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've never been a fan of the Boston Celtics. Lets get that out of the way right now.
But I am a fan and avid studier of basketball history, so I understand how important this storied franchise is to the game I love.
That's why I can't stand to see the organization with the most championships in league history-16-mired in the sorry state it's currently in.
Yes, I realize Boston won a division title in a (bad) Atlantic Division in 2004-05. But before that, the Celtics hadn't won a division crown for 13 years. Boston hasn't been to the Finals in a score. And they haven't won a title in 21 years.
It could be a little early to be saying this, but Red Auerbach has to be spinning in his grave. A week into the season, and a little more than week after his fatal heart attack, Red's Celtics are 0-3 and allowing 105.3 ppg-good for 25th in a 30-team league. Swingmen Paul Pierce and Wally Szsklsdklfhsiak average a combined 50 points a night, while the other 10 guys who suit up score 47.3 ppg. Pierce, a small forward, is currently second in the League with 13 boards a night, while the C's two big men-Kedrick Perkins and Michael "I can't BE-LIEVE I was the first overall pick" Olowokandi-combine for 7.2 rpg to go along with their robust 3 ppg.
I like the youth movement Boston has implemented with guards Sebastian Telfair, Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen and forwards Perkins, Gerald Green and Al Jefferson. But how is this fair to Pierce-a top-five guard-who goes out and goes hard each and every night?
Yes, it's early, but when you combine that youth movement with one of the worst in-game coaches in the League and a seemingly clueless GM, Doc Rivers and Danny Ainges, respectively, you get the ugly situation the Celtics have had since Reggie Lewis passed away.
Who knows what would have happened had those ping-pong balls fallen in Boston's favor in '97. Tim Duncan could be donning a green and white 21 jersey instead of his silver and black. Boston had two lottery picks that year and used them on Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer. Billups lasted in Beantown for half a season, while Mercer played two under his coach at Kentucky-Rick Pitino. That draft is admittedly one of the thinnest in history, but, if they had it to do over again, I'm guessing Boston brass would have selected Tracy McGrady and, I don't know, Brevin Knight?
Almost 10 years later, all the Celtics have to show is a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002.
I don't claim to know everything about basketball, but Ainge needs to do one of two things: trade Pierce and Sczerbiak for more young guys or picks and go full on with the youth push, or trade some of those young horses for gritty vets-a la Pat Riley in Miami-and get his team back to the playoffs.
No, Ainge wouldn't be able to bring a huge name on board since his young guys are still on their rookie deals. The money wouldn't match up. But I'm guessing Donald Sterling would at least listen to a Pierce to the L.A. Clippers for Shaun Livingston and Corey Maggette deal. Or to Denver for J.R. Smith and Eduardo Najera.
I'm hoping something gets done before the Atlantic Division becomes home to two of the worst-run franchises in the League.
And New Jersey, Toronto or Philly isn't the other one.
We're about four months removed from Dwyane Wade hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy -- and Mark Cuban cussing out David Stern.
So what's the new season goin to bring? It'll bring the return of some marquee players who battled injuries last season (Tracy McGrady, Amare Stoudemire) and some who have battled injury since the start of the new millenium (Grant Hill).
It'll bring out some big names in new places, most notably Ben Wallace, who will now boost the Chicago wig market.
A couple of things are for sure: Portland will miss the playoffs for the third straight year after a streak that saw the Blazers make the playoffs for 22 consecutive years. And it'll be a battle out west for the league's best record between Phoenix and Dallas.
From now until the start of the season, I'm going to rank the teams in order of worst to best chance to win the NBA title. On Halloween, I'll have my picks for MVP, Finals MVP, playoff pairings, all-leagues, etc.
I wonder if Nate McMillan cries every time he passes a Starbucks
30. Portland Trailblazers: Like all teams, Portland has the potential to be a solid squad. Forward Zach Randolph is entering his six year in the League. Big man Joel Przybilla showed he was a starter in the NBA last season. Beyond that, though, is a number of questions. Can Randolph stay out of the police blotter? How long before Darius Miles goes Sprewell on McMillan? With all the off-the-court problems, is Isiah Rider working for owner Paul Allen as an adviser to the players?
29. New York knicks: Isiah Thomas ruined the CBA. He couldn't get a loaded Pacers team to the finals. He hired Larry Brown. He's starting Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis IN THE SAME BACKCOURT. He'll be on suicide watch by Christmas.
28. Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson is one of the most versatile players in the League and playing in the World Championships this summer helped him a lot, I'm sure. Josh Smith is a freak of an athlete and Marvin Williams has played well so far this preseason. But it's the Hawks, though, so that'll only translate into MAYBE 22 wins.
27. Seattle Supersonics: On second thought, maybe McMillan gives the finger to every Starbucks he sees.
26. Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce is one of the best players in the league. Boston has a team of youngsters with loads of potential, too, in Gerald Green, Al Jefferson and rookie Rajon Rondo. But they also have one of the worst game coaches in Doc Rivers. He'll be wondering if he can get his job as a color commentator back by the All-Star break.
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.
