Big Green Machine - The Boston Celtics

[Rizzo]

I am starting a thread to chronicle my journey as the GM of my beloved Boston Celtics. I don't plan, at this time at least, to make this an extensive story, but use this more as a place to keep track of the happenings around the league as well as the franchise I have been running.

I started with the 2012 season disk and have currently simmed through the entire regular season. I am just going to update on some of the trades made around the league and any roster moves made by the Celtics as well as the end of the season stats and standings.

Celtic Roster Moves:

October 4th, 2012 - Celtics release C Darko Milicic, assign C Fab Melo and SF Kris Joseph to Albuquerque of the development league
January 26, 2013 - Celtics recall C Fab Melo from Albuquerque of the development league
March 10, 2013 - Celtics recall SF Kris Joseph from Albuquerque of the development league
March 17, 2013 - Celtics assign SF Kris Joseph to Albuquerque of the development league
March 23, 2013 - Celtics sign free agent C Ben Wallace
March 25, 2013 - Celtics assign C Fab Melo to Albuquerque of the development league

NBA Trades:

November 29, 2012 - Bobcats trade 2013 2nd round pick (CHA) for Knicks SG Ronnie Brewer
December 2, 2012 - Magic trade 2013 2nd round pick (ORL) for Bucks SF Mike Dunleavy
December 19, 2012 - Wizards trade 2013 1st round pick (WAS) for Bulls PG Marquis Teague
January 19, 2013 - Bulls trade C Nazr Mohammed, PF Vladimir Radmanovic, 2013 1st round pick (CHI) for Mavericks Rodrigue Beaubois
February 9, 2013 - Knicks trade C Marcus Camby, C Kurth Thomas for Pistons SF Tayshaun Prince, 2013 2nd round pick (DET)
February 15, 2013 - Hawks trade 2013 1st round pick (ATL) for Nets SG Marshon Brooks
February 20, 2013 - Heat trade SG Ray Allen, PF Rashard Lewis for Pistons PF Jason Maxiell, 2013 2nd round pick (DET)...Thunder trade 2013 1st round pick (OKC) for Raptors C Aaron Gray
February 21, 2013 - Thunder trade SG Thabo Sefolosha for Rockets SF Carlos Delfino...Clippers trade PG Eric Bledsoe, C Johan Petro, C Ronny Turiaf, C Ryan Hollins for Raptors SG Jose Calderon, 2013 2nd round pick (TOR)

League Leaders - PPG

1. Kevin Durant, OKC - 32.1
2. LeBron James, MIA - 31.5
3. Carmelo Anthony, NY - 29.5
4. Kevin Love, MIN - 27.1
5. Andrew Bynum, PHI - 26.0

League Leaders - RPG

1. Kevin Love, MIN - 12.0
2. Dwight Howard, LAL - 11.9
3. Andrew Bynum, PHI - 11.1
4. Kris Humphries, BKL - 10.6
5. Anderson Varejao, CLE - 10.5

League Leaders - APG

1. Russell Westbrook, OKC - 9.6
2. Kyle Lowry, TOR - 9.0
3. Ricky Rubio, MIN - 9.0
4. Derrick Rose, CHI - 8.8
5. Raymond Felton, NY - 8.7

League Leaders - BPG

1. Anthony Davis, NO - 3.2
2. JaVale McGee, DEN - 2.8
3. Andrew Bogut, GSW - 2.7
4. Samuel Dalembert, MIL - 2.6
5. Elton Brand, DAL - 2.5

League Leaders - SPG

1. LeBron James, MIA - 2.6
2. Chris Paul, LAC - 2.3
3. Andre Iguodala, DEN - 2.3
4. Anderson Varejao, CLE - 2.2
5. Tony Allen, MEM - 2.2

League Leaders - FG%

1. Tyson Chandler, NY - 0.648
2. Kosta Koufos, DEN 0.605
3. Andrew Bynum, PHI - 0.592
4. Will Barton, POR - 0.582
5. Ersan Ilyasova, MIL - 0.578

Eastern Conference Standings:

1. Miami Heat 73-9
2. Boston Celtics 59-23
3. Milwaukee Bucks 46-36
4. Atlanta Hawks 46-36
5. New York Knicks 43-39
6. Chicago Bulls 42-40
7. Washington Wizards 42-40
8. Brooklyn Nets 41-41
9. Philadelphia 76ers 37-45
10. Indiana Pacers 33-49
11. Detroit Piston 32-50
12. Cleveland Cavaliers 30-52
13. Toronto Raptors 27-55
14. Charlotte Bobcats 17-65
15. Orlando Magic 16-66

Western Conference Standings:

1. Los Angeles Clippers 59-23
2. Los Angeles Lakers 55-27
3. Denver Nuggets 55-27
4. Dallas Mavericks 53-29
5. San Antonio Spurs 51-31
6. Oklahoma City Thunder 50-32
7. Utah Jazz 47-35
8. Minnesota Timberwolves 45-37
9. Golden State Warriors 45-37
10. Portland Trailblazers 40-42
11. Memphis Grizzlies 36-46
12. New Orleans Hornets 30-52
13. Phoenix Suns 28-54
14. Sacramento Kings 28-54
15. Houston Rockets 24-58

[Myles Nelson]

Miami... 73-9. That's gotta be a joke

[Rizzo]

Miami... 73-9. That's gotta be a joke

You're telling me. When I noticed they started the season 16-0 I made sure to keep an eye on their record all season long. I was just praying they would lose a game here or there or maybe one of their big three would get hurt so the Bull's 72-10 record would stand, but that didn't happen. Here's who they lost to:

• Los Angeles Clippers
• Boston Celtics
• Dallas Mavericks
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• Utah Jazz
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Boston Celtics
• Washington Wizards
• Boston Celtics

So my Celtics did everything they could to keep Jordan's record in tact, but the rest of the league didn't do their part. The three losses to Utah, Philadelphia and Boston were in three consecutive games and I was getting really excited, but they rattled off 10 straight wins after that point.

Their record is certainly impressive and intimidating to most teams, but it seems as if my Celtics have held their own quite fine as we went 3-1 against the Heat. Hopefully we have a chance to play them in the ECF and can keep our dominance over them.

[Rizzo]

Boston Celtics 2012-2013 Regular Season Review

My first season under the helm began right before the start of the regular season. The first order of business was to assign players to the NBA D-League. With three rookies on our team, it wasn't a difficult decision on who to send. Fab Melo and Kris Joseph, our two rookies from Syracuse, were told that they were heading to Albuquerque to get some meaningful minutes instead of rotting on the bench. If they showed they had the goods and there was a chance for them to help us, they would get a call up.

Next move I made as GM was to cut Darko Milicic. I wanted the roster to reflect the true Boston Celtics roster so far in the real NBA season, so I sent Darko packing. He would have been a better player for our team than Jason Collins, but that was a decision I wanted to make.

As the early season progressed, I wasn't too happy with the minutes, or lackthereof, Avery Bradley was seeing. I picked up the phone and told Doc to let the kid play. He liked the fact that I had an opinion on the team, but with the early success we were having, he wasn't looking forward to messing with his rotation just yet.

A few days later, Doc and I were chatting it up about Jeff Green. He had just received a hefty contract and I wasn't sure how he would fit into our future. He also wasn't seeing many minutes at all off the bench. I told Doc to get him a few more minutes for a couple weeks. Doc obliged and Green began putting up some decent numbers.

Rivers must have thought I just wanted to see one of our potential franchise cornerstones get more consistent run to grow as a Celtic. Oh contraire, Glen. At the same time, there were rumblings out of Phoenix that their big man Marcin Gortat wanted out. Since our Celtics were one of the worst rebounding and shot blocking teams in the league, Gortat would have been an interesting add to our roster, but at what cost?

Phoenix GM Lon Babby and I had engaged in some preliminary talks in a trade that would be centered around Marcin Gortat and Jeff Green. Green (25) is three years younger, makes more money and has two more years on his current contract than Marcin Gortat.

With Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson both on the Suns' roster, Babby was looking for a sweet deal if he were to pull the trigger. I originally have toyed with the idea of dealing Green and Courtney Lee for Marcin Gortat and filler contracts, but the Suns countered with Gortat, Sebastian Telfair and PJ Tucker for Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Courtney Lee and a 1st round pick. That was just too rich for my blood, so I politely declined and wished Babby and his Suns well.

Thankfully, no rumors of this reported deal got out and our season continued on. Our team was playing well, we avoided any major injuries for quite a while and we had an open roster spot. I was keeping the spot open in case there was a free agent worth signing or we made an uneven trade.

Eventually, I got fed up watching Jason Collins geting minutes, no matter how few they were, so I recalled Fab Melo from the D-League. He was scheduled to play in blowouts, but received some regular minutes throughout his stint in Boston. He would stick on the roster for two months and pleased the coaching staff.

Jeff Green was out for about eight days, so Kris Joseph got his shot at being a part of the Boston Celtics. He didn't see many meaningful minutes, just 22 over three games, but was a part of one of the Celtics' three wins over Miami. He was sent back down to Albuquerque once Green was healthy again. Unfortunately, his starting spot on the Thunderbirds' roster was usurped by Jeffery Taylor of the Charlotte Bobcats.

With the regular season coming to a close, I decided to put my final roster spot to use. Our team was still struggling with rebounding and blocked shots. Fab Melo was helping, but he does struggle in areas that I wanted to upgrade heading into the playoffs.

Fab Melo is rated poorly in offensive rebounding (3), defensive rebounding (3), defensive ability (4), shot blocking (4) and court intelligence (3). I had been eyeing both Kenyon Martin and Ben Wallace all season long and finally decided on who I would sign.

Welcome to Boston, Big Ben! His shooting numbers are atrocious, but that's not what he's here to do. He may not even see meaningful minutes in the playoffs, but if he does get in the game, rebounding and defense is his job. He's a better rebounder on both offense (5) and defense (5), a much better defender (9) and brings an IQ you look for in a grizzled veteran (8).

We coasted through the end of the regular season to the second best record in the East and tied for the third best record in the league. There's no telling how long Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will be around after this year, so to get one more title with those two on the roster would really mean a lot to this franchise.

[Rizzo]

The opening round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs has our Celtics squaring off with the Washington Wizards who surprised some and ended up as the seven seed in the East. We went 2-1 against the Wizards this season with our most recent game being the final game of the regular season for both teams; a 105-82 Celtic victory.

The Wizards are one of the worst scoring teams in the league, averaging 96.9 PPG, good for 25th in the league. Couple that with the fact the Celtics allow the league's 4th least amount of points per game at 97.5 and it could be a struggle to score for Washington.

The Wizards' defense is nothing to overlook as they allow the 5th least points per game at 97.9 per contest and the 4th most blocks per game at 6.7. The Celtics average 105.1 points per game, 8th best in the league.

Looking at the stats and outcomes of the three games so far this season between these two teams, we see a five-game series with the Celtics getting the best of the Wizards.

[Rizzo]

First Round: Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards

Game One

[color="Navy"]Washington Wizards - 91[/color]
[color="SeaGreen"]Boston Celtics - 79[/color]

The Celtics get shocked at home by the Wizards as Washington ran away with in by winning the fourth quarter 30-14. Both teams shot under 40%, but the Celtics got obliterated on the glass 65-36.

Kevin Seraphin scored 15 points and grabbed 17 boards, but the player of the game was Emeka Okafor who had the game high for points and rebounds at 20 and 19 respectively. Even Bradley Beal had a double-double with 13 points and ten boards.

If the Celtics wants to move on in this playoffs without wearing themselves down, they can't have anymore let down games like this, especially at home.

Game Two

[color="Navy"]Washington Wizards - 100[/color]
[color="SeaGreen"]Boston Celtics - 93[/color]

Another home playoff game, another loss for the Celtics. After trailling by 16 heading into the 4th quarter, the Celtics didn't have enough fire power in them to claw all the way back into this one.

For the second straight game, the Celtics shot under 40% on their hoome floor against a defense that didn't impress all season long. They continued their reputation as one of the best shot blocking teams in the league with 13 blocked shots tonight. Rebounds killed the Celtics as well, losing the battle of the boards 50-36.

