Can Danny?

This picture is worth a thousand words, 42 wins, and hopefully one banner. 

Posted by SoulHonky at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sorry but anyone who doesn't vote for Danny Ainge as Exec of the Year is out of their mind. While I have argued that some of Danny's success stemmed from good luck, there's no way to deny that he did a masterful job this offseason in turning an absolute disaster of a team into a favorite to win it all. Look at the timeline of the Garnett deal: Ainge looked like he had a deal but KG said he didn't want to go to Boston, Ainge then rolled the dice and acquired Ray Allen, he then went back and got the KG deal done.

And let's not gloss over that last one: he got the KG deal done. The Boston Celtics did not have the best offer on the table for Kevin Garnett. At least four or five teams likely had better shots at getting KG but none of them were willing to pull the trigger. While other teams haggled over stumbling blocks like Luol Deng or Andris Biedrins, the Celtics were willing to make a deal that sent a likely future All-Star talent to get the Big Ticket.

The main rival for the crown is, fittingly, the Lakers' Mitch Kupchak. If Ainge's success hinged on some lucky breaks, Kupchak's was divined by the hand of God. His first key acquisition literally walked in on his own. Unless Kupchak had something to do with building great hospitals in the Los Angeles area, you can't give him any credit for bringing Derek Fisher in. The next move, Pau Gasol, fell into his lap. I really can't imagine that Kupchak initiated that call. If he did somehow talk Chris Wallace into giving away Pau then OK, give him the award but really all Kupchak did was have an expiring contract (which he had acquired years earlier for Caron Butler) and an owner who was willing to take on a max contract. So basically, the reason people would be voting for Kupchak is because he knew how to answer a phone.

Of course, some people then argue that he should win for the trades that he didn't make. In hindsight, Kupchak did the right thing by not trading Bynum because the Gasol deal fell in his lap. But without the ridiculous Gasol deal, I'd still argue that he made a major mistake by not dealing Kwame and Bynum for Garnett.  Could you imagine Kobe, KG and Odom together? They could stick Ronny Turiaf at center and race to the NBA title. As for not trading Kobe, most rumors had him going to Chicago if The Bean himself didn't put the kibosh on it, demanding that Deng not be part of the deal. Also, you could make the exact same arguments for Ainge. He could have traded Pierce a few times and he could have dealt Big Al for Iverson or a few other aging superstars. Crediting GM's on the trades they didn't make is like crediting George Bush for the countries he didn't invade.

In the end, Danny took a team that almost everyone said was dead in the water after not getting a top #2 pick and turned them into the top team in the league. Ainge wheeled and dealed his way into contention, Kupchak's team basically fell into his lap. Danny Ainge is the Executive of the Year. No doubt about it.

Posted by SoulHonky at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gerald Green is not a guard.  

This is the fact that Celtics fans and coaches need to embrace. Entering his third year, Gerald hasn't improved dramatically and even his supposed stregths on offense are often undercut by his weaknesses. Putting Gerald on the wing and expecting him to create for himself is a recipe for a turnover. Most drives end before they begin because Green is called for travelling when he tries to make his move.  If he gets a step on his man, his sub-par dribbling either leads to a turnover or to the defense easily shifting over to stop him.  Once his drives are cut-off, Gerald's unable to find a correct pass and the drive often ends with him forcing a bad pass or an awkward shot.  For three years now, we've watched this and crossed our fingers, hoping Gerald will improve these flaws. After three years of mild improvement, I think it's time that we look to change our expectations of Gerald and deal with his shortcomings.

At 6'8, 206 pounds, Gerald is light for a forward but he really isn't all that far off from most 'tweener forwards like Hakim Warrick, Tyrus Thomas, Josh Howard, Thaddeus Young, Amir Johnson, Tayshaun Prince.  Perhaps the best comparison is noneother than the misused Boris Diaw.  Coming into the league, Boris Diaw was a 6'9, 201 pound 21 year old guard, which is the same age as Gerald is now, an inch taller and five pounds lighter. Boris filled out (a little too much last season) and has become a far more useful player as a forward than he ever was as a guard.  While Gerald's hoops IQ may never be as good as Diaw's, his odds of succeeding may be far better if we move his focus away from acquiring guard skills and towards honing his current skills and improving his defense. I think refocusing his development on the defensive end will play to Gerald's actual growth.  While his offense hasn't exactly improved much, his defense has shown some strides in the last year.

