Can Danny?

I'm going to be honest. This is going to be dead wrong. Probably the wrongest mock draft out there right now. Wronger than how wrong it is to use a word like wrongest... or wronger for that matter. But it's fun and I think it makes some sense. It will undoubtedly change when some guys has good workouts with teams, other players drop out of the draft, and I realize that I've over/underrated other people. But for the end of April, here's my take on the draft.

1: Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge - When scouts tell Blazers GM John Nash that one of Aldridge's weaknesses is that he might be too nice, Nash's ears perk up, "Wait, too... nice? We gotta get a guy like that!" The pick also doesn't force Portland's hand with Zach Randolph. Aldridge could play the five alongside Zach or slip down to the four to replace him.

2. Minnesota (from Chicago): Andrea Bargnani - Kevin Garnett is coming to Chicago! Some kind of deal like Gordon, Chandler, and the Knicks' pick will bring KG to Chi-Town. Regardless of the particulars, the Wolves are getting this pick and McHale goes a little nutty and goes after supposed Euro-Garnett, Bargnani. (Note: I admittedly have no idea how good this Bargnani guy is, I'm going off draft reports that he's a top three pick)

3. New Orleans (from Charlotte): Rudy Gay - The 'Cats need a shooting guard and don't want to reach to take Brandon Roy. Unsure what to do, the Hornets make things easier by offering both of their picks and J.R. Smith for the #3 selection. The Warriors also call offering Mickael Pietrus and their pick but it isn't enough. The Hornets add the athletic freak Rudy Gay to the lineup.

4. Atlanta: Tyrus Thomas - Atlanta GM Billy Knight has to be restrained from handing in an envelope with Adam Morrison's name on it. "Must. Have. Small. Forwards." Finally, scouts point out that Ty is only around 6'9 like the rest of their roster. This appeases Knight who goes with Thomas.

5. Seattle (from Toronto): Adam Morrison - New Raptor GM Bryan Colangelo moves down in the draft but picks up the point guard that his father liked so much that he named him to the USA team tryouts over Allen Iverson. While the deal could blossom to include Rashard Lewis and Mo Peterson, at the very least, the Raptors will drop five picks for Luke and a future pick. With Rashard Lewis on the block (he'll likely opt out of his contact and bolt after next season), Seattle goes to replace him and add a young local prospect to go with Swift and Petro.

6. Timberwolves: Sheldon Williams - McHale reached for a Dukie last season and does it again with The Landlord. Shelden adds some muscle to the frontcourt and complements both Chandler and Bargnani.

7. Golden St. (from Boston): Tiago Splitter - In hopes of winning now, Ainge deals Raef, Delonte West, and the #7 pick to Golden St. for Baron Davis. The Warriors grab Splitter as another option at center.

8. Houston: Rodney Carney - With Luther Head at the point and too much money invested at the power forward spot, the Rox opt to fill their void at the small forward spot.

9. Golden St.: Mardy Collins - Mullin goes for Collins over Williams because Mardy has the size and PG skills that will allow him complement future star Monta Ellis in the backcourt.

10: Toronto (from Seattle) - Brandon Roy - Colangelo's risk works out. Seeing as none of the teams between 5 and 10 really needed a shooting guard, he rolled the dice that Roy would still be around, which he is.

11: Magic: Ronnie Brewer - The Magic go with Brewer over Redick since they need defense in the backcourt, which Brewer can add.

12: Charlotte: J.J. Redick - Bickerstaff breathes a sigh of relief as the Tobacco Road prospect lands back home. With the addition of Pietrus, Redick has less pressure to succeed from day one yet he still acts as an attraction for locals.

13: Philadelphia: Marcus Williams - They were hoping that local prospect Mardy Collins would be around rather than Williams but they opt for UConn problem child to backup A.I. and work as a true PG for the future to team with the other A.I., Andre Iguodala.

14: Utah: Richard Roby - First you have to remember that Kevin O'Connor, the Jazz GM, is pretty much a complete idiot. He needs a shooter at the two so he opts for the best shooter, but not the best prospect, at this pick.

15: Charlotte - Cedric Simmons - Not wanting to leave the N.C. State fans without a vested interest, Bickerstaff gets the defensive minded Simmons. While the 'Cats already do have Brezec, May, and Okafor, it's not like the latter two have been all that healthy in their career so this will help limit their minutes and possibly keep them on the court and off the inactive list.

16: Chicago: Randy Foye - The Bulls replace Gordon's offense off the bench with Foye. They think about drafting Patrick O'Bryant to replace Chandler but realize he would actually replace Eddy Curry, who they're content not having a replacement for.

17: New Jersey (from Indiana) - Patrick O'Bryant: Already having their own O'Bryant in David Harrison, the Pacers opt to trade down to the 22nd and 23rd picks. The Nets add another much needed big body.

18: Wizards: Hilton Armstrong - The Wizards need a big man who can help now and Armstrong is the best available option.

19: Milwaukee (from Sacramento): Saer Sene - The Bucks pull off a blockbuster, getting Mike Bibby and the Kings pick for Jamaal Magloire, T.J. Ford and Charlie Bell. The Bucks use the pick to get Sene, a seven foot, 19 year old from Senegal who would ideally be the future complement to Bogut by being a defensive stopper in the middle. They go after a veteran big man in the free agent market and invest in their future with the pick.

20: New York: Rajon Rondo - The Knicks add a lightening quick PG, the first pass first player they have on their roster.

21: Phoenix: Sergio Rodriguez - The Spanish Steve Nash (or Sasha Vujacic depending on who you believe) becomes the heir apparent in Phoenix. Barbosa is a backup, always has been, always will be.

22: Indiana: Quincy Douby - The Pacers add a combo guard who can shoot lights out to give O'Neal some help from the perimeter.

23: Indiana: Paul Davis - With most of their big white guys gone or on the last year of their contracts, Larry drafts Davis so there will be some people that look like him out there on the court.

24: Grizzlies: Jordan Farmar - In need of a PG, the Logo grabs the Westwood floor general.

25: Cleveland: Dee Brown - The engine to run the Cavs fast break, Dee can defend and get out on the break which will help get the most out of Lebron and Larry's potential.

26: Los Angeles Lakers - Shawne Williams - Mitch has been a fan of rolling the dice on potential and that's exactly what Shawne has. He would be better off staying in school but financial constraints make it hard for him to play for free in the NCAA's and not try to support his family. The Lakers could get an absolute steal and at the least get a project who can replace Devean George.

27: Phoenix: Paul Millsap - Tell a team that starts Boris Diaw at center that Milsap is too small. Paul is a rebounding machine which is something the Suns could use.

28: Dallas: Kyle Lowry - Hassan Adams is tempting but they need another PG (if Terry leaves) more than they need another do-everything swingman.

29: New York: Hassan Adams - Isiah loves those athletes.

