Celtics fortune telling (mailbag answers)

Man, a lot of you really want me to pull out a crystal ball and tell you the future. Ok, here goes. Some stocks will go up and some will go down. People will get very upset over politics. Famous people will pass away. Taxes will be paid. The Knicks will do something dumb.

Oh, you wanted me to be more specific and stick to the Celtics? Here goes:

StrengthIN#S

Record prediction and playoff seeding for this year

What is your prediction for the teams overall record and what seed do you think they’ll end up with headed into the playoffs?? This is a good one because if you get it close to right you can go back and say I told you so and if your way off no one will remember

Let’s see, the Celtics won 55 games last year (about 67%). If they win that percentage for the rest of the year that would be 47.5 more wins for a total of 59 if we round up. If I’m putting the over-under at that number, I’d probably still take the under just to be conservative. So I’ll go with 55 wins (again). That was good for the number 2 seed last year but with the way the Raptors, Bucks, and Sixers are playing, it might be in the mix for 3 or even 4. I think each of those teams will have their own rough patches but again, if I’m being conservative I’d say the Celtics could finish as the 3 seed. That’s a far cry from the high expectations headed into the season and not having home court advantage could be a problem in the playoffs.

Tellitlikeitmightbe

Feeling clairvoyant

If someone told you the Celtics will win the East and make the finals, how would you guess that happens based on what you’ve seen so far this year?

Well, first and foremost I’d say that the Celtics shooting must have returned to form. Next I’d say that Hayward must have hit his stride sometime during the season. From there, it is all about everyone settling into a groove and comfortable with their roles. It would obviously mean that the team remained relatively healthy, that Kyrie Irving continued to cook, Horford continued to be a rock, and Jayson Tatum continued his development as a future franchise player. Beyond that, the rest is just details.

Maddison L. Beckley

When will the parade be scheduled for this years banner raising? Trying to fly in from Portland and celebrate with my fellow Boston fans...

My birthday is June 28, so let’s just pick that day. Bring me some good coffee.

bdoughty207

I’ll ask one that most everyone wants to know I’m sure

Do you envision the Celtics making a trade before the deadline? If so, what are some realistic trades you think this team could make to improve?

I’m going to be super boring and say “no, I don’t think there will be a trade before the deadline.” At least not a major one. They may do something relatively minor in order to get under the tax, but that’s a lot harder than you think when you really start playing with the numbers. They could shop Rozier around, but I don’t see them getting back someone that is going to be a better fit in the short term (and unless he’s a total train wreck the rest of the way) dealing him for future assets doesn’t make a ton of sense for this year either.

Rumors will come up and Danny is always going to be open to ideas. But it is really hard for me to imagine a deal happening unless the team’s struggles continue for another month. And as you can see from my answers above, I don’t think that’s going to be the case.

Thanks again for the questions everyone.