Horford signs with Celtics

[Uncle Drew]

https://twitter.com/Al_Horford/status/749381033968099329

[Meticode]

Good, good signing for Boston. Does this take them out of the Durant sweepstakes or does it actually help them in the sweepstakes?

[inclinerator]

dwert

:yaohappy:

[Uncle Drew]

http://www.imgdumper.nl/uploads9/57784b9dc2e04/57784b9dba667-Screen_Shot_2016-07-03_at_01.17.04.png
lol

[KobeLookLike2Pac]

Per Twitter

[feyki]

Durant is the next .

[Meticode]

http://www.imgdumper.nl/uploads9/57784b9dc2e04/57784b9dba667-Screen_Shot_2016-07-03_at_01.17.04.png
lol
Woj losing his magic. We're starting to see the end of his prime in reporting these things.

[Wally450]

I like it.

[KingPush]

Now all they need is KD

[Meticode]

Already a thread about it. Per InsideHoops...

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=413190

[D-Wait]

So much for the Hawks improving... they'll stay the treadmill team they are

[KobeLookLike2Pac]

Already a thread about it. Per InsideHoops...

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=413190

Posted a minute apart but thanks for bumping

[r0drig0lac]

:applause:

[bdreason]

Great fit with Boston. Not a game changing move, but should give the Celtics more offensive punch.

[RR#9]

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[JohnnySic]

Nice! :cheers:

Now Durant! :rockon:

[HoopSuperstar]

Kevin Durant could very well be next.

[Threezus]

So much for the Hawks improving... they'll stay the treadmill team they are

Im not gonna lie as a Hawks fan this is a pretty major let down as with the Baze and Dwight signing that pretty much puts us right on our cap limit. Al's bird rights and cap hold was what was allowing us to make our team better.

So in the end it looks like we lost Teague and Horford and gained Dwight from last years team. I'll go ahead and say it i love bud as a coach but as a GM he is pure crap imo and we should have never moved danny ferry away from the GM spot.

[CelticBaller]

Good, good signing for Boston. Does this take them out of the Durant sweepstakes or does it actually help them in the sweepstakes?
Help, we have enough cap space for both and we just added an all star to an already good team

Tho it's still unlikely

[HoopSuperstar]

Kevin Durant had talks with the Celtics today, this could help him decide to join them.

[Draz]

Nice pick up.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

Hopefully this means Olynyk is expendable and is traded to Sac along w/ Smart or Bradley and 3 1st rnders for Cousins. That way Horford can solidify his chance to stick to PF.

But really, love the signing. Celts should be division favorites now. In Stevens I trust.

[L8krH8tr]

Guarantee he makes no impact , overpayed.

[Akrazotile]

dwert

:yaohappy:


this :lol

[Tking714]

Guarantee he makes no impact , overpayed.

how does a top 5 pf make no impact?

[DoctorP]

Celtics will be a problem in the east

[Jasper]

more details -

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16712043/al-horford-boston-celtics-agree-terms-four-year-113-million-deal-according-league-sources

[RedBlackAttack]

Great pick-up for the Cs. To me, this will make Boston the #2 team in the East assuming they maintain the rest of their roster.

Stevens is such a great coach, he'll have fun with a talent like Horford. The only thing that scares me a little is that Horford just turned 30, and with his injury history I do wonder what he'll look like in three years.

But, I don't see a downside here aside from these insane contracts which are apparently going to now be the norm, so... :confusedshrug:

4 years, $113 million = $28.3 million per year :eek:

Thank god the Cavs signed the majority of their core last year.

[Jasper]

Kevin Durant had talks with the Celtics today, this could help him decide to join them.
Durant is going to the Clippers or Oak... no where else

[RedBlackAttack]

Hopefully this means Olynyk is expendable and is traded to Sac along w/ Smart or Bradley and 3 1st rnders for Cousins. That way Horford can solidify his chance to stick to PF.

But really, love the signing. Celts should be division favorites now. In Stevens I trust.
I have no doubt they're now the favorites in the Atlantic. Toronto lost Biyombo and the Celtics lost Turner, but added Horford.

The Knicks are still a relatively distant third.

Seems pretty obvious, imo.

[tpols]

how does a top 5 pf make no impact?

I would imagine horford would be used as a center in the celtics offense quite a bit.. either way, he's nowhere near top 5 PF in the league.. blake griffin, lamarcus aldridge, kevin love, draymond green, dirk are all better off the top my head and guys like zbo, millsap, favors, KAT etc are also arguably better.. fact of matter is horford is beyond average player in this league.

[Hotlantadude81]

Hawks still suck. :lol

[Akrazotile]

I would imagine horford would be used as a center in the celtics offense quite a bit.. either way, he's nowhere near top 5 PF in the league.. blake griffin, lamarcus aldridge, kevin love, draymond green, dirk are all better off the top my head and guys like zbo, millsap, favors, KAT etc are also arguably better.. fact of matter is horford is beyond average player in this league.


:yaohappy:

[Tking714]

I would imagine horford would be used as a center in the celtics offense quite a bit.. either way, he's nowhere near top 5 PF in the league.. blake griffin, lamarcus aldridge, kevin love, draymond green, dirk are all better off the top my head and guys like zbo, millsap, favors, KAT etc are also arguably better.. fact of matter is horford is beyond average player in this league.

Aldridge, griffin, green, kat. Everyone else is either shaky on D or can't stretch the floor as well. Plus give up size/the ability to run the floor. Horford is a complete player at the 4/modern 5.

[atljonesbro]

Hawks still suck. :lol
Meltdown

[FireDavidKahn]

Great signing.

Doesn't give them the star they need, but Horford ensures a 50+ win season for the Celtics.

[Hotlantadude81]

Great pick-up for the Cs. To me, this will make Boston the #2 team in the East assuming they maintain the rest of their roster.

Stevens is such a great coach, he'll have fun with a talent like Horford. The only thing that scares me a little is that Horford just turned 30, and with his injury history I do wonder what he'll look like in three years.

But, I don't see a downside here aside from these insane contracts which are apparently going to now be the norm, so... :confusedshrug:

4 years, $113 million = $28.3 million per year :eek:

Thank god the Cavs signed the majority of their core last year.

Horford is declining. He averaged 3.6 RPG in the last 6 playoff games. :facepalm

The biggest problem for the hawks is that they got nothing out of a sign and trade and now Sap knows that the Hawks have tried to trade him.

[Derka]

Can not believe we actually landed a free agent. I honestly can't.

[FireDavidKahn]

Horford is declining. He averaged 3.6 RPG in the last 6 playoff games. :facepalm

The biggest problem for the hawks is that they got nothing out of a sign and trade and now Sap knows that the Hawks have tried to trade him.
Have you paid attention to Dwight in the last 3 years?

There is a reason why Horford commanded a max contract and Dwight couldn't.

[tpols]

Have you paid attention to Dwight in the last 3 years?

There is a reason why Horford commanded a max contract and Dwight couldn't.

Dwight averaged 12 rebounds per game w/ elite defense in the regular season, and 14 rpg w/ very good defense in the playoffs. Horford is a soft, stiff travesty of the lets turn big men mid range shooters into 3 pt chuckers. He provides no physical advantage, no rebounding advantage, and no defense aside solid ability to manuever on the perimeter. He is beyond soft and slow inside.. dwight is Lebron level wide.. he is a freak physical build. He's exactly what the soft hawks need since they can be bullied off the court by the Cavs B team in a sweep lmao. They need that type of size to say "uh no, were not getting punked off the floor." Dwight knocked a peak lebron level 60+ win team out with hedo turkeyglue as his second option and hero lol.. comin back to the Least.. it will feel like heaven to him :bowdown: (add in magic city and this mfer will be BALLIN)

[Hotlantadude81]

Have you paid attention to Dwight in the last 3 years?

There is a reason why Horford commanded a max contract and Dwight couldn't.

Do you see me praising Dwight Howard?

[RedBlackAttack]

Aldridge, griffin, green, kat. Everyone else is either shaky on D or can't stretch the floor as well. Plus give up size/the ability to run the floor. Horford is a complete player at the 4/modern 5.
Love averaged 19/13/3 versus the Hawks in the playoffs. In fact, KLove had a double-double in all 4 games of the sweep. He's also three years younger than Horford.

Al is the better defensive player, but I thought Love showed throughout these playoffs that his defensive shortcomings aren't as dire as some thought. There are moments when the speed of the game is too much for his slow-footedness, but he can make up for it with basketball IQ and knowing the personnel he's matched against (where they like to drive, their favorite spots on the court, etc).

Love is the better player, imo.

[JGXEN]

Im Jacked To The Tits!!!!

[Hotlantadude81]

Im Jacked To The Tits!!!!

Horford will probably tear his again next season. He is due.