30: Portland: Thabo Sefolosha - Supposedly a do-everything swingman for a team that basically needs everything.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ESPN likes to call Chad Ford their draft expert. This could be no further from the truth. While he excels at breaking about a dozen or so false stories before each year's draft, Ford saves his worst work for his post draft summaries in which he usually laments that nobody else vastly overrated whichever foreign big man tickled his fancy that offseason. Beside that, his grading system is usually all over the place and fairly incomprehensible. His mock drafts are widely mocked as he often inflates the values of mediocre players and tries to fit as many European players in as possible. Initially I was going to go through the last three drafts one-by-one but that missed so much material. So one by one, I will break down all of the reasons to laugh at Chad Ford.

Reason #1: What Chad Ford says and says are two different things.

No, that isn't an error. While I'd like to say that what Chad says and what he does are completely different, he doesn't actually do anything, so it pans out to being 'What he says and what he says are two completely different things.' That statement might seem completely nonsensical, however when talking about Chad Ford you'll see that it's 100 percent spot on.

Sometimes, Chad's inconsistency is simple revisionist history. For instance, in 2005 he lauded the Celtics for getting Gerald Green. He wrote that Green and Al Jefferson could both be "superstars". This high praise for Jefferson is odd seeing as one year earlier, when the Celtics drafted Jefferson, Delonte West, and Tony Allen, his opening salva was: "I'm not sure how you could call this draft by the Celtics a success." and his grade for the draft was C+, one of the lowest grades he gave that season.

Another example of his ignoring his past statements because they were just plain wrong was with Rafael Araujo. At the time of the pick, Ford wrote,

"if you look at it, it makes sense for the Raptors. The need a center in the worst, worst way. Chris Bosh is much more comfortable playing the four. Araujo is the only other big guy in the draft, other than Okafor, who is ready to play right now. He's strong, aggressive and isn't afraid to beat up people. He'll be a nice addition in Toronto, though he doesn't have the upside many of the other people on the board did.

The morning after, he was a little bit less satisfied with the pick, writing, "This was probably a little early to grab Araujo, but I understand what the Raptors were thinking." and giving the Rapz a B- for their draft. However, the next year, Ford absolutely bashed Raptors GM Rob Babcock for the pick, saying that he really reached for Araujo and it was a terrible selection. Adding humor to the hypocrisy is that Ford was saying all of this while bashing the selection of Charlie Villenueva, who turned out to be a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Unfortunately, Chad doesn't always wait until after the fact to clear up his messes. Other times, he makes sure to cover every sides of an issue. For instance, when discussing Josh Howard in the final mock draft he wrote, "Howard's a guy that does a lot of things good, but nothing very good. I think he'll be a good role player in the league, but not much more. He could go as high as No. 18 to the Hornets, but I think he'll probably slip into Round 2." Then when the Mavericks drafted him at 29 he wrote, "They got a steal with Josh Howard late in the first. He's the type of all-purpose guy who's thrived in Dallas the past few years." So essentially, Howard is a guy that could slip to the second round but might be a mid-first talent and would be an absolute steal at 29 because while he can't do anything great and will likely be a role player, he is an all-purpose guy. In other words, Chad had no clue whatsoever about Josh Howard's prospects.

And while those two issues are laughable, nothing comes close to the head-scratching laugh riot of Chad Ford contradicting himself and calls his own logic faulty. Take for instance the Bucks pick in 2003. With the team up for sale and both of their point guards (Sam Cassell and Gary Payton) likely leaving, Chad Ford suggested in a mock draft a mere two and a half weeks before the draft that the Bucks select Kirk Hinrich. Chad had TJ Ford going to the Toronto Raptors four picks earlier so the Bucks had to settle for the second best PG in Hinrich. His rationale was this:

Gary Payton is all but gone, and they're running out of patience with Sam Cassell. And with owner Herb Kohl contemplating a sale, the Bucks are in the youth-mode right now. So the team would be remiss to pass on one of the best point guard crops in recent draft history. Right now, Hinrich is No. 2 on their board behind T.J. Ford.

Makes sense. Two weeks later, in the final ESPN mock draft, Ford wrote: "If the Bucks believe Payton will re-sign, they'll go big with someone like Maciej Lampe, Chris Kaman or Nick Collison. If Payton intends to leave it's between Kirk Hinrich and T.J. Ford." He also stated that he now preferred Hinrich, although he didn't explain why.

Fast forward to the morning after draft day 2003. T.J. Ford falls to the Bucks and they snatch him up. In his draft review, how does Chad react to the Bucks getting their man?

T. J. Ford? If Gary Payton and Sam Cassell don't come back, it could be a good pick. But with the franchise for sale, will the 6-foot point guard turn this team around? I'm just not sold. If Payton and Cassell stay, what was the point?

Huh? Why is Chad Ford confused at something Chad Ford clearly explained two weeks earlier? The Bucks needed youth and a point guard and got the #1 on the board yet Ford gives them a C+ for their draft. Even if he thought Hinrich was the better option, why wouldn't he just say that rather than bringing up the whole possibility of Payton and Cassell resigning, something that was unlikely to happen? If height was an issue, why was TJ good enough to go 4th in an earlier mock, in which Chad wrote, "Rookie point guards normally don't fare well in the NBA, but Ford is so intelligent, he has a great chance." The only reason that there could be is that Chad Ford was upset about the Bucks not drafting his beloved foreign big man, Maciej Lampe. And this will be the topic of the next installment of Hanging Chat; his absolute and sometimes laughable lust over foreign big men.

Posted by SoulHonky at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

     So where do the Celtics stand? That my friends, is exactly the question. Danny Ainge has three options this season: go for it now, blow it up now, or hold off one year before making a decision. The three schools of thought have their negative and positives.

The Blow It Up Route: If you don't see us winning the title any time soon and are not looking forward to having Pierce on the books with a second max contract, now would be the time to trade him. His value has never been higher and he could fetch some very nice trade packages. We'd also look to dump Wally and Raef and clear out all of the overpaid veterans from the payroll. THe core would be: West, Tony Allen, Green, Jefferson, Perkins, Gomes and we'd build around them. Pierce to Chicago could net Hinrich, Nocioni and the Knicks pick this year or 2007. A deal with the Warriors could bring in Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis, and Andris Biedrins. The Clippers have Maggette, Livingston and possibly more to offer. The hard part would be dumping Wally and Raef for nothing but I think it could be done.
The Positives: We start from scratch and head into the possibly loaded 2007 draft with a good chance of netting a very high pick. We get rid of our mistakes in Wally and Raef and move on fresh. This approach depends heavily on drafting ability which is Danny's strong suit.
The Negatives: We become bad. Very bad. For at least a year or two. Poor draft choices and a lack of development from the current crop of youngsters and we've become the Golden St. Warriors or Atlanta Hawks. Also, giving Danny Ainge cap space could be a dangerous move, judging from his lack of interest in market value contracts in the past. M

