In response to Fierce34's comment:
[QUOTE]

And exactly how many "experts"  (you can include yourself here), at this time last year,  picked the Celts to go as far as game seven in the the conference championship series.    Do I hear a "ZERO"?   

It seems to me that you were rooting for the C's to go for the lottery this time last year...    

           You were wrong then .... you are wrong now.   You have no cred.   You've got a lot of basketball paper knowledge - and ZERO Celtic soul.      I expect you will begin your lottery lobbying soon.      

In response to Fierce34's comment:
[QUOTE]

And exactly how many "experts"  (you can include yourself here), at this time last year,  picked the Celts to go as far as game seven in the the conference championship series.    Do I hear a "ZERO"?   

It seems to me that you were rooting for the C's to go for the lottery this time last year...    

           You were wrong then .... you are wrong now.   You have no cred.   You've got a lot of basketball paper knowledge - and ZERO Celtic soul.      I expect you will begin your lottery lobbying soon.      

In response to Mployee8's comment:

But he was supposed to help NOW .... remember?

From your favorite resource:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1207243-fab-melo-to-boston-celtics-scouting-report-video-highlights-and-analysis

>

NBA scouts are big fans of Melo's defense, rebounding, and length; he looks like a star NBA big man. However, they are very concerned about his conditioning and basketball IQ, which could limit his improvement in the pros, and are very wary of his lack of any real offensive skills. According to Chad Ford, ESPN's chief draft evaluator:

He shows a solid touch around the basket and he can hit the 18-footer pretty regularly as well. He's going to be a big-time project for whoever takes him, and there will always be concerns about his dedication and motivation.. 

So, scouts like Melo as an NBA contributor, but few buy him as a future star. 

Rookie Impact

Melo will make an impact from day one on those skills alone, earning quality backup minutes because of his ability to clog the paint defensively and prevent second scoring attempts. He won't start because he cannot play a lick of offense, but there are always minutes for a seven footer with strong defensive instincts and rebounding ability.  

Pick Analysis

There's no denying the Boston Celtics have glaring holes, which affected their run against the Miami Heat and may be even more severe should one or more of their veteran players retire or go to another team. However, Fab Melo has the potential to make an immediate impact for the Celtics. 

<

Every Celtic fan knows Fab Melo is not going to contribute this season. I and some here knew that after watching the summer league.

That article was written on June 28, 2012. The summer league ended in July.

A lot of us here kept saying Melo is not ready. There were only a few who thought Melo would be better than Collins at this point in time.

You didn't say that on draft night! And apparently a few here still don't know that ... I've always supported Danny and always will but that doesn't mean he never screws up and this draft was one where he didn't need to put it all on red. One solid and one risky pick would have been fine ... that's all I'm saying and those expected Melo to morf into Chief have another thing coming. 

Sully showed his potential and was a great pick.  He had successful surgery and there are many in the know that believe he will have a long successful career.

You definitely take Melo at that pick.  Were there others you could have picked? Yes, but Melo was by no means a bad pick.  He was a big that needed tutoring, with huge upside.

3 years from now, I believe we will all be excited with Melo at center and Sully as the staring PF.  Both from the same draft and this season will be forgotten as to what impact these to had in the teams 2012-13 seasons outcome.

We certainly won't be say if we only drafted x and y we would have won the title.  Most on this thread feel anything less than a title season is a complete disaster anyway.

In response to videoburns' comment:

In response to Fierce34's comment:
[QUOTE]

And exactly how many "experts"  (you can include yourself here), at this time last year,  picked the Celts to go as far as game seven in the the conference championship series.    Do I hear a "ZERO"?   

It seems to me that you were rooting for the C's to go for the lottery this time last year...    

           You were wrong then .... you are wrong now.   You have no cred.   You've got a lot of basketball paper knowledge - and ZERO Celtic soul.      I expect you will begin your lottery lobbying soon.      

You're forgetting that when the Celts played the Hawks in the 1st round, the Hawks didn't have Pachulia and Horford only started playing in Game 4.

In the 2nd round the Celtics were taken to a Game 7 by a #8 seed team Sixers. The only reason why that Sixers team reached the semis was because Rose got injured in Game 1 and was lost for the entire playoffs.

And in the ECF, Miami didn't have Bosh until Game 5. 

You may not like me, but you can't deny the fact that the Celtics were just extremely lucky last season.

You're missing the point. After the risky pick with Sully, Danny gambled again on Melo. A defensive pick for sure but outside of the norm for a Celtic pick in that it was widely held that Melo had low BB IQ. The Pats avoid those at or below the Maginot Line and the C's have generally until now.

I don't know you.   Don't dislike you.       just saying your predictions from the past have drained all credibility your away.    You really don't have a good feel for it.    Stick to things like capology where you can out-research fans who have less time on their hands. 

Yes the Celts were lucky last year.  Lucky to have players like Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo with the talent, grit and pride to dig deep and come up big when it counts.   Lucky to have perhaps the  best coach in basketball to guide an aging and seriously undermanned team through the exhausting grind of a long NBA playoff season. 

And you can't deny the fact that the HEAT were LUCKY to get hot in the 4th quarter of game seven.        Otherwise the Celts would have made it to the finals.                 

In response to Mployee8's comment:

You're missing the point. After the risky pick with Sully, Danny gambled again on Melo. A defensive pick for sure but outside of the norm for a Celtic pick in that it was widely held that Melo had low BB IQ. The Pats avoid those at or below the Maginot Line and the C's have generally until now.

I understand what you're saying. But I also understand Ainge loves to channel that inner gambler in him.

We can go on and on about this Fab Melo debate. The best thing to do wait until 2015. If by 2015 he ends up a bust then you were right. But if he pans out then you were wrong. It's that simple.

videoburns

Just for the record, everybody here knew I said the Celts were not going to win a championship last season. Was I right or was I wrong?

In response to Fierce34's comment:

In response to Mployee8's comment:

You're missing the point. After the risky pick with Sully, Danny gambled again on Melo. A defensive pick for sure but outside of the norm for a Celtic pick in that it was widely held that Melo had low BB IQ. The Pats avoid those at or below the Maginot Line and the C's have generally until now.

I understand what you're saying. But I also understand Ainge loves to channel that inner gambler in him.

We can go on and on about this Fab Melo debate. The best thing to do wait until 2015. If by 2015 he ends up a bust then you were right. But if he pans out then you were wrong. It's that simple.

I don't think he makes it to 2015 ... he'll be long gone by then as part of a package in a trade. Once the C's discover (if they haven't already) that even hanging with Bill Russell 24/7 doesn't raise his BB IQ he'll be cheese for a mouse.

In response to Fierce34's comment:

videoburns

Just for the record, everybody here knew I said the Celts were not going to win a championship last season. Was I right or was I wrong?

Seems to me you predicted they weren't gonna make the playoffs ... Am I right or am I wrong?

In response to Mployee8's comment:

In response to Fierce34's comment:

videoburns

Just for the record, everybody here knew I said the Celts were not going to win a championship last season. Was I right or was I wrong?

Seems to me you predicted they weren't gonna make the playoffs ... Am I right or am I wrong?

Like I said, I was wrong and I stopped posting from April until July, when you accused me of being ricky.

But don't forget that I kept saying the Celts were not going to win a championship because no team in NBA history has won a championship averaging less than 40 rebounds per game. In the end I was right because the Celts never won a championship.

But you were vastly more wrong by predicting they wouldn't make the playoffs ... END OF STORY

In response to Mployee8's comment:

In response to red2004sox's comment:

Right now, all they should be doing is giving him a taste of what he will be working hard for over the next couple years.  Then send him back to the Red Claws with some perspective and specifics to work on.

That's the point ... If he wasn't gonna be able to help for two more years why not take PJ3, Wroten, Plumlee, Teague or someone that might contribute sooner. Danny new Sully was a risk so instead of making a solid 2nd pick he takes a project with a low BB IQ ... I don't get it.

Seriously, why do you keep pretending to be better than Danny Ainge? 

And for the record, I've seen Fab Melo play when he was at Syracuse. He's doesn't have a low BB IQ.  

Ahhhh, I see ... So when deep down in your heart or brain you know that it will take an unusual effort or outside factor to win, it makes far more sense to take the easy path and throw in the towel and away your pride for mediocrity and a chance to break it up and start over again. I see!

In response to Mployee8's comment:

Ahhhh, I see ... So when deep down in your heart or brain you know that it will take an unusual effort or outside factor to win, it makes far more sense to take the easy path and throw in the towel and away your pride for mediocrity and a chance to break it up and start over again. I see!

Remember in 2007 when the Celts had the #5 pick of the draft and ended up winning a championship in 2008?

It's not throwing in the towel, it's about facing reality. 

If you were told that you would get eliminated in the playoffs but you can opt to miss the playoffs and get a lottery pick instead, what would you choose?

Right now the Celtics have a better chance of winning because of a great bench. Last season the Celts had Dooling, Steamer, and Pietrus. Compare that to Terry, Green, and Wilcox and I bet you would say the same thing, that this year's team is better.

So you are saying the C's tanked it in 2007 for the #5 pick? They weren't that good that they had to tank anything if my memory serves me correctly.

In response to Mployee8's comment:

So you are saying the C's tanked it in 2007 for the #5 pick? They weren't that good that they had to tank anything if my memory serves me correctly.

I didn't say the Celtics tanked. All I'm saying is sometimes it's a good thing to take a step back so that you can move two steps forward.

A perfect example is when Ainge took over. The Celts just made it to the 2002 east finals, but Ainge's first move in 2003 was to trade Toine because he didn't think the Pierce-Toine duo is elite.

Last season the Celts lost Jeff Green and Wilcox to injury. It was an old team with no depth. That team was not going to win a championship. Nobody here last season predicted the Celts would win a championship heading into the playoffs.

Ainge traded Toine cause Walker/Pierce wasn't elite? Where'd you pull that from ... your ????

He traded Walker cause he publicly said he didn't like his game and followed through on what he thought. He also brought him back when he realized that the team had no leader and Pierce needed someone to take the pressure off Pierce. Toine was happy to be a Celtic and relished the leadership role and didn't mind being the scapegoat. Too bad for Walker that his game was changed by his coaches from an inside scorer/rebounder to an outside three-pointer .... He accepted his role but got brainwashed by it and was never really able to find his real strength again .... Pity but he did what his coaches wanted for the benefit of the team.