Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 In the 2022 NBA Finals versus the Warriors , the Boston Celtics went 9-deep with players logging double-digit minutes. That ninth man, Daniel Theis is no longer on the roster, and Malcolm Brogdon has been added.. Golden State went 8-deep (double-digit minutes), and this season they without one-of-the-eight, Gary Payton II . Assuming The Green are back in the post-season fight once again, how does their playoff rotation look?  Jayson Tatum Jaylen Brown Marcus Smart Rob Williams Al Horford Derrick White Malcolm Brogdon After these seven players, things get murky for the Celtics. Trade rumors centered on Boston often involve an additional big man, and that makes sense right now - but it would have to be a big that will get to play significant minutes in the post season. The trend thus far has been that Payton Pritchard either plays few minutes - or never sees the floor - if Smart, White and Brogdon are all healthy. Grant Williams? He only averaged 17 minutes, 4.2 points a...

 And maybe they shouldn't perish. I consider Kelly Olynyk as a "poor man's Nikola Jokic", a skilled, big  import that that can do most things well on the court. Olynyk will never be a star in the NBA, but he has size (6'11") - can score in close and from distance (11.5 PPG) - rebound the ball (5.0 RPG) - and get the ball to his teammates (3.3 APG) .\ In last night's loss to Phoenix, Boston had trouble containing the Suns' "big 3" of DeAndre Ayuton, Jock Landale and Dario Saric down low. The shot charts from the game san be seen in the tweet: Shot chart on the left is via Suns' Ayton (6'11") Landale (6'11") & Saric (6'10"). On the right, Celtics' Horford, Williams III and Kornet. Rebounds? Suns' "big" 3- 30, Celtics "big" 3 - 17. Size mattered in Boston's loss. pic.twitter.com/VZbHVv5IR1 — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) February 4, 2023  The Canadian center/forward may neve...

 The look in the NBA has changed a bit since Danny Ainge drafted Kelly Olynyk 13th-overall in the 2013 draft. Players from out-of-the-USA like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic combine size and skills -and only average athleticism - to constantly be high on the MVP Ladder. Well, the 6'11" Canadian-born Olynyk has the size and skills and could fit in nicely for a second stint in Beantown. He may not be the fiercest defender, but this season in UItah he is hitting 50% from the field, 40% from the hinterlands and 83% from the free throw line. In only 28 minutes/game, he adds 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He won't be making any potential MVP list, but the 31-year-old C/F  may be just what the Celtics need for the second-half of the season and playoffs. Kelly is set to earn $12.8 million this season and $12.2 million in 2023-24 - with only $3 million of that guaranteed. Would Ainge part with the guy he chose over Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013? In a rebui...

  NBA free agency starts at 6:00 PM today , and be assured that Brad Stevens is far from done structuring his roster. He is in charge now, and his plans will differ, at least somewhat, from what Danny Ainge might have done. Let’s hope he’s got more up his sleeve. This roster looks weird right now. — Cyladin (@cyladin) August 1, 2021 The better chance is that Stevens does not retain newly-acquired Kris Dunn , and that would mean the point guard situation would remain in Limbo. The main question centers around Marcus Smart. Does Brad consider him enough of a point guard to go with him in that role, considering that Al Horford and Jayson Tatum can supply an ample number of assists. Or does Brad go for Patty Mills or Lonzo Ball Count me as concerned about the health of Rob Williams in the long term. If my concerns are valid,  that leaves the Celtics center spot a bit shaky once we go down the bench when Al Horford comes out. Former-Celtic, Kelly Olynyk is only 30 years old ...

 I don't label Danny Ainge taking Giannis Antetokounmpo 15th in the 2013 NBA draft as a blunder, or even bad judgement. No NBA coach, GM or analyst could envision what the now-League Champion and Finals MVP could be. So lets call it unfortunate that we won't be seeing a starting-5 of The Greek Freak alongside The Jay team, Marcus Smart and Al Horford this coming season. The Celtics slipping to number-3 in the 1997 draft and missing out on Tim Duncan won't be included in this rating. The Evil Emperor of Beantown, Rick Pitino , was in charge and would most-likely would have butchered his handling of such a fundamentally-sound talent.  So the greatest misfortune in Celtics history has to be the early deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis , taken in successive (1986 & 87) NBA draft s. I lump the two players together since, had they lived, they would have paired to possibly prolong the careers of Bird, Parish and McHale in Boston, and perhaps add a couple of banners to ...