The Win Now Route: Youth be damned. We deal Raef, Green, Big Al, and our pick for Jermaine O'Neal. Wally, Delonte, and Allen go West for Baron Davis. We reup Paul Pierce and spend the entire MLE on Matt Harpring to round out the lineup with Kendrick Perkins. We go for Banner 17 next season.
The Positives: Fan interest is booming with the new stars coming in and the wins will start coming more often. We put together a team that can make the old guard proud and get us back into the playoffs where the Celtics belong.
The Negatives: In order to get someone who legitimately will make us title contenders, we'd have to give up an absolute ton because we don't have any medium-sized contracts to offer. Any major deal has to involve either Wally or Raef and I don't see many teams interested in either of them. To make teams listen, we'd have to load up on our youngsters which could come back to haunt us. Furthermore, this method would seriously deplete the roster of any and all depth. While the Baron, Pierce, Harpring, O'Neal, Perkins lineup sounds nice, the backups of Dickau, Greene, Scalabrine, Gomes, and Dwayne Jones leaves a lot to be desired. Also, the team I put together is highly unlikely since Wyc and the other owners don't seem interested in paying the luxury tax. Finally, any player we get back is likely flawed. In this case, Baron is injury prone and not necessarily the answer at point. While Jermaine is only 28, he's a ten year veteran who has taken a beating to his thin frame. Yes, he didn't play much his first few years, but that time off had been made up for by all of Jermaine's minutes in the playoffs. And with injury woes popping up this season, there's no telling how many years Jermaine has left in his prime, before he hit Webberland where you miss too many games in the season and are inconsistent in the postseason. Finally, this direction limits the C's window to win the title to about three to five years. After that, everyone will be old and collecting ginormous paychecks. If we don't win when the window is open, it's going to be ugly when it passes by.

The Deep Breath Route: The final option is to do very little. We try to move Raef, possibly offering our draft pick but not accepting any bad long term deals back in return. We spend the MLE to bring in a veteran, maybe even split it up on a PG like David Wesley and a big man like Aaron Williams. You allow your young players to mature and you let your veterans' contracts become ever more tradeable as they are now a year shorter. Maybe at the trade deadline something pops up, maybe you just wait another year to see where we stand next offseason.
The Positives: You don't give up too much in future assets to get upgrade for the future. You build some continuity in the locker room and let the youngster and vets grow together. A year of health would help Tony Allen and Wally Szczerbiak's trade value immensely. You struggle and end up with a good pick in the loaded 2007 draft. Essentially, you take a deep breath, count to ten, and try the Win Now method next season when your assets are worth more.
The Negatives: As I said, you struggle. If things don't go well, Pierce could become unhappy and want out. Big Al could haev more injury problems and his value could be worse. Same with Wally and Raef. You tick off your star and your fan base who expected some sort of improvement. If things fall apart while you're holding your breath, you enter the Blow It Up stage with worse trade assets and an angry fan base not looking to be bad again.

     Personally, I've been for the blow it up angle, especially if Pierce wants a big max contract. We get young stars for Pierce and start over from scratch. No bad contracts, just high picks and young talent. I highly doubt Danny is at all interested in this, although he also probably isn't interested in my second choice which is stand pat. The Celtics won't be winning the title next season so why not wait a year until our prospects improve and Raef and Wally are easier to move. While there is risk involved, I'd rather risk our guys not doing well here, then risk them doing great somewhere else.
     The Win Now idea, sponsored by the Sports Guy is problematic. The guys that interest them, like Jermaine O'Neal, aren't really available and will be hard to get. Odds are we'll settle for a lesser name like Zach Randolph or Carlos Boozer, neither of whom is going to improve us all that much. Unless Danny finds an amazing steal, I can't see this method improving us to anywhere better than mediocre. Maybe a run or two to the conference finals but that's it.
     Unfortunately, I think Danny is heading towards trying to win now which means we could be repeating the mistakes of Pitino and Wallace, trading away great young talent for short term fixes that don't get the job done and leaves us ringless and worse off in four years than we already are.

Posted by SoulHonky at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The most glaring need of the Celtics is a true point guard. While Delonte West has served admirably, he is better suited as a backup combo guard. He is an adequate point guard however in whichever of Danny's alternate plans Doc Rivers goes with: a half-court offense or a running game, the Celtics need a pure point who can control tempo and be the floor general.

The Current Tenants: Delonte West, Dan Dickau, Orien Greene
Doc Rivers played Tony Allen at the point at the end of the season which is probably not a good sign for Orien Greene's future in green. While the kid is athletic and solid on defense, he has had legal issues and is a project with an apparently low ceiling. While he could blossom in the right situation, I don't see Boston being that situation. Dan Dickau is another player who could be solid on the right team however the Celtics are so pourous defensively that his matador deal will be painfully obvious if and when he ever plays some regular season minutes for us. That leaves West, who is a trooper, a top notch role player, but not a pure point guard.

The Free Agents
The Big Ticket Items: Jason Terry, Sam Cassell,
The Mid-Level Luxuries: Marcus Banks, Mike James, Bobby Jackson, Speedy Claxton
The Bargain Bin Tony Delk, Royal Ivey, Janerro Pargo, David Wesley, Gary Payton, Reece Gaines, Anthony Carter, MIke Wilks

Terry isn't a pure point guard and Cassell is old and probably not interested in playing his final years in Beantown unless we make a major move for a Jermaine O'Neal type.Speedy Claxton is getting some love from fans but I'd rather not be the team that overinvests in him. A lot of people seem interested in Bobby Jackson, but I think we have our own Bobby Jackson in West right now. What we need is our Mike Bibby and that isn't going to happen in this free agent market.

The Trade Bait
Here's where things could get messy. Just like with the power forward slot, Danny could force a deal to bring in a big name point guard in hopes of winning now.
Stephon Marbury: Let's take care of the worst option right away. Forget firing Danny, if he trades for Marbury, Ainge should be shot. And that would be letting him get away easy.
Stevie Francis: Not a pure point no matter how much he likes to think he is, Francis is not going to help this team. He, Pierce, and Wally wouldn't even be better than the Nets fearsome threesome. And to close out with the Knicks, Jamal Crawford is one of the few players that Larry Brown likes on the team so I'd have to imagine he won't be going anywhere.
Baron Davis: The early front-runner for most likely trade target since we went after him last season before he was dealt to Golden St. He and Pierce are both Los Angelenos and apparently are friends so it makes sense chemistry-wise. On the court might be a different story. Baron failed to help the Warriors break their playoff drought and his issues are very much the same that made Ricky Davis expendable; he monopolizes the ball and often slows down the flow of the offense. Add int the fact that he's not the healthiest baller in the league and it might be one of those situations where more is actually less.
Brevin Knight: The consumate professional, Brevin has spent his entire career being the point guard for terrible teams. Besides his rookie season, he's never spent a full year on a team with a winning record. My thoughts are that that trend would continue if we brought him to the Celtics.
Jamaal Tinsley: The oldest 28 year old in the world, Mel Mel the Abuser played 82 games combined in the past two season, and missed 29 games the season prior to those. And even when he was healthy, his defense was not that great (remember him getting abused by Kenny Anderson in 2001?) If we could trade for him and transplant his brain into Orien Greene's body, we might have something. If not, the Pacers can have him.
Mo Williams: One of the more underrated pure point guards in the league, Mo could be the odd man out in Milwaukee who has TJ Ford and Charlie Bell also at that slot. A deal for Magloire and Williams would be VERY intriguing but I don't know that we have anything that interests the Bucks. If anything, they might be interested in a Williams for Kendrick Perkins swap but there's no way I'm giving up a young big like Perkins right now.
Allen Iverson: I just don't see Philly handing us their franchise. We would have to make an offer of Herschel Walker proportions to get them to even consider sending A.I. to a division rival. And if we did get him, we'd probably have to give up so much that it would take a couple of years to build up enough depth in the lineup to truly contend and by that point A.I.'s window would be almost closed.
Sebastian Telfair: Personally, I don't like him. I thought he came off as pompous during his documentary "Through the Fire" and he can't shoot to save his life. Still, he is very much a pure point guard and is most certainly talented. He's fallen out of favor in Portland and while Ainge liked him a couple of years ago during the draft, I can't say that he is a sure thing to click with Doc. It'd be interesting but I think Isiah is going to go after him in a monster deal for Miles and Ratliff.
Luke Ridnour: Seattle is a team we could deal with. Rashard Lewis might be on the outs, Fortson is an expiring contract, Ridnour and Collison could both be available. But would they want Raef or Wally? I'm not a fan of Luke, have no idea how he was invited to try out for team USA, but he is a creator on offense, a true PG, and someone that fits Danny's pattern of moves. He is a definite option, like it or not.
Any names like Bibby, Hinrich, Chris Paul, or even Shaun Livingston should only be mentioned if we are seriously considering dealing Paul Pierce, which it appears we are not.

