Boston Celtics - Dawn of a New Era (NBA 2K13 Association)

[rondodimes]

Hello everyone, I'm here with a 30-team controlled NBA 2K13 Association from the perspective of the Boston Celtics. Having been a Celtics fan my entire life, I am going to try and change this team to fit both the long term (rebuilding) and short term (playoff run) goals of GM Danny Ainge. Props to Bedwardsroy19 for his AMAZING roster that I have used and will use for this association! I will be playing around 10-20 games a season, and I will be controlling injuries, coaching and league rotations for maximum realism. As for draft classes, I will be using fictional draft classes from SwaggerCoach's project (see in 2K Rosters). Scouting reports for said classes can be found there as well. Throughout the season, I will be counting on readers to provide insight on trades, storylines, signing free agents, etc., and I hope you guys have as much fun reading this as I have writing it!

[cgalligan]

I'll be following.

Looking forward to it!

[rondodimes]

When GM Danny Ainge created the Big 3 by signing Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, Celtics fans around the world cheered and knew they were in for a terrific season. And they got EXACTLY what they asked for, as the new-look Celtics defeated the Lakers in 6 games to win the NBA Finals.



Since then, however, things haven't looked AS great...

With the departure of Ray Allen and future Hall-of-Famer Brian Scalabrine, as well as an aging Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are in need of a overhaul soon. Ainge has made it clear that the team is going for yet another title run this year, and with a plethora of young, athletic players to support the core of this team, it seems possible.

Still, despite the recent Celtics woes, the team is driven by a fiery spirit in Doc Rivers, a large, loyal fanbase, and a past that has seen legends such as Bill Russell and Larry Bird. With this drive to win, it seems as if the Celtics will simply NEVER die away!

The league has noted the astounding play and athleticism of Boston's young players, such as Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, and rookie Jared Sullinger, who was drafted despite his risky value. Ainge also hopes to slowly develop the raw talent of Fab Melo, who was a force on the defensive end at Syracuse.

However, stud point guard Rajon Rondo has been cited for his lack of leadership, arrogance, and even selfishness. Teams across the league desire Rondo, and we could be seeing some major moves by the deadline...

So here we are, an unassumingly deep Celtics roster with some trade chips scattered here and there, as well as the presence of aging veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Can the Celtics go for another title this year? Will major moves be made soon? Am I asking too many questions? Let the association begin!

[rondodimes]

Quote: Originally Posted by cgalligan

I'll be following. Looking forward to it!

Thank you, greatly appreciate it! As you know, I follow yours pretty seriously too, and I'm gonna try and make this association as realistic, interesting, and fun as possible!

[rondodimes]

With the season about to begin, the Celtics roster looks fairly deep. The backcourt especially contains a great deal of defensive talent. However, Doc Rivers will most likely limit Garnett's minutes to preserve his health for the playoffs. Be on the lookout for potential frontcourt lineup changes as young players like Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo slowly emerge.

Boston Celtics Depth Chart - 12-13
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Rajon Rondo	Avery Bradley	Leandro Barbosa
SG	Jason Terry	Courtney Lee
SF	Paul Pierce	Jeff Green
PF	Brandon Bass	Jared Sullinger	Chris Wilcox
C	Kevin Garnett	Jason Collins	Fab Melo

[cgalligan]

Quote:

and future Hall-of-Famer Brian Scalabrine

^ CLASSIC!!! hahah

[rondodimes]

The first month of the season is over! The Celtics are off to a sub par start, mainly because Rondo's been out for a few weeks with a strained quad. However, the team has pulled off several tremendous victories ( including a 115-80 win over the Nets) due to the solid play of Pierce (21 ppg, 5 reb, 5 ast) and Garnett (15 ppg, 10 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk). However, Ainge has repeatedly stated that the C's can't keep relying on these aging stars. Guys like Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, and Courtney Lee have got to take up the scoring burden at times. Here are the standings up until December 1st:

NBA Standings - Updated: Dec 1, 2012
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Bulls	10	4	--
Raptors	11	6
Heat	9	5
Knicks	9	6
Bucks	9	6
76ers	9	7
Nets	8	7
Celtics	9	8
Wizards	7	7
Bobcats	7	8
Hawks	5	9
Magic	4	9
Pacers	5	11
Pistons	4	13
Cavaliers	1	15
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Thunder	13	4
Nuggets	12	5
Lakers	10	5
Warriors	10	5
Trail Blazers	10	6
Jazz	10	6
Hornets	7	7
Suns	8	9
Spurs	8	9
Rockets	7	8
Kings	7	8
Mavericks	7	9
Clippers	6	9
Grizzlies	5	9
Timberwolves	4	11

The Raptors have pulled off a surprisingly terrific start, due to the all-around fantastic play of Rudy Gay, Andrea Bargnani, and DeMar Derozan. Meanwhile, in the West, the Spurs, having lost Ginobili for a couple weeks to an injury, as well as the Clippers, who lost Griffin to injury, are off to a rocky start. These early games often determine a team's record, and if playoff-caliber teams like the Spurs, Celtics, and Clippers don't step up, we could be in for an interesting postseason...

[kokaine]

Nice!
Will you incorporate the trading of Barbosa for Jordan Crawford?