If Gerald bulked up a bit and worked on his strength, there's no reason he couldn't become a small forward whom we occassionally put on the quicker PF's in the NBA, the Bargnani/Krstic/Villenueva's of the world.  Rather than hoping that Gerald will become the next T-Mac (or even Rashard Lewis), the Celtics would be better off trying to pattern his growth after Tayshaun Prince or trying to turn him into Boris Diaw with a jumpshot. 

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

With the NBA salary cap moving up only 3.72 million dollar, the Celtics are currently around 3 million dollars below the NBA luxury tax for 2007-8.  If we dump Allan Ray, we'll open up a little more room but not all that much since he only makes around 600K.  So for this year, it looks like we might be able to add someone for a couple million, or we have to make a trade.

Unfortunately, adding players in a trade is a tough proposition. Looking ahead one year, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Al Jefferson (if re-signed to a contract starting at 10 million dollars) will take up 45 million of the estimated 70 million luxury tax in 2008.  This leaves 25 million dollars remaining on the cap so for any contracts that the Celtics add this year.  Unfortunately, that 25 million doesn't take into account Kendrick Perkins (4 million), Brian Scalabrine (3 million), Rajon Rondo (1.6) and Gerald Green (2.2).  So while many people think that the Celtics have Theo Ratliff's contract to use as a trade chip, what they have to consider is that if we deal Ratliff and don't manage to move any of our other contracts, we'll only have 5 million dollars left to fill out the rest of the lineup. 

And dumping Perkins and Scalabrine probably won't be easy. There aren't many teams looking to acquire questionable contracts for a guy like Veal or an injury prone big man who's still living on potential like Perkins, and there are probably no teams looking to give up expiring contract (let alone actual talent) for them.  The obvious solution to that would be to combine some of our young talent to sweeten the deal but most of our young talent isn't worth all that much. A Veal and Gerald Green package, for instance, could only bring in a guy worth around 5 million and Green's trade value is questionable at best (and not getting any better with his lackluster summer league performance).  Who are we really going to get for that?  A sign-and-trade for Micheal Pietrus? Another issue is that the Celtics bench is already weak so they can't really afford to make any three-for-one type deals. 

I have defended the Ray Allen trade, it definitely is not without its issues.  The Celtics now have a core of Pierce, Allen, and Jefferson, none of whom were healthy last season, and there contracts take up so much space that it will be difficult to maintain a solid bench to either limit their minutes or fill in if one of them should go down for any span of games.  

The Boston Celtics starting lineup is looking better today than it did this time last year but the question now is whether Danny Ainge can acquire the missing pieces despite the financial constraints his acquisitions have put him in.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While watching The West Wing a couple of nights ago, I heard a story that basically summed up how I feel about the idea that Celtics fans should hold out hope that a miracle will come and save the franchise. It was the story of the Man Who Lived by the River (not to be confused with the guy who lives in a van down by the river). The story went like this:

You know, you remind me of the man that lived by the river. He heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town. And that all the residents should evacuate their homes. But the man said, 'I'm religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.'
The waters rose up. A guy in a row boat came along and he shouted, 'Hey, hey you! You in there. The town is flooding. Let me take you to safety.' But the man shouted back, 'I'm religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.'
A helicopter was hovering overhead. And a guy with a megaphone shouted, 'Hey you, you down there. The town is flooding. Let me drop this ladder and I'll take you to safety.' But the man shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God will take him to safety.
Well... the man drowned.
And standing at the gates of St. Peter, he demanded an audience with God. 'Lord,' he said, 'I'm a religious man, I pray. I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?'
God said, 'I sent you a radio report, a helicopter, and a guy in a rowboat. What the hell are you doing here?'

This is essentially how I feel about the Celtics. Each year begins with the promise of trades to come and each year ends with the hope that maybe Wally will be healthy next season. Stick to the plan that some great trade will appear; a savior will emerge from nowhere. Every year, more names flood the imagination of Celtics fans everywhere: Baron Davis. Carlos Boozer. Allen Iverson. Pau