The Draft
While last year was a bumper crop of PG's, this year is nothing but projects. With Ainge looking for immediate help, the only two that come remotely close to meeting that criteria are Mardy Collins and Marcus Williams. Williams has had character issues while Mardy is good but not great. Even still, counting on immediate help from a rookie point guard who's not considered an elite prospect is a bad idea. Hell, even with an elite prospect like Chauncey Billups it didn't work out so well for us in the past. Guys like Rajon Rondo and Spain's Sergio Rodriguez are intriquing but they are long term projects and not at all what the C's are looking for right now. There are also the combo guards like Randy Foye but why add him when we already have Delonte?

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If there is one group of people looking forward to Rudy Gay's emergence in the NBA it is the headline writers of America. Just think of all the fun they are going to have:

If scouts highlight Rudy's weaknesses and question him as a prospect: Gay Bashing
Rudy pens an autobiography Gay Writes
When Rudy signs his contract: Gay marriage.
If the Celtics draft Rudy: Gay Pride!
If Cleveland drafts Rudy: Ferry gets his man Gay!
If Ferry deals Gay to bolster the roster for Lebron: Lebron and Cavs get aides from Gay transaction.
In hindsight, Ferry thinks Rudy was a problem : Ferry admits getting gay was a pain in the ass. If the Hornets draft him and Shelden Williams: The Landlord and the Gaylord.
During a game with Detroit, there's a mistaken identity with Tayshaun: No, that's Prince. He's not Gay.
A guy differentiates between Rudy and Brand at a Clippers game: No that's Elton. He's Gay.
If Rudy runs down a guy on a fast break and blocks his shot: That Gay kid came from behind and stuffed that guy's shit!
Whenever Rudy crosses over a defender: Gay took him to Brokeknee Mountain.
If someone catches Rudy inhaling cigarette smoke: Gay sucks down on a fag in public.
If he and his Dad wow the people on a yacht full of African-American sell-outs: Tom cruise loves Gay men.
If said cruise of uncle Tom's doesn't pay Gay for his appearance Gay men get the shaft; screwed by Tom cruise.
After a rough start to the season, Rudy has a breakout game Now THAT'S Gay!
Rudy takes over MJ's Gatorade campaign: If I could be, like, Gay.
Rudy is a bust because he left school to early: Gay shouldn't have come out, it hurt his career.
NCAA coaches tell their players to learn from Rudy's example: Don't be Gay!

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is where things get interesting. Not so much as in who's available but in what do we do with Pierce and Gerald? If we hold on to Pierce, Danny might feel an itch to move Gerald in order to get a big man to help the C's next season. If Danny has lost faith in the short term run, he may look to deal Pierce for more young pieces to put in with Kendrick, Al, Gerald, and Delonte. Then again, if we stand pat then there's really no reason to look at anyone at the 2 spot because we are more than set.

The Current Tenants: Paul Pierce, Tony Allen, Gerald Green, Delonte West
Pierce is the star of the present, Green is the star of the future. Tony Allen should improve immensely after a healthy offseason while Delonte is a combo guard who has been thrust into the starting PG out of need (although he'd be better suited as a 6th man for both spots). The Celtics are loaded at this spot however it is difficult to trade from this strength as Gerald is still unproven and Tony is coming off an injury and has pending legal issues.

The Free Agents
The Big Ticket Items: Bonzi Wells
The Mid-Level Luxuries: Fred Jones (restricted), Flip Murray,
The Bargain Bin Kareem Rush, Bernard Robinson, Jiri Welsch, , DerMarr Johnson, Keith Bogans, Dion Glover, , Rasual Butler, Romain Sato

While there are some other guys who are restricted free agents, the C's have no cap space to offer so we really have no chance at those guys unless we work a sign-and-trade. Of this group, Bernard Robinson came alive at the end of the season for Charlotte and Rasual Butler is a solid shooter that could be had for cheap. Also, I've always been a fan of Keith Bogans, but if he came here it would be more of the same: talented but not talented enough to get minutes.

The Trade Bait
Personally, I don't really feel like going into the trade bait at the two because a) we won't be improving on Paul and b) there aren't that many prospects with as high of a ceiling as Gerald. Trading for a shooting guard simply isn't a priority for the Celtics. The Draft
The two names that are most likely here are Mardy Collins and Brandon Roy. Roy could step in and help out immediately but it's at a position where we don't need help. Collins is a combo guard who could help out immediately but he doesn't really bring anything more than Delonte. Ronnie Brewer is another option but he's not going to help us get anywhere (much like he didn't help Arkansas get anywhere in his three years). Then there is JJ Redick. Can shoot the ball, knows how to play the game, can't play defense and is undeniably white. Looking at the guys Danny's put on our current roster, he fits right in. The problem is that he doesn't fit into this squad. He needs to play with a true point guard who can create shots for him and he needs to play on a team with bigger backcourt players who can help him out on defense. Denver would be a great place for him. While a lot of people are high on Brandon Roy, taking a shooting guard make little-to-no sense unless we are planning on dealing Allen and Green in deal for veterans. If Roy is the name called on draft day, get ready for the deals to start flying because something big will be on the horizon.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How you feel about Wally dictates what we do with this spot. Either we are set here or we are still looking for an upgrade at the starting spot at this position. I am in the latter camp and am very interested to see what we can get at the 3 spot this offseason.

The Current Tenants: Wally Szczerbiak, Ryan Gomes, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine
Wally is really the only true small forward on the team. In most scenarios, Paul Pierce moves up to this spot and Allen, Green, or even Delonte take over the shooting guard responsibilities. While that isn't such a bad situation, it would be nice to have a legit option on the roster who can actually guard opposing small forwards.

