Re: Mercato e Futuro Celtics
Good bet Celtics aren’t done making changes
By STEVE BULPETT |
stephen.bulpett@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald
While Kemba Walker replacing
might be seen as a gain for the Nets, it could well be a net gain for the Bostonians. But with
heading to division rival Philadelphia, the odds — understandably still in flux as free agency plays out further — paint a rather drab green picture. Having placed the Celtics last fall at a low of 8-1 to win the 2019 championship, the wise people with the sharpened pencils and crystal balls at Westgate SuperBook now put them at 25-1 to be the last team standing next June.
And even that seems optimistic to some. One athletic accountant of our acquaintance believes the C’s are only rated that highly because of what could happen between now and then and because they’ll still draw some interest at that price.
“(Vegas has the Celtics) at 10th overall, tied with Brooklyn, and Brooklyn doesn’t figure to be able to win anything until (Kevin) Durant gets back,” the source said.
So there you are. Even with the Nets in the “we don’t think they have a chance” category. And, as our guy from the increasingly legal profession notes, the Celtics always do well on the futures market with people from New England and other Shamrock fans visiting Vegas and throwing down tourist money. The Nets are rated there because some looser bettors are simply excited for the Irving-Durant acquisitions and are not properly concerned about the latter’s Achilles injury that could keep him out for 2019-20.
As for the Celtics, it’s still too early to tell how badly they’ve been injured by the loss of Horford to the 76ers, who are third at 10-1 behind the Lakers and Milwaukee. And that’s the point.
The Celtic roster you see today will not be all that you see in the middle of October. The club is not done making moves, and according to teams around the league that we spoke to Monday, the C’s are very active in trying to see what free agents may still shake loose and what kinds of sign-and-trade deals could free up a better chunk of money to attract a large person.
Because of this latter point, the timing of the moves we already know about will have to be sequenced properly to get the maximum benefit — sort of like the crew of Apollo 13 had to work things to have enough power for re-entry.
And if the Celts don’t get this right, you could be looking at a 2019-20 spent in the NBA’s purgatory, which can be hell. Not good enough to compete for a championship; not bad enough to draft high in the lottery and power out of their mediocre orbit.
Getting Kemba Walker was a nice step. He had free agent choices, and selecting the Celtics was validation of the franchise as a destination.
The same can be said of Enes Kanter, who, while not at a level that would attract max-type money, had drawn interest from, among others, the Lakers and Golden State, according to league sources.
Had the Celts been able to find a way to get Walker and keep Horford — which simply wasn’t going to happen — they’d likely have gone into next season with a better outlook than that with which they finished their underachieving 2018-19. Fit and harmony alone would have put them in a stronger position. The expected development of
and
and a healthier
could have pushed things even further.
Now there is a major question about how the Celtics will be able to defend inside, and it’s an issue the club is no doubt working on as you read. The addition of Kanter for two years at $10 million total is better than it looks. People not entirely familiar with his game will be happy with what he contributes. But there is still a serious need for size.
If you’re a local fan looking for a positive, there is the fact the NBA has not scheduled any regular-season games for the next several weeks. (We checked.)
By the time things count, the odds are strong the Celtics will be different. Whether the changes are good enough to alter the Vegas view is still to be determined.