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Boston Celtics: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 25, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8), guard Evan Turner (11), guard Isaiah Thomas (4), forward Jae Crowder (99) and guard Marcus Smart (36) celebrate against the New York Knicks during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8), guard Evan Turner (11), guard Isaiah Thomas (4), forward Jae Crowder (99) and guard Marcus Smart (36) celebrate against the New York Knicks during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Boston Celtics
Apr 14, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) and forward James Johnson (3) defend against Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) and forward Jared Sullinger (7) in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors 95-93. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Overall

In terms of losses, the Celtics only lost Brandon Bass and Luigi Datome in free agency this summer. They waived third string point guard Phil Pressey and they failed to capitalize on Summer League standout Jonathan Holmes, who wound up signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But Boston’s biggest L of the offseason was missing out on the kind of franchise-changing player Ainge needs to build around. Such is the life for a franchise whose rebuild was accelerated by the team being better than expected, because that surprising, feel-good sensation too often overrides better judgment.

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Rumored draft target could 'pave way' for scoring G.O.A.T. to join Boston Celtics
Rumored draft target could 'pave way' for scoring G.O.A.T. to join Boston Celtics /

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    • Instead of battling for a first round playoff exit (in a sweep, no less), the Celtics would’ve been far better off letting this roster run its natural course right into a top-10 pick. Instead, Stevens elevated a bunch of role players to the point that the Celtics only wound up with more role players in the draft.

    Technically speaking, Boston didn’t do anything wrong this summer. Ainge did the best with what he had in the draft, nabbing some decent players after trying and failing to move up in the pecking order. He also made quite a few smart, manageable signings in free agency, improving the team by bringing back Crowder and hauling in Johnson and Lee.

    But when big-name free agents like Kevin Love never materialized, Ainge had to take a different course in trying to improve Boston’s positioning for a blockbuster trade in the future. The Celtics will be better next year, and they’re still poised to make big moves in the future, but for the time being, the franchise is still stuck smack-dab in the middle of their rebuild.

    Grade: B-

    Next: Philadelphia 76ers: Grading The Offseason

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