The Free Agents
The Big Ticket Items: Al Harrington
The Mid-Level Luxuries: Matt Harpring, Devean George
The Bargain Bin Jumaine Jones, Adrian Griffin, Amir Johnson, Waltuh!, Ndubi Ebi, Justin Reed, Stacey Augmon, Trevor Ariza

Al Harrington would have to be a sign-and-trade although I'm not sure how interested Atlanta would be in taking back Raef or Wally. Then again, they have been the worst managed franchise in the '00 decade so maybe... Outside of that pipe dream, Harpring would be interesting but would eat up most of our MLE, which means we have even MORE money invested in the swing spots. As for the bargain bin, Amir Johnson is an interesting project and a player that Ainge wanted to take in the draft (but couldn't get out of the promise he made to Orien Greene). Trevor Ariza is another possibility but is another project that Danny may not be interested in taking on. Also, I'm not sure how interested a kid from Miami who went to school at UCLA would be in Boston.

The Trade Bait
Rashard Lewis: Word around the campfire is that Seattle may be looking to move him. Would they be looking to get Raef or Wally back? I would think probably not so it would take one of our young talents and possibly our pick to make this happen. Wally, Gomes and our pick for 'Shard? I highly doubt Seattle would be interested but it's always worth the call to find out what they'd be looking for.
Darius Miles: No. This guy is a cancer and the last person you want around your young players. Even Marbury is better to have around because at least your guys will bond over their hate for Steph.
Quentin Richardson: Not bad but not worth his paycheck and doesn't really give us anything we're looking for.
Corey Maggette: Corey Maggette
Maggs has been injury prone and hasn't been able to get his starting spot back for the Clippers. This could be a sign that he's on the block. The only issue is if we have anything the Clip show would be interested in return. I can't imagine they are interested in Wally so again this would likely have to be a multi-team deal where we swap out Wally and bring in Maggette. And again, highly unlikely.
Josh Smith: As I said in my dream offseason post, I'd give up a lot to get Josh, but I really don't see him being on the block as he's one of the few crowd-pleasers in Atlanta right now.
Andres Nocioni: I can't see him or Deng moving in any deal that doesn't bring Paul Pierce to Chicago. Small forward trades usually come out of nowhere so who knows what could happen this offseason. If dealing Wally is not part of the procedure, then I highly doubt that the Celtics would be interested in bringing in a well-paid small forward. Wyc and Co. don't seem like the type of owners with which you can really afford to have a big contract coming off the bench.

The Draft
We have a definite shot of landing a top notch small forward at the #7 pick. Rudy Gay could fall to us but the most likely candidate is Rodney Carney from Memphis. A senior, Carney could very well come in and help out from Day 1 and he has the athleticism that would fit in with a running team. On the downside, his defense isn't the greatest but then again, when has that mattered to Danny? A sleeper is the Swiss prospect Thebo Sefolosha (Who?!). He is projected more as a late first rounder but someone always moves up out of nowhere in the draft and he was one candidate. Able to play both guard spots as well as SF, he is a great talent who Draftexpress compares to Josh Howard. The downside is that he's a role player but that is really what the C's need: a guy who gets dirty on defense, rebounds, and is adept at moving the ball on offense. If the C's could snag a late first round pick it might be worthwhile to take a look at this kid. Then again, foreign prospects are such a crapshoot, this kid could barely know how to spell basketball let alone play it. If we keep the pick, odds are that we take a small forward or reach for a PG prospect.

Posted by SoulHonky at 04:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Power Forward position is an interesting one. We have one of our best prospects at the 4 and had one of our most surprising performances of the season come from Gomes at that spot, but it still is a position that most people aren't very confident in. So where do we go, if anywhere?

The Current Tenants: Raef Lafrentz, Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes
As I see it, C's fans are hoping Big Al makes this his spot for years to come, Ryan Gomes is hoping to solidify his hold on the spot after a nice spurt in the second half, and pretty much everyone wants Raef gone. Of course, Brian Scalabrine could get some minutes here but why bring his name up when we were in such a good mood?

The Free Agents
The Big Ticket Items: Ben Wallace, Chris Wilcox
The Mid-Level Luxuries: Lo Wright Tim Thomas, Keith Van Horn, Reggie Evans, Clarence Weatherspoon, Vlad Rad, Aaron Williams
The Bargain Bin Jackson Vroman, Marcus Fizer

Needless to say, the free agent market at the four spot is not looking very enticing. Wallace is the best but he's getting older while Chris Wilcox came on at the end of the season essentially making himself some money and pricing himself off of the Celtics. I've always been interested in Marcus Fizer and wouldn't mind looking at him for an emergency backup. Vlad Radmanovic is the Euro-Raef so I'd rather not even consider that. With two solid young power forwards, C/F Aaron Williams makes some sense. He's a legit C/PF who, while getting long in the tooth, is still solid defensively and a low paid hustle player. He and Lo Wright are probably the most realistic options for the Celtics in the front court free agent market.

