The Celtics draft day deal for former Sonic Ray Allen put the team on the doorstep of the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference.
The July 31 deal for Kevin Garnett, which netted the Minnesota Timberwolves five players and two draft picks, puts the team firmly into the playoffs, but not as high as some people would like you to believe.
Yes, TD Banknorth Garden will be sold out for the next fine years -- Garnett signed a three-year extension on top of the two years left on his deal that will keep him in Beantown through the 2011-12 season.
Yes, the Celtics will be relevant for at least three of those five campaigns.
And, yes, the most storied franchise in the League, which hasn't raised a banner since "The Simpsons" was just a skit on "The Tracey Ullman Show," will be on opposing team's radars each time they play.
What they won't be, though, is title contenders.
The 31-year-old Garnett, 32-year-old Allen and Paul Pierce, 29, do make for an imposing trio. But what else is there after those three?
The Celtics acquired Garnett, a 10-time All-Star and the NBA MVP in 2004, from Minnesota in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, a 2009 first-round draft pick and a return of Minnesota's conditional first-round pick previously obtained in the Ricky Davis-Wally Sczerbiak swap.
The Timberwolves also receive cash considerations in the deal. The 2009 pick Boston is sending to Minnesota is top-three protected.
Let's see: five players and two draft picks, which will admittedly be in the 16-21 range, for one guy. That's the largest deal for one player in League history.
Here's Boston's depth chart after the trade:
PG: Rajon Rondo, Allan Ray
SG: Ray Allen, Tony Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe
C: Kendrick Perkins, Michael Olowokandi
No depth. The Big Three makes the squad more than just a blip on the NBA radar, but nothing more.
Of the five players traded away, one averaged 33 minutes a night (Jefferson), and Gomes put in 31 minutes a game. Green and Telfair got more than 20 minutes of burn each night, and Ratliff played for than 20 minutes in the two games he suited up for. Delonte West and Sczerbiak, who were sent to Seattle in the Allen deal, averaged 30 minutes a game between them.
You'd think this would help the squad, what with head coach Doc Rivers' inability to magane playing time for a group, but now they have another problem.
Their top two point guards are gone. Danny Ainge traded away a promising front court player in Jefferson. And Boston will have to rely on Perkins and OlowoBusti to provide something in the post.
Unless Boston brass has some more deals up their sleeves -- maybe bringing in Brevin Knight to play the role he played in Charlotte behind Ray Felton until Rondo can be let loose, and/or bringing in Chris Webber, Anderson Varejao or Earl Boykins -- this is just a deal to make headlines.
Even though they were knocked out of the first round of the '07 playoffs, Toronto is still the class of the Atlantic Division. Bosh is a young Garnett, the Raptors have depth in the post and two capable quarterbacks in T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon.
The Pistons and Bulls are deeper and light years ahead of Boston on defense.
Oh, and there are those two guys who aren't going anywhere for a while: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
That's five teams I put ahead of Boston in the East. The other two East playoff teams are Milwaukee and Washington, and that all hinges on health.
So that puts Boston, after all its wheeling and dealing, sixth in the Eastern Conference.
I know big moves are the ones that garner the print and air time, but subtle tweaks bring home trophies.
I'm inclined to believe the C's made the right move by landing Garnett. There are a few veterans they can probably sign to the league minimum, a la Kurt Thomas, Brevin Knight or PJ Brown that will help Doc and Danny fill the holes.
These three all share something that you can't measure on paper, and that's the will to win.
lakersfan--you certainly wouldn't be the first person to call me crazy. and that's quite alright.
i'm comfortable with what i said.
det, cle, njn, tor, miami, wash, orlando, all have great chances at being better than boston in my opinion. they all have their core remaining in tact an returning, and they are all fairly deep.
remember it takes time for guys to jel. if every game was an allstar game the celts squad would be awesome.
Lakersfan, if you think this puts them fourth in the East, that means they don't win the Atlantic. Who does? Yup, the soft Raps. A healthy Heat squad is still an over the hill Heat squad, IMO. They've made NO moves all summer, except signing Alonzo. Oh, and the whole of the Cavs is better than the parts Boston currently has
GR8UN54, yea, as we all know, D is important in the East. Say they play Chicago in the first round. It'll be worse than the MIA/CHI series. Deng, Gordon and Hinrich would eat anything Boston puts out there alive. But it all depends on who's on Boston's side of the bracket. I'd say it'll be Chi/Was, Cle/Bos as the 2/7, 3/6.
Rev, I agree on the potential moves. The point guard is the most important, though. They need somebody to feed KG in the post. I think it'll be REALLy important, too, because I see Ray being used as a Rip Hamilton-type: coming off screens, not a lot of dribbling, etc.
The C's definatly win the Atlantic and go deep in the playoffs They got a bona-fide( sorry just wanted to use "bona" in a sentence)top ten player and future 1st ballot hall of famer for Big Al and a bag of hammers.
This was a no brainer for the Celtics
They're not done
Knight or Earl Boykins or another veteran 1 will be wearing Green before the season begins
The East is beyond weak. How much depth did the Cavs have?
With these three they could easily take the East this year and be in the Finals (which makes them a title contender). Even though there are several Western Conference teams that are still better (Sun, Spurs, Mavs come to mind, maybe Rockets, Nuggets too) the war of attrition that is the Western Conference playoffs may wear them out and let the Celts sneak a title.
They still have plenty of time to solidify their roster but they've bought themselves the Atlantic Division at the least here.
Championships aren't won on paper. The Lakers failed to win with the superstar squad of Kobe, Shaq, Malone, and Payton. 4 Hall of Famers. The Rockets were similar after adding Barkley.
It definitely improves their chances, and the superstar trio should make some waves in the playoffs. But the lack of a quality point guard could hurt.
I like the combo though. Ray Allen will have more open opportunities, rather than being the focal point of the defense.
Time will tell, but I agree with your premise here. You can't hand them the title just yet.
But still, this is a positive move for Boston. Role players are easily added, franchise players are not. If they could somehow add a decent point guard, the Celtics could make things interesting in the East.
Again, that point guard is key. I know the east is weak, but it's depth and role players that get teams deep in the playoffs. Cleveland has role players, so does detroit, chicago, san antonio, phoenix, and dallas. I know role players come easily, but it's the type of role player you put with your stars that can get them to the title.
For some reason this whole situation with the Celtics reminds me of all the hype when the Knicks hired Larry Brown. People thought they'd surely make the Playoffs with Brown coaching, but they ended up getting worse. Now the Celtics have given up their young talent for some veteran stars. Surely the East is so weak that they'll make the Playoffs now, right? We'll see, but even if they do make the Playoffs I don't see them as a real title contender.
Ya great idea, lets criticize the Celtics lack of depth because God knows that a team with ira newble, scot pollard, varejao, and pavlovic wouldnt have a chance at making it to the finals! This is the Eastern Conference my friends, and sadly it doesnt take bleep to win it. The C's have a great shot at it.
Your high if you think they cant win the Atlantic and the East. I will admit as presently constructed a Finals appearence will be very hard but the East is weak and considering someone will come available mid season on a salary dump the C's will be hard to contend with
My name is Jason Carmel Davis, and I am a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Journalism. Yes, we do go to class in East Lansing, not just to bars and the liquor store.
I'm almost positive I had an SI with me in the womb, checking out Ralph Wiley. He's the main reason I ever decided to pursue a career in sportswriting .
I even remember the first highlight I ever saw on SportsCenter. I don't remember who was reading it, but it was Michael Jordan's 63-point game against the Celtics in the Garden in the 86 Playoffs. I've been hooked ever since.