[veilside23]

is this really official ? i heard the wizards is pushing for horford as well.

I really want the wizards to make an impact... So sad to see John wall being undervalued.

[AirBonner]

30 minutes AFTER Durant met with the Celtics. A new power is on the rise! :rockon:

[keep-itreal]

LMAO, I'm sure KD wants to play with an undersized PF who can't grab rebounds :oldlol:

[AirBonner]

LMAO, I'm sure KD wants to play with an undersized PF who can't grab rebounds :oldlol:
Amir can :applause:

[SpaceJam]

Players can't officially sign until the 7th, nice attempt though bro

[MMM]

Yes I found the timing odd especially when reports 5 minstrel before Horford announce had him leaning towards Atlanta. Also found it odd that the Clippers also took themselves out of the Durant sweepstakes after the Celtics meeting

[kurple]

Celtics would also have the best star package on the market


KD
Horford
Cousins

[DMAVS41]

Yes I found the timing odd especially when reports 5 minstrel before Horford announce had him leaning towards Atlanta. Also found it odd that the Clippers also took themselves out of the Durant sweepstakes after the Celtics meeting

I kind of thought the same thing.

I assume KD still goes back to the Thunder, but...if you think about it...there might not be any great teams he can join so easily next year.

The Celtics, imo, will push hard for Butler if they don't get Durant. And while they would obviously do every thing they could to get Durant...it would likely take mixing things up a bit next summer.

The Warriors, depending on what happens with Ezeli/Barnes, might also have a really tough time adding him...and if they won the title...Durant likely wouldn't go to begin with.

So, leaving now is more in play than I originally thought given how things have kind of played out.

[Rolando]

Amir can :applause:

Yes. Amir is one of the best defensive centers. He can switch onto smaller players easily. Handles bigs too. Dude is great.

[Hotlantadude81]

LMAO, I'm sure KD wants to play with an undersized PF who can't grab rebounds :oldlol:

He can't beat Cleveland or the Warriors with a somewhat stacked Thunder roster, but he is going to beat them with an undersized SG and a a declining Al Horford? I doubt that he is stupid enough to believe that.

[DMAVS41]

He can't beat Cleveland or the Warriors with a somewhat stacked Thunder roster, but he is going to beat them with an undersized SG and a a declining Al Horford? I doubt that he is stupid enough to believe that.

The Celtics would be contenders with Durant/Horford. It's silly to say otherwise.

Also, the Celtics have an absurd amount of assets...that they would then use to improve the roster.

If they got Durant. They would cash in on a lot of their draft picks (including the upcoming Nets pick from this year and potentially Jaylen Brown as well) to get at least 1 player of note...probably 2.

This roster can still get a lot better if Durant signed with them.

Adding a guy like Jimmy Butler is definitely possible if Durant came. Probably happens even if Durant doesn't come...or something similar as Celtics have clearly entered "win now" mode.

[Hotlantadude81]

The Celtics would be contenders with Durant/Horford. It's silly to say otherwise.

Also, the Celtics have an absurd amount of assets...that they would then use to improve the roster.

If they got Durant. They would cash in on a lot of their draft picks (including the upcoming Nets pick from this year and potentially Jaylen Brown as well) to get at least 1 player of note...probably 2.

This roster can still get a lot better if Durant signed with them.

Adding a guy like Jimmy Butler is definitely possible if Durant came. Probably happens even if Durant doesn't come...or something similar as Celtics have clearly entered "win now" mode.

There are if's and maybe's


The Celtics would be contenders with Durant/Horford. It's silly to say otherwise.

Not without more talent. Horford might not even be better than Serge Ibaka at this stage. They have no shot at beating Cleveland with just Durant, Horford and the undersized SG.

Seriously, Horford isn't all that good anymore.

He is one of the softest players in the league.

[tpols]

The Celtics would be contenders with Durant/Horford. It's silly to say otherwise.

Also, the Celtics have an absurd amount of assets...that they would then use to improve the roster.

If they got Durant. They would cash in on a lot of their draft picks (including the upcoming Nets pick from this year and potentially Jaylen Brown as well) to get at least 1 player of note...probably 2.

This roster can still get a lot better if Durant signed with them.

Adding a guy like Jimmy Butler is definitely possible if Durant came. Probably happens even if Durant doesn't come...or something similar as Celtics have clearly entered "win now" mode.

really tho, any playoff team would be contenders in the East w/ Durant hopping on board.. so that's not saying much. As far as getting over the cleveland, golden state humps there's no way they'd be able to pull that off given how they are built. They can trade all they want they're not getting any player close to westbrook level.. and stars > systems in the playoffs. We see this over and over every year with the hawks, celtics this past year, even toronto.. you can win as many regular season games as you want, stars show up in the playoffs.. and the celtics showed their colors in the playoffs this past year.. they're terribly average and cant shoot for shit. both thunder and celtics would have to go through golden state and cleveland to win anyway so he'd be pretty dumb to leave for boston.. it's not gonna happen anyways but just my 2 cents.

only teams that can be argued as an upward move for KD would be clippers or golden state, otherwise he might as well stay in OKC.

[DMAVS41]

really tho, any playoff team would be contenders in the East w/ Durant hopping on board.. so that's not saying much. As far as getting over the cleveland, golden state humps there's no way they'd be able to pull that off given how they are built. They can trade all they want they're not getting any player close to westbrook level.. and stars > systems in the playoffs. We see this over and over every year with the hawks, celtics this past year, even toronto.. you can win as many regular season games as you want, stars show up in the playoffs.. and the celtics showed their colors in the playoffs this past year.. they're terribly average and cant shoot for shit. both thunder and celtics would have to go through golden state and cleveland to win anyway so he'd be pretty dumb to leave for boston.. it's not gonna happen anyways but just my 2 cents.

only teams that can be argued as an upward move for KD would be clippers or golden state, otherwise he might as well stay in OKC.

Guys...

If KD went to the Celtics...they are already very close to the Cavs.

But they wouldn't be done yet...they have Jaylen Brown, the Nets pick, tons of young assets/picks.

They would turn some or all of that into a player that moves the needle.

I mentioned Jimmy Butler earlier....there would be a good chance that the Celtics go after him or someone of that caliber.

Are you telling me that if the Celtics lost like Smart, Nets pick, Celtics first rounder next year, and filler for Jimmy Butler...you aren't putting them at or near the top of the teams in the league?

Also...that team is better than OKC both now and the next few years.

[tpols]

Also...that team is better than OKC both now and the next few years.


i'd agree on boston going forward.. because long term east there will definitely pop up some easy ass paths at some point.. but for next year assuming cleveland and golden state are healthy, the paths would be the same pretty much.. and ;

Westbrook is still a way better player than Jimmy Butler and more proven in the playoffs.

Center play is huge and Steven Adams is better than Al Horford (especially come physical playoff time).

And then guys like isaih thomas, dion waiters, avery bradley, oladipo are all crap shoots to me playing off the stars. Dion was extremely good for the Thunder especially on defense in the playoffs and as a 4th option or so could be similar to bradley. The Celtics are more a product of great coaching than anything else.. their talent isnt that crazy good, not even close to good enough to be > than OKC's right now.

[DMAVS41]

i'd agree on boston going forward.. because long term east there will definitely pop up some easy ass paths at some point.. but for next year assuming cleveland and golden state are healthy, the paths would be the same pretty much.. and ;

Westbrook is still a way better player than Jimmy Butler and more proven in the playoffs.

Center play is huge and Steven Adams is better than Al Horford (especially come physical playoff time).

And then guys like isaih thomas, dion waiters, avery bradley, oladipo are all crap shoots to me playing off the stars. Dion was extremely good for the Thunder especially on defense in the playoffs and as a 4th option or so could be similar to bradley. The Celtics are more a product of great coaching than anything else.. their talent isnt that crazy good, not even close to good enough to be > than OKC's right now.

Once you put Durant/Butler on that team though...and only lose Smart essentially in the hypothetical I laid out. You can have some of the deadliest small ball lineups in the league.

Yes, they'd need a back up center / big, but that can be had.

Thomas/Bradley/Crowder/Butler/Durant/Brown...that is insane depth...and hell...if they think they need something else. You can move Brown for something of note.

I'm not saying he should for sure leave the Thunder...but this Celtics team just with Durant/Horford is already right there...and they have an unreal ability to get a lot better very quickly given their assets.

He's not going there so it doesn't matter...hopefully the Celtics go get Butler with a godfather offer. Would make the conference a lot more compelling than having him waste away on the Bulls.

[HoopSuperstar]

Yes. Amir is one of the best defensive centers. He can switch onto smaller players easily. Handles bigs too. Dude is great.

Too bad he left to the Hornets!!!

[Ramiah]

Only a matter of time...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj3j2nfWsAAFAMH.jpg