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What will the Boston Celtics starting lineup look like?

Put me in coach!

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Here's a fun open-ended question to give you folks something to argue about ...debate with friendly banter.

Who should start for this team?

Boston Globe - Gary Washburn

It's even difficult to name the starting five. Here's a guess: Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, and David Lee. Sounds pretty good until you ask what happens with Jared Sullinger, who has trimmed down and will be healthy entering training camp; Kelly Olynyk, who showed flashes of potential during the playoffs; and Isaiah Thomas, the sixth man who wants to start.

Personally, I like the idea of the vets starting, at least to start off the season. If Zeller, Sully, or Olynyk can win the job from Johnson and Lee, then more power to them.  Zeller seems like an ideal backup center (not a knock on him, just how I think he'd be best utilized).  Both Sully and Olynyk have the talent to be starters, but they haven't been consistent yet and they could be a nice combo coming off the bench.

Speaking of coming off the bench, I still kinda like Isaiah Thomas in the 6th man role, despite the fact the he might be our best player.  I realize that this is the polar opposite of my take on the frontcourt and I don't pretend that it makes a lot of sense.  I just like the idea of Smart being the starter for years to come and hitting the opposing team's starting backcourt with Smart and Bradley seems fun in theory.

Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder both seem pretty logical at their positions but Stevens could always get creative with a Evan Turner or a lineup that has both Thomas and Smart starting in the backcourt.

It will also be interesting to see how Stevens mixes and matches the rotations past the starting lineup.  He's got so much depth and versatility that he could tailor certain rotations for opponents.  Perhaps we could go big against the Griz and small against the Warriors.  Or he might want to flip-flop that to create mismatches.

On one hand, Stevens has a heck of a job cut out for him figuring all of this out.  On the other hand, I'm kinda excited to see what the guy comes up with.

The roster could still change before opening night, but if things remain relatively the same what would you like the starting lineup to look like?

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