To add injury to insult, Brandon Bass has been diagnosed with a sprained toe that could hinder him for about two weeks.

Game Three

[color="SeaGreen"]Boston Celtics - 89[/color]
[color="Navy"]Washington Wizards - 99[/color]

In what a lot of fans were calling a must-win game back in Boston, the Celtics come out and lose their third game of the series. After holding a five point lead heading into the fourth, the Wizards outscore the Celtics by 15 in the final period to take home the ten-point victory and now have four chances to close out this series.

Foul trouble plagued Boston all night as Kevin Garnett and Jared Sullinger (starting in place of the hobbled Brandon Bass) both fouled out. Rajon Rondo did all he could to pace the team as he had a near triple-double with 14 points, ten boards and eight assists, but Jason Terry was the only other Celtic who played well with 21 points.

The season is on the brink. The Celtics' backs are up against the wall. Possible retirement looms on the horizon for two of the team's leaders. Will they extend this season at least another game or just lay down and die in unfascinating fashion?

Game Four

[color="SeaGreen"]Boston Celtics - 77[/color]
[color="Navy"]Washington Wizards - 88[/color]

Break out the brooms...the Boston Celtics are going home. After a 59 win season, it took only four games for the 7th seeded Washington Wizards to dismiss them from the postseason. Paul Pierce finished with one point, four rebounds and six turnovers...not the type of game you'd expect from The Truth in a big game like this.

The Wizards blocked 14 more shots, pushing the series total to 40! That's 10 blocked shots per game, an absolutely outrageous number. Congratulation to this up-and-coming Washington team as they deserved every win of this series.

Now the Celtics will head into the offseason earlier than anyone had expected and either try to reload or blow it all up and rebuild. GM Adam Rizzo has a lot of work cut out for him.

[Rizzo]

2013 NBA Playoff Results

First Round:

Miami Heat - 4
Brooklyn Nets - 1

New York Knicks - 4
Atlanta Hawks - 2

Chicago Bulls - 4
Milwaukee Bucks - 2

Washington Wizards - 4
Boston Celtics - 0

Los Angeles Clippers - 0
Minnesota Timberwolves - 4

Dallas Mavericks - 2
San Antonio Spurs - 4

Denver Nuggets - 4
Utah Jazz - 3

Oklahoma City Thunder - 4
Los Angeles Lakers - 1

Second Round

Miami Heat - 4
New York Knicks - 1

Washington Wizards - 1
Chicago Bulls - 4

Minnesota Timberwolves - 0
San Antonio Spurs - 4

Los Angeles Lakers - 2
Denver Nuggets - 4

Conference Finals

Miami Heat - 4
Chicago Bulls - 1

San Antonio Spurs - 4
Denver Nuggets - 2

NBA Finals

Miami Heat - 4
San Antonio Spurs - 0

LeBron James exacts revenge on the San Antonio Spurs for when they swept him in the 2007 NBA Finals, pouring in 51 points in the deciding Game Four. In the four games, LeBron averaged 37.75 points per game.

[Rizzo]

Odds of Obtaining Top-3 Pick:

• Orlando (23.3%)
• Charlotte (18.6%)
• Brooklyn (14.6%)
• Toronto (9.8%)
• Sacramento (9.7%)
• Phoenix (6.5%)
• Cleveland (6.0%)
• New Orleans (3.5%)
• Detroit (3.4%)
• Indiana (1.7%)
• Memphis (0.9%)
• Philadelphia (0.9%)
• Portland (0.6%)
• Utah (0.5%)

Lottery Results:

14. Utah
13. Portland
12. Philadelphia
11. Memphis
10. Indiana
9. Detroit
8. Cleveland (down 1)
7. Phoenix (down 1)
6. Sacramento (down 1)
5. Brooklyn (down 2)
4. Charlotte (down 2)
3. Toronto (up 1)
2. Orlando (down 1)
1. New Orleans (up 7)

[Rizzo]

