The Boston Celtics have a fairly even roster as they look to rebuild out of their Big 3 era.
“If everybody were designing an NBA roster, I think they would probably suggest that you have three max [salary] players that are All-Star players like we’ve had in the past,” Danny Ainge said. “Like Miami had, like Cleveland has now. That would be ideal because it’s pretty clear-cut who’s going to play and then you build players around them. We don’t have that right now.
“Not being able to have the 10 or 15 franchise players that exist in a 30-team league and with one team having maybe three of them and another having two, there’s not that many of them to go around. That probably is a good thing that some nights your bench will be better than your starters.”
The Celtics have amassed a considerable number of first round picks over the past two years.
“We don’t really look at it as rebuilding or changing direction, we’re trying to build a championship,” said Ainge matter-of-factly. “We have some really nice players and I know Brad is really understanding the NBA game and all the things that come from making the transition to coaching in college. I couldn’t be happier with Brad and his staff. I think he’s done a great job of communicating to all the players.”
The Celtics were interested in Kevin Love this offseason and hope to eventually attract a franchise-caliber player.
“Players will want to come to Boston, but not all players will and we understand that,” Ainge said. “Right now my focus is on Opening Night. I’m excited how this team comes together on the court. We don’t even know who’s going to be free agents. We don’t know who’s going to sign contract extensions. We don’t know who is going to decide who is going to stay with their own teams. We’ll be ready for that when the time comes.”