The Trade Bait
Zach Randolph: The Ricky Davis of Power Forwards or The New Isaiah Rider? That's the question that everyone is asking after the disastrous end of the season. How much of Zach's issues were tiring of losing and how much was simply his negative nature? Did Darius Miles act as a devil on his shoulder or does he willingly ignore his better angels. And at a near max contract (schedule to clock 17 million in 2010/11) is it worth the risk? With Ricky we were trading for a reasonable mid-level with deal. If Zach fails to straighten his act out, it will be very difficult to move him. While I think Zach has a chance to turn things around, I also think that Big Al's potential is to be a better version of Randolph so I think it is better to simply roll the dice with Big Al and his ankles then Big Z and his attitude and contract.
Jermaine O'Neal: The Sports Guy Bill Simmons suggested that we jettison Gerald Green and Al Jefferson along with Raef in order to get J.O. This deal doesn't work for either team IMO. The Pacers would be taking a step backwards with a team that doesn't have years to spare. They would basically have to completely gut the entire team. As for the Celtics, they'd give up two very talented prospects for a ten year veteran who has had injury issues for the last two season. One thing people need to realize with O'Neal is that while he's only 28, he's had a lot of wear and tear on his body. For the limited games he played in the beginning of his career, he's more than made up for it with the higher impact playoff play the last few years. Basically, all of those people saying that we had to dump Antoine because he was washed up, shouldn't be pointing at dealing our youth for a guy who was selected in the same draft. While I like O'Neal (who is much better than Antoine), I believe he is heading towards Chris Webber territory: misses much of the season and is inconsistent in the playoffs, leaving you always just short at the Finals. And by the time he is at the end of his contract and earning over 20 million dollars, he'll still put up numbers but be a shadow of his former self.
Kenton Martin: Put together the main negatives of Zach Randolph and Jermaine O'Neal and you have Kenyon Martin. Injury prone, bad attitude, and a monster contract. Unless Denver turns on the blue light, I'd shop elsewhere than K-Mart.
Carlos Boozer: Come on, the man backstabbed a blind man and now he's suing Prince. How could you want this guy on our team? In all seriousness though, Boozer is overpaid and just doesn't bring enough to the table to warrant 11 million dollars for the next four years. While the initial response would be, well if we can dump Raef and just one of our young guys or our pick wouldn't it be worth it? The response to that is: only if the owners don't mind the luxury tax. With Wally and Boozer alongside a resigned Pierce, it will be very hard for the C's to resign their young talent and not bleed into the luxury tax territory. And simply put, Pierce, Wally, and Boozer aren't bringing home #17 without more help on the roster.
Troy Murphy: For a change of pace, let's talk about an overpaid power forward. While the theme may seem like it's getting old, adding a more talent yet equally overpaid power forward for Raef doesn't really solve many of our issues. While Troy is a hard worker and hasn't the injury problems of others (although he did miss most of one year due to injury), he is more flawed. Essentially, he's a younger, healthier Raef. Is he better than Raef? Yes. Would be make the Celtics that much better? No.
Stromile Swift: Stro was a mild disappointment in Houston but is only signed at the MLE. While Houston expected him to come in and take over the PF spot, he might fit better in Beantown where he would fit our supposed fast break scheme and could keep the PF spot warm while Big Al gets ready for it. Once that happens, Big Al could take the spot and Swift becomes our backup big man. Some deal including Wally for Swift and Rafer Alston might be a possibility, depending of course on Houston's feelings about Stro and Skip to My Lou.
Chris Webber: Now before you lose your marbles about how could I mention this and not want Jermaine because he might be becoming Webber, realize that I would only do this if it meant dumping Wally and Raef's contracts. While other people like Wally, I don't and I hate having his contract on our roster. Webber's contract runs out a year earlier than the Bad Knees Duo which not only makes it easier to resign our young guys but it gives us an expiring contract as a trade asset after next season. We essentially rent Webber for a year and then try to move his expiring contract next season, when we then have had a full year to see how our young guys like Allen, Green, Perkins and Jefferson are developing. Raef and Wally are great outlets for A.I. Would Philly do it? Probably not, but I'm just throwing out options so cool down.
Brian Skinner: A hard worker with a pretty short contract. We'd most likely get him in a multi-team deal but he isn't a bad guy to keep an eye on.
and of course
Kevin Garnett: I just don't see it happening. McHale is an idiot and a friend of Ainge but even then this is almost an impossibility.

Ideally, the C's would go after a two-for-one deal where we could get a player who could start this year and slide back to backup Big Al when he's ready. There are more options out there then were mentioned but those were the most likely big name guys on the market. Most of these trades depend on Raef Lafrentz, how much other teams like him and how much more we'd have to give up to get rid of him. Getting rid of Gerald Green or Big Al seems like too much in most cases.

The Draft
I repeat, Ainge wants someone who can help immediately which usually means "trade" in GM speak. Unless something crazy happens, it seems like most of the top PF's will be gone by the time we pick. The one outside option could be Rudy Gay, who might be able to play a Shawn Marion-esque power forward if he fell to us. It's unlikely but then again the kid is about the same age as Gerald Green so he still has more developing to do. The most likely options at #7 were mentioned in the Center spot piece earlier: Cedric Simmons and Sheldon Williams. A dark horse is Tiago Splitter but if there ever was a guy who doesn't equal immediate help. The Brazilian big man is under contract overseas and might not even be in the league next season, let alone being a useful member of a team. Unless Danny is convinced one of those guys is special, I really can't see us adding another PF candidate in the draft.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Celticsblog poster The_Chief put together a very nice compilation of Gerald Green highlights, past and present. I can't wait for the future. I swear, if Danny trades this kid, his name will be added to the list of Joe Johnson and Chauncey Billups as players that we gave up too early in their careers.

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's another long offseason for the Celtics so it's time to take a look at what we've got, what we need, and where to look to find it. I started at the guard spot before my site got deleted so I'll start with the middle this time around.

The Current Tenants: Kendrick Perkins, Raef Lafrentz, Dwayne Jones
You can look in a mirror and say Candyman as many times as you please but Michael Olowokandi will not be coming back. I was pleasantly surprised with Kendrick's development this season. He appears to be a year behind the usual prep-to-pro three year plan but I'm really expecting a break out year from him in 2006-7. Dwayne Jones was undrafted and filler in the Wally deal so I'm really not expecting much out of him next season. He seemed solid on the boards and could be a solid third center if he has a good work ethic.

The Free Agents
The Big Ticket Items: Ben Wallace, Alonzo Mourning, Joel Pryzbilla, Nazr Mohammed
The Mid-Level Luxuries: Kelvin Cato, Scot Pollard, Lorenzen Wright, Aaron Williams, Jarron Collins
The Bargain Bin: Jason Collier, Jake Voskuhl, Luke Schescher, Zendon Hamilton, DJ Mbenga, Francisco Elson, Ervin Johnson, Jackie Butler, Bo Outlaw, Loren Woods

Needless to say, not a lot on the market when guys like Pryzbilla and Nazr are top options. I'd love to see 'Zo here but I don't see him signing up with a rebuilding team while I think someone out there is going to seriously overpay Pryzbilla (Atlanta being a definite suspect). While I do like a number of names in the bargain bin, there's nobody there that I look at and think could step in and help us that much next season. The best option on there is either Jarron Collins or Lo Wright but it could be difficult to pry them from their currently employers and neither of them are worth investing too much time or money in.

The Trade Bait
Robert Swift: Danny loved him in the draft and still seem to hold a candle for him but I'm not sure what we have to offer Seattle, who also likes their young big man. They seem to have their frontcourt solidified with Chris Wilcox and Johan Petro along with Swift so it would take something special to get him from the Sonics.
Brad Miller: Let's be honest, he is exactly the kind of player Ainge loves: smart, offensive minded, can't play defense. It would probably take a lot to get him but Miller, Corliss Williamson, and the Kings pick for Raef, Tony Allen, Veal (he fits their style), and the Celtics lotto pick might work. It probably wouldn't but we can always make the call.
Steven Hunter: Fairly inexpensive contract that the Sixers have already tried to deal. If his injury checks out, he would be a bad addition and probably could be had for cheap.
Jamaal Magloire or Dan Gadzuric: Magloire would be a solid option especially since he is the last year of his contract. Reports have been mixed about his attitude so we'd have to check and make sure we weren't getting a rich man's Blount in the deal. Gadzuric would come cheaper but then again isn't all that great. The issue of course is our trade assets. We don't have the midsized contracts to combine with young talent so our best offer might be: Raef, Tony Allen and the pick for Jamaal, Mo Williams, and a future first (The Bucks do not have a first round pick this year).
Adonal Foyle: Foyle actually fits the Warriors needs more than any veteran (besides Pierce) that would could offer. I'm really not sure we have anything to offer unless they are interested in Wally for some reason.
Erick Dampier: His contract is frightening but that hasn't stopped Danny before. Again though, the only thing we have to offer is someone with a contract ending earlier. It would be tough to pull off a deal for Erick and again, what we would get in return is a vastly overpaid role player.

