Bob Ryan is on the right track... headed in the wrong direction
Nothing has changed. You need more than three great players. You also need quality support players. The Celtics are better now than they were at the end of the 2006-‘07 season. I mean, duh. But "better" means they should make the playoffs. That's a reasonable goal. But until Danny Ainge makes some significant moves to give his new trio of veteran stars the support they need, any talk of Eastern Conference titles or NBA championships is a total joke.
And God forbid one of these 30-somethings gets hurt.
So when Danny adds a Hall of Famer or All-Star to help "support" his stars, come and see me.
The first two lines of Bob Ryan's pissy piece in the Globe are right. The Celtics are very weak on the bench, or "impotent" as he says, and the Celtics need to add some help off the pine for their aged All-Stars.
On the other hand, the final line is way off and is basing the current Celtics team on an outdated model. The entire article basically says that the new look Celtics aren't as good as the 80's Celtics. I think almost everyone would agree with that. However, I don't think any team in the modern era is as good as the older teams because the league has changed. Expansions has diluted rosters and you just don't have the depth you once did. The Cleveland Cavaliers made it to the Finals this year, not because of the play of some All-Star off the bench; they were saved by a second round pick, Daniel Gibson, stepping up and knocking down threes. The Los Angeles Lakers dynasty relied on Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, and then a slew of also-rans like a washed up Rick Fox, Devean George, Lindsay Hunter, and Samaki Walker. Would Ryan downplay the Spurs "dynasty" because they had to rely on the likes of Francisco Elson & Fabricio Oberto and Rasho Nesterovic & Nazr Mohammed at the center position for a couple of their titles? Clearly that's no Parish & Walton.
Danny Ainge's job is not done. The Celtics have arguably the worst bench in the NBA, even after adding Eddie House. But in the modern buyout happy NBA, quality players can come to a team out of nowhere and the Celtics STILL could sign a couple of solid backups like Eddie Jones and Dikembe Mutombo to help out. I understand Ryan's trepidation but to conjure up the ghosts of '86 to downplay the addition of Kevin Garnett is unfair.
Trust me, Mr. Ryan, you can get on the bandwagon without drinking the Kool-Aid. There's still some room in the back of the wagon next to me. You should try it out; it's a better view than the cheap seats.
