2012-2013 Record: 46-36

Season Highlight:

The Celtics survived the rigorous Eastern Conference and somehow, with Kobe Bryant leading the way, made the playoffs as an 8th seed. The Celtics were more like “The Kobes”; Kobe Bryant was the what kept Boston even afloat in the playoff race. The NLL Legend played on basically one leg in Week 20, clinching his team’s playoff spot.

Season Lowlight:

Well, even after the Celtics had made their long awaited arrival, X-Rays came in and showed that Kobe had torn his Achilles Tendon, and was out for the playoffs. Without Kobe, the Heat stream rolled the Celtics 4-0, with only Game 3 not being decided by 15 or more points. GM Mavs4Life also left the team to join the vacant Detroit job, leaving an unknown future surrounding Boston.

Best Trade:

The Boston Celtics send Kobe Bryant to the Houston Rockets.

The Houston Rockets send a 1st-Rounder (Hou) and 2nd-Rounder (SA) to the Boston Celtics.

Sure, the Celtics traded a legend for the 1st overall pick in the draft, but this marked a new direction by GM Jmac. When Jmac came in, he knew that being mediocre is not a spot you want to be in the NLL, and decided to blow it up and rebuild. The Celtics acquired the first overall pick, an asset they used to acquire Nicolas Batum and they also acquired cap space, freeing themselves of Kobe’s 30 mill contract. The thing that a lot of people didn’t look at was the TPE that the Celtics acquired; that 30 million dollar TPE can be used if the Celtics go over the cap, as extra cap space. It’s also good for a year and can be used in chunks, another asset that is very valuable.

Worst Trade:

The Boston Celtics send Lance Stephenson to the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send Vernon Macklin to the Boston Celtics.

He didn’t say the Batum deal! Shocker, I know but this deal was forgotten by many people. Stephenson flourished into a great player, averaging 13.6 points for the Rockets and emerging as a nice young player for the team. His value has skyrocketed because of his performances; he was one of the main pieces that was involved in the Tim Duncan deal that broke down. If Mavs would have let Stephenson develop, he potentially could’ve added a piece to help Kobe out with the team.

Other Notable Trades:

The Philadelphia 76ers send Nicolas Batum to the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Celtics send a 1st-Rounder (Hou) (Ben McLeMore) and 2nd-Rounder (SA) to the Philadelphia 76ers.

This trade sent shockwaves around the league. However, it seems like a pretty fair deal; the Sixers unload their additional talent that they don’t need (To open up a starting spot for Kawhi) and the Celtics acquire a pretty good small forward. It seems like the Celtics will be playing big ball, with Chandler Parsons starting at the 4 compared to his natural position as a small forward.

The Boston Celtics send Andrea Bargnani to the Chicago Bulls.

The Boston Celtics send a 2nd-Rounder (Bos) to the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Bulls send a 1st-Rounder (Chi) to the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics finally rid themselves of Andrea Bargnani, the pasta and cap eating center. For all their troubles, they get a first rounder as well. We will see how Andrea does in Chicago, but for right now, it’s great for the Celtics just to rid of his contract. Part of rebuilding is to get rid of bad contracts, and the Celts did that.

Best FA Signing:

N/A

Star:

Kobe Bryant- I have never seen a guy carry his team like Kobe did this year. Averaging 30.9 points per game, Kobe Bryant put the team on his back every game. He wanted that title badly. The ending to an unbelievable season was a torn achilles, and a sweep in the playoffs. Now, Bryant is in Houston, aiming to lead the Rockets to the playoffs and to be contenders.

Surprise:

Chandler Parsons- The man had an okay rookie season, but now is being built around in Boston. He averaged about 12 points a game, and had a strong defensive impact on the Celtics. Sure, he probably would score/rebound more if Kobe wasn’t there, but even with him there, Parsons exploded onto the scene as a true NLL player.

Goat:

No one was really a poor player.

Draft Report Card:

The Celtics didn’t draft anybody in the 2013 NLL Draft.

Looking To The Future:

The Celtics are in rebuilding mode, and they look to rebuild around Rubio, Parsons, and Batum. Rubio is a great playmaker, and Batum is a good two-way player. With plenty of cap room to play with, the Celtics are a team that are gonna rebuild right. They will be looking towards this draft class for some young talent, such as Julius Randle, Andrew Wiggins, or even Jabari Parker (if he decides to leave Duke).

Upcoming Free Agents:

JJ Hickson- He might be retained, however he is looking at leaving according to sources.

Antawn Jamison- The old guy from North Carolina hasn’t made a decision whether to leave or to stay.

Jerry Stackhouse, Roger Mason, Jamaal Tinsley, Alan Anderson- All of their futures are up in the air right now. No one knows where will they go.

Carl Landry- Carl is looking to leave the Celtics, not interested in a rebuild and more interested in a championship contending team.

Will Bynum- Bynum looks like the only one to re-sign, as he is interested in a 2 year deal possibly worth 5.75 mill.