Swift, Miller, or Magloire are definite possibilities that would upgrade the team in the middle. Whether we can make the deals work is the main question.

The Draft
Ainge wants someone who can help immediately which usually means "trade" in GM speak. As the draft board stands right now, there aren't many true centers who would come in and help out and almost none that are worthy of a #7 pick. Of course, there will be a prospect that comes out of nowhere to fly up draft boards but the only one that really intrigues me is Saer Sene and he's a 19 year old project so I doubt Ainge would be interested in him at all. Patrick O'Bryant and Hilton Armstrong have motor issues as both seem to sleepwalk through games. The two prospects that could catch Danny's eye are ACC rivals Cedric Simmons and Shelden "The Landlord" Williams. Neither is a definite center, especially the 6'9 Williams, and Simmons has a unpolished offensive game that makes him somewhat of a project. Unless Sene catches Danny's eye, the draft pick isn't likely to be a big man (if we keep the pick at all).

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Knicks have gotten blasted ad nauseum but at least they've made the playoffs three years this decade and they do have a load of talent on the roster (albeit completely mismatched talent). The perennially up & coming Golden St. Warriors still haven't seen the second season since 1994 but then again, I'm a sucker and think that they could be on their way. The Blazers have collapsed but they've still only had two losing records this decade. Looking it over, I'd have to say that no team can really touch the mismanagement of the Atlanta Hawks.  Their draft picks haven't been horrendous but they haven't fit the team needs. Most of their major free agent signings and trades have been borderline disastrous. The ones that did seem to work didn't matter much because they would go and lose those players via free agency anyway. Here's a look at how to build a perennial lottery team.

2000: At the close of the 2000 season, the Hawks were tired of the tirades of Isaiah Rider and the apathy of Jim Jackson.  So when the draft rolled around, they decided to draft someone from Cincinnati, not exactly a hotbed of headstrong athletes.  Nonetheless, they thought DerMarr Johnson was the ideal swingman with PG skills to team with Jason Terry. They also traded a future first round pick for Lorenzen Wright.  They go on to win 25 games the next season.

2001: Apparently that Lorenzen Wright thing didn't work out so well because the next season, Lo was in a package along with Brevin Knight and the #3 pick in the draft for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.  Memphis took Pau Gasol with the pick.  The Hawks also had a second pick which they also traded away.  Indiana selected Jamaal Tinsley with the pick and sent a future draft pick Atlanta's way. With 'Reef in tow, people in Hotlanta started to say that they, and not the Celtics, would be the Eastern team on the rise.  Alas, it wasn't meant to be as the Hawks won only 33 games in the following 2002 season while the Celtics went to the Eastern Conference Finals.

2002: The disapointment of the 2002 campaign stung even more when Hawks fans realized that they wouldn't have their first round pick because they dealt it away in the Lorenzen Wright deal two years earlier. At the #8 pick, the Clippers, no strangers to poor draft dealings, opted to pass over Amare Stoudemire for Chris Wilcox. The Hawks decided to bolster their roster by obtaining Big Dog Glenn Robinson.  The move helped Atlanta reach their best win total of the decade: 35. 

2003:   Learning nothing from the Lorenzen Wright deal, the Hawks once again found no silver lining to their dark cloud of losing as the 2003 lottery pick had been shipped to Milwaukee in the Big Dog deal.  The Bucks selected TJ Ford with the pick.  On the bright side, the pick from the Jamaal Tinsley trade was available and the Hawks opted for Boris Diaw. The Glenn Robinson experiment was obviously a failure so the Hawks gave him away for a semi-retired Terrell Brandon and a 2007 pick from the 76ers.  Still not happy with their depth at the SF position and also finding themselve running low on crazy, the Hawks sign Stephen Jackson, who was coming off of a great Finals with the Spurs.

2004: At this point in the decade, the Hawks have held onto two of their picks, both of whom were swingmen (DerMarr and Diaw). They traded one pick for a swingman (Big Dog), one for a PF who can play the 3 ('Reef), and their biggest offseason signing in those years was yet another swingman (S-Jax)  So what do you do when you have two picks in this year's first round?  You guessed it, take two more swingmen!  They take Josh Childress at #6 and then luck out when Josh Smith plummets to them at #17. They revamp their roster, shipping Jackson out for Harrington, Terry and the Sixers pick they got earlier for Antoine Walker.

2005: Midway through the season, they dealt Walker for Gary Payton and a first round pick and then dumped Payton who went back to the Celtics. Needless to say, the team was terrible again and had another high lottery pick which they couldn't, I mean COULDN'T spend on another swingman, could they? Despite taking five swingmen in the last six years (and three in the last two), despite just trading Jackson for Al Harrington, despite the fact that they were gearing up to offer max money to swingman Joe Johnson, the Hawks decide to pass on PG Chris Paul in favor of Marvin Williams.

This brings us to this year. They didn't trade Al Harrington at the midseason deadline so they'll likely lose him via free agency. The signing of Zaza Pachulia was solid but unspectacular while Josh Smith has emerged as a star. Things are looking bright but not bright enough for the Hawks to be considered a real contender for the playoffs. As for the draft, if the Atlanta Hawks select Brandon Roy or Rudy Gay, something must be done to stop them. 

On a side note, has any single trade brought down a team as much as Steve Smith for Isaiah Rider? During the five years of the Smith Era, the Hawks' record was 225 - 157 and they never failed to miss the playoffs.  Isaiah Rider came in, warded off fans and teammates and coaches alike and started the Hawks down a spiral.  In the eight years since the deal, they've amassed a 188 - 391 record.  This team is a perfect example of how just drafting talent is not always the best idea. Once in a while you have to make sure that talent fits your team need.

Posted by SoulHonky at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Celtics didn't make the playoffs, but that was to be expected with this young squad. While Big Al didn't show us as much as we wanted, we saw solid outings from Delonte West and Kendrick Perkins and the rebirth of The Truth. Ainge rejiggered the lineup yet again, adding another big contract but subtracting one big headcase in Mark Blount. Let's take a look at the job Danny did this year.

The Declining of Marcus Banks' Option: In this case, Danny went away from what I thought was a no-brainer. I've always been a fan of Banks, despite all of his flaws, and couldn't understand why we wouldn't pick up the option on his rookie deal. It wasn't like he was a disaster for this team. Very few rookies have had their option dropped and Marcus was better than all of them. This just made no sense to me but it actually worked out in Marcus' favor as he is looking to start collecting a legit NBA contract a year earlier (and after a half-season of very solid basketball in Minnesota.) While some people said that they thought this would help motivate Banks, that never really seemed to be the thinking for the C's since they dumped him as soon as he had proven that he was healthy. If anything, it just showed that Danny knew what I had suspected for some time: Marcus Banks was never going to fit in or mature on the Celtics. For whatever reason, he never got his shot, could never fit into the club. I think Marcus is going to turn out to be a very solid point guard but that was never going to happen while he was on the Celtics.

The Draft: Ainge gets a solid A for the draft. Green and Gomes were no-brainers where they went. Both times the pick before us came, I pretty much knew we would get whoever wasn't picked. in the first round, it was Granger or Greene. In the second round it was Gomes or Blatche. However, while the choices seemed obvious, you can't overlook the fact that Danny did what made sense, take the guy who fell in your lap instead of sticking with a pre-draft plan that didn't include the incredible slide of Gerald Green and Gomes. The only reason it is an A and not an A+ is that Danny's promise to Orien Greene prevented us from getting Amir Johnson.

The Signing of Veal: Bad from the word go for both parties. Brian left the perfect situation in New Jersey to come to a team he didn't fit. The Celtics got a mismatched talent and gave him a contract he most certainly didn't deserve. Even worse, we agreed to this deal before the signing period and basically took ourselves out of the free agent season since we used a good portion of the MLE on him. This is a perfect example of Danny signing guys who work in theory but not in practice. Scalabrine was never what we needed. He doesn't add defense or spot-on three point shooting from the wing. He doesn't add anything besides improved passing from the post. He makes good decisions but he's not the right fit for this team. Also, Ainge insisting that Doc try to work him into games early in the season could have been one of the reasons that Ryan Gomes languished on the bench for so long.

The Antoine Walker Trade: I don't really consider this a true trade because it was basically a favor to Antoine so that he could get more money. And in that case, it was a good move because now Antoine is overpaid in Miami. Had we not traded him, he'd have had to have signed at a more reasonable rate. I thought Curtis Borchardt would have been able to hang around for at least a little bit but apparently he was never in our plans. Part of me really wonders how we didn't get anything of use out of a five team deal but it really isn't a big deal.

Signed Will Bynum: Nothing came of this. He turned out to be a pretty good player in the NBDL but we didn't keep his rights and he went over to Golden St. Another inconsequential move, neither good nor bad.

Failed to resign Gary Payton: Really, what was the point of keeping Gary? Best case scenario, he helps us win a few more close games and we have a better chance at skating into the 8th playoff spot. We're better off with a lottery pick so not keeping the Glove made sense.

Traded for Dan Dickau: I liked the deal then. Dan's a solid PG on offense but an absolute abortion on defense. He's a solid backup. In hindsight, though, I'd rather have our second round pick instead of Dan. I still don't mind the deal but part of me wishes we had a second round pick to find a solid young talent with.

The Trade: Getting rid of Mark Blount was a great move. I'll always have that to hold onto as the silver lining of this trade. Other than that, I'm not happy with this deal. I'm not a fan of Wally at all and like him even less now that he's injured. Another issue I have with the deal is that we consolidated all of our mid-level contracts and got another big, hard-to-move contract. This deal made little sense to me and also was another example of Danny ignoring the salary cap and the importance of defense. While I know Danny loves to say that cap space is overrated, he needs to realize that spending that cap space on guys like Veal, Raef, and Wally isn't exactly worthwhile. Wally is a fourth option getting paid to be a second option. I thought this trade was bad when Danny made it and nothing has transpired to make me change my opinion.

Those were the moves of Danny Ainge this season and they looked a lot like the moves he usually makes: great draft, questionable trades, horrendous signings. Something else that is problematic is that his best acquisition of this season (Gerald Green) isn't a part of what he proclaimed to be the Celtics' core. Gerald's name was noticably absent (as was Gomes' who later played his way into Danny's good graces) and if the C's are looking to make a move this year, it will likely take at least one of our young players to make something work. Trading Gerald Green would be a massive mistake and one that I wouldn't put past Ainge. This is perhaps the most nerveracking offseason in the Danny Era because there are so many mistakes out there that could be made. Does Danny feel the need to add a big ticket veteran in order to win now? Is he still confident in the youngsters or has he soured on any like he did with Marcus?

Danny likes to say that he is rebuilding "on the fly" which is kind of comical because we are a lottery team now. If this is "on the fly" then the engine is sputtering and were buzzing some tree tops. What is on the horizon? Only Danny knows. And, after his moves this offseason, that makes me very uncomfortable.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Let me just get this out of the way so I can focus on the actual offseason. If I was in charge, I'd make these moves to create a young squad for the future.

 

Move #1: Paul Pierce for Chris Paul. I'm not sure how to make this work but I would go hard after Chris Paul. This kid is going to be a stud PG for years and those are impossible to find. Put the right cast around this kid and you have the catalyst for a championship team. While some people think this isn't enough for Pierce, I am already sold on Chris. I really don't think we could get much more from them. Maybe J.R. Smith who is in the doghouse. Pierce is great but I'm very nervous about the extension he is about to sign and personally, I don't think this group of talent that Ainge has collected works as a team.

 

Move #2: Al Jefferson and Delonte West for Josh Smith, Salim Stoudamire, future #1 pick: I think Josh Smith is going to be a superstar, and while I like West and Jefferson, I think both will pale in comparison to J-Smooth. This trade is admittedly very risky since we haven't seen the third year of Jefferson, and he will be better than he was this past season. The Hawks make this deal because West and Jefferson are good fits to their lineup. West is a good guard to use alongside Joe Johnson, who runs the offense. Jefferson is a legit PF and low post thread which the Hawks need. Marvin Williams moves to the 3. The hidden value in the deal is the future first round pick. It's the Hawks. They'll find new ways to be bad so this holds good value for the future.

 

Move #3: Three Way Deal with Portland and New York:
New York gets: Theo, Zach, Miles, Scalabrine
Portland gets: Franchise, Wally, Raef, Celtics #1
Boston gets: Rose, Skinner, Portland #1
(Assuming of course we don't win the lottery)
We get Aldridge, Thomas, or maybe Rudy Gay with the pick.
We dump all of our contracts and move up to the top of the draft. The Knicks get big names with big contracts which Isiah loves while Portland dumps the guys that have turned off their entire fan base and bring in some big name talent that will be at the end of their contracts when Telfair and Martell Webster are ready to take over. Also, Stevie Francis is a guy who would fill some seats in the Rose Garden.

 

Move #4: Dump Dickau for a second round pick I'd like to get a second round pick and take a flyer on Marcus Vinicius or another foreign prospect who we wouldn't bring over this season.

 

Free Agency : My first call would be to Lorenzen Wright. Ideally, we'd go after both Matt Harpring and Wright but we simply don't have the cap space for that. I'd take a look at an inexpensive big man (Lo Wright, Jarron Collins), and a shooter from the swingspots (Voshon Lenard, Rasual Butler, Eric Piatkowski). For the final spot on the roster I would just look for a young talent that we could hide in the D-league. Amir Johnson would be great but Joe Dumars is probably going to lock him up this offseason. This would leave us with a 15 man roster of:

 

C: Perkins/Lo Wright/Dwayne Jones
PF: Aldridge/Skinner/Gomes
SF: Smith/Allen/Amir Johnson
SG: Rose/Green/Butler
PG: Paul/Stoudamire/Orien Greene

 

Rose would be gone the next year and Gerald would take his spot in the starting lineup. Tony Allen would fill the backup 2-guard spot.

Posted by SoulHonky at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)