NBA Awards

MVP - LeBron James, MIA - 31.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 6.5 rpg, 2.6 spg, 0.6 bpg
DPoY - Dwight Howard, LAL - 22.2, 1.1, 11.9, 1.8, 2.4
6th Man - Kevin Martin, OKC - 16.4, 1.4, 3.8, 0.6, 0.0
RoY - Anthony Davis, NO - 13.1, 1.5, 8.2, 1.3, 3.2
Coach - Erik Spoelstra - 73-9

NBA First Team

Chris Paul, LAC - 20.0, 8.1, 4.1, 2.3, 0.0
Dwyane Wade, MIA - 22.4, 4.6, 5.5, 2.0, 1.4
LeBron James, MIA
Kevin Love, MIN - 27.1, 1.2, 12.0, 0.9, 0.4
Andrew Bynum, PHI - 26.0, 0.9, 11.1, 0.9, 1.6

NBA Second Team

Russell Westbrook, OKC - 18.0, 9.6, 5.0, 1.0, 0.0
Kobe Bryant, LAL - 23.5, 4.6, 4.8, 1.3, 0.3
Kevin Durant, OKC - 32.1, 1.5, 8.1, 0.9, 1.3
Greg Monroe, DET - 22.1, 1.3, 9.5, 2.1, 1.0
Dwight Howard, LAL

NBA Third Team

Derrick Rose, CHI - 20.5, 8.8, 3.9, 0.8, 0.6
Andre Iguodala, DEN - 15.1, 6.0, 5.2, 2.3, 0.6
Carmelo Anthony, NY - 29.5, 2.0, 5.4, 1.3, 0.4
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL - 23.5, 1.5, 8.3, 1.1, 0.7
Al Jefferson, UTAH - 19.4, 1.5, 9.6, 1.0, 2.0

First Team All Defense

Chris Paul, LAC
Dwyane Wade, MIA
LeBron James, MIA
Anthony Davis, NO
Dwight Howard, LAL

Second Team All Defense

Rajon Rondo, BOS - 15.4, 8.4, 5.5, 1.7, 0.0
Tony Allen, MEM - 13.8, 1.4, 4.2, 2.2, 0.8
Trevor Ariza, WAS - 12.0, 3.7, 5.1, 2.1, 0.7
Josh Smith, ATL - 16.5, 3.8, 9.1, 1.8, 2.2
Marc Gasol, MEM - 12.6, 1.5, 7.8, 2.0, 2.2

First Team All Rookie

Damian Lillard, POR - 12.5, 8.7, 3.6, 0.5, 0.0
Bradley Beal, WAS - 14.9, 1.6, 4.7, 1.0, 0.5
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, CHA - 9.6, 2.2, 4.6, 1.7, 0.7
Anthony Davis, NO
Jonas Valanciunas, TOR - 9.7, 1.5, 7.7, 0.6, 1.1

Second Team All Rookie

Kendall Marshall, PHO - 5.0, 4.4, 1.6, 0.5, 0.0
Dion Waiters, CLE - 11.9, 4.1, 3.3, 2.1, 0.2
Harrison Barnes, GSW - 10.5, 1.6, 3.8, 0.8, 0.1
Thomas Robinson, SAC - 10.8, 1.2, 6.7, 1.1, 0.5
Andre Drummond, DET - 7.4, 0.9, 5.5, 0.7, 2.1

D-League MVP - Jeremy Richardson, Stampede

DPoY - James Singleton, Skyforce

6th Man - Stanley Robinson, Mad Ants

Coach - Barron Lang, Mad Ants

First Team - Luther Head, John Jenkins, Jeremy Richardson, Renaldo Balkman, Josh Harrelson

Second Team - Reggie Hamilton, Kevin Murphy, Gary Forbes, Drew Gordon, Justin Hamilton

Defense First Team - Jonny Flynn, Ben Uzoh, Damion James, James Singleton, Josh Harrelson

Defense Second Team - Luther Head, Bobby Jones, Kyle Singler, Renaldo Balkman, Jeremy Tyler

[Rizzo]

Doc Rivers has earned himself a contract extension. Coaches never want to go into a final year of his contract without plan of staying, so I made sure to lock him up for three more years at $3.5 mil/per. It's a ton of money, but he is certainly worth it.