Breaking down each Celtics players' entertainment value dollar by dollar (based on my season ticket price)
Tonight I'll be heading to the TD Garden for my eighth straight opening night as a Celtics season ticket holder. Last year was the first season I began to question my investment, so I took it upon myself to assign each player a dollar value portion of my $70 ticket in order to determine if I was still getting my money's worth (I then reevaluated at mid-season).
The good news for 2014-15 is that the Celtics actually reduced my ticket price for the first time ever--this year I'm paying $65 per game. Here's my breakdown of each player's entertainment value for my money:
$10 Rajon Rondo - Whether or not Rondo wants to leave town, he'll still be determined to prove he's worth a max deal next offseason. He'll either buy into Brad Steven's system and be the best player he can be for this team, or he'll try to pad his stats as much as possible. Either way he'll be fun to watch.
$9 Marcus Smart - It's been 17 years since Boston began the season with a rookie drafted as high as Smart was (Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer in 1997). To say expectations are high would be an understatement.
$8 Jared Sullinger - Want to know a secret? Sullinger may be the best player on the Celtics roster, right now.
$7 Kelly Olynyk - Even though they'll get mauled on the defensive end of the floor, I'm pumped to see what the Olynyk/Sullinger frontcourt can do on offense. Yeah it's a small sample, but in the preseason they shot a combined 48% (24-50) from three-point range.
$7 James Young - If the Celtics didn't have Smart, we'd all be drooling over the potential of James Young.
$5 Avery Bradley - I'm just the slightest bit soured on Bradley because I'm not convinced he's ever going to be completely healthy. In four seasons in the league he's played more than 60 games just once.
$3 Marcus Thornton - This is probably a little high, but I can't get over the fact that a guy who looks like Thornton does (pictured above) can be an NBA shooting guard, and that's amusing.
$3 Tyler Zeller - I don't think Zeller will have much of an impact, but the Celtics are going to need an actual center sometimes, and he's it.
$3 Evan Turner - I put a lot more weight in Turner's no-show with the Pacers than I do in his solid numbers on a horrible 76ers team. His two-year contract makes no sense to me. It either should have been one year so he's off the books for a rebuild next season, or a more long-term deal if the C's believe he's part of the future.
$3 Jeff Green - I'm so over Jeff Green. He's not "the guy" and he's never going to be.
$2 Brandon Bass - Huh, Brandon Bass is still on the Celtics? This low number is no fault of his own, Bass is a good player. He's just left over from the past and doesn't have a role anymore with this rebuilding team.
$2 Phil Pressey - I like Pressey, but when is he ever going to get a chance to play now that Smart is the backup point guard?
$2 Dwight Powell - There's very little chance Powell is going to do anything meaningful in Boston. But you never know with rookies, so I am the tiniest bit curious.
$1 Vitor Faverani - I'm bored with Vitor. His off-court silliness doesn't really interest me, and I wouldn't be surprised if he never plays another game for the Celtics.
$0 Gerald Wallace - Boston will pay Wallace slightly more than $10 million this season (and next year too unless they're able to trade him). I can't in good conscience allow any of my season-ticket dollars to go to that.
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$65
Follow Mark Vandeusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan
