Boston Celtics: Big Winners?
Who thought that they would be reading that? After dropping out of the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant sweepstakes, and thus being relegated to the realm of solid-but-not-quite-great draft picks, it looked like Danny Ainge and the long-suffering Celtics were to remain mired in their funk for a few more years. Then they pulled off the Ray Allen trade and things looked a bit better. Then they pulled off the coup and landed the Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett. Suddenly the team that went 24-58 last year has a chance to completely turn that record inside-out. Suddenly, Danny Ainge goes from goat to genius. Suddenly, the Celtics are loaded with all-stars and look to be contenders in the future. The only problem? The future needs to come soon.
Although the Celtics starting five have mega-credentials and experience, with that experience comes age. Garnett is 31, Allen 32, and Pierce will be 30 when the season starts. Garnett also is an old 31, coming into the league at 18. If the future doesn’t come within 3-4 years, it may not come at all. The Celtics will surely be able to get enough baskets with this group, but their defense will be suspect. Sure Garnett is a lively force in the middle, capable of guarding anyone from the 2-5 position, but Allen has never been known as a stopper, and Pierce even less so. The bench is non-existent and non-tested. Glen ‘Big Baby” Davis, the rookie out of LSU was a force to be reckoned with in the SEC, but can he keep his weight under control? He can score from 20 feet out, and definitely provides toughness around that basket, but can he go a full season? At point guard, Rajon Rando out of Kentucky, had breakout moments in his rookie year last year, but at the end of the day averaged 6.4 points, 3.8 assists, and nearly 2 turnovers in 23 minutes per game. Not bad, but definitely not yet a point guard that you can hang your hat on.
Of course, after winning only 24 games last year, average is still an improvement.
Filed under: NBA Players, NBA Teams
