season like that could stall a rebuild and for what? Possibly a chance at maybe getting one enigmatic player in the draft? No thank you.
Josh Zavadil - CelticsBlog
The Boston Celtics win enough games to make the playoffs, Jordan Crawford leads them to a series victory in the first round and Avery Bradley loses both of his shoulders in a freak injury. They fall off and he loses them. He can't find them. That would be the worst case scenario.
Tim MacLean - Celtics Spot / CLNS Radio
In contrast to my best case scenario, the Celtics would be putting themselves in a poor position if they were to stick with their veterans. A heavy dose of playing time split amongst the likes of Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Brandon Bass, and even Keith Bogans would surely stunt the growth of the organization. After all, the only way for the Celtics' youth to gain experience is if Brad Stevens actually plays them all for more then just small stretches at a time. Between the veterans they already possess and the established youth (Jeff Green, Rajon Rondo) also featured on this roster, Boston is a borderline playoff team. Earning a postseason berth would truly be the worst case scenario for Stevens and Co.
Mike Dyer - Celtics Life
In my worst case scenario, Rondo pushes himself back from his knee injury and suffers (gulp) a re-tear of his ACL. The injury devastates the franchise as Rondo joins Michael Redd in the dreaded "twice torn ACL" group, and his trade value plummets. Jeff Green is thrust into a leadership role and does anything but embrace it, averaging a hollow 15 points-per-game but proving to be nothing more than an inconsistent scorer. Avery Bradley again makes the all-defensive team, but his offense mirrors his 2012-13 production (According to Synergy Sports Bradley averaged 0.80 points-per-play last season, 371st in the NBA) instead of his 2011-12 production (where he averaged 0.92 ppp, 164th in the NBA), once and for all proving that his ceiling is not as high as we had hoped. Despite Rondo's injury the Celtics find a way to win 28 games as many other teams in the league go into full tank mode, finishing with the 8th worst record in the NBA. On the night of the lottery the Lakers shock the NBA world by winning the rights to Andrew Wiggins. The Celtics are awarded the 9th pick and panic and sign Kris Humphries to a 5 years, $80 million extension to keep fans interested in the team as the rebuild enters year 2.
Mark Vandeusen - Celtics Life
The "core 5" never takes shape. Rondo gets all "D-Rose" on us and doesn't come back till March. When he does Boston is so bad already that he mails in the rest of the season. Avery Bradley's confidence is shattered by being forced to be a point guard, again. Gerald Wallace tries to be the go to guy, which ruins Jeff Green's mojo as well. Sullinger and Olynyk suffer from chronic back and foot injuries respectively, and miss most of the year. Kris Humphries is the lone bright spot, which entices Danny Ainge to extend his contract through 2017.
HeisenCelts - Truth On Causeway
Making the playoffs, Rondo and/or Sully hurting themselves again, Kelly Olynyk not being the next Dirk.
GeeZeeCelts - Truth on Causeway
Other than several key players getting seriously injured... Well, there's a plethora of things that can happen. Stevens could struggle hard to adjust to the NBA. He could decide to start Jordan Crawford at the point or play Jeff at the 4 all the time. Meanwhile, Rondo could appear to be hampered by his injury all year, favoring the knee and thus taking away from his explosive quickness. Olynyk may need time to develop, Faverani could end up being more like Fab-erani, Wallace most likely will just remain a shell of his former self. Avery's confidence dies because he can't find his offense. Green is unable to handle being the #1 scoring option. Kris Humphries disappears and TMZ reports it.
A lot can go wrong this year.
Jeff's Take:
I get the last word because I said so. Though with this I'm being lazy and re-using something I wrote months back.
Best case, worst case - different directions next season could take for the Boston Celtics - CelticsBlog
Take all the above predictions and dial them down about 15%. Rondo is an All Star but not top 15 in the league. Jeff Green is off and on. The young guys are developing nicely but have their moments where they look their age. Stevens is forced to rely heavily upon Wallace, Humphries, and Bogans. The team still manages to work their way to a .500 record and 7 other teams in the East have sub-.500 records so the Celtics manage to squeak into the playoffs as the 8th seed.
The Heat humiliate us with a 4 game sweep, laughing all the way to a 3rd straight title. The Celtics end up with a terrible pick and Ainge stumbles and bumbles his way into bad trades that keep us locked into the "good enough to barely make the playoffs but not good enough to really compete" no-mans-land. Also, on the last day of the season Rondo gets seriously hurt again. So does Sullinger. Also, your dog passes away and you just got audited by the IRS.
So now it is your turn. What's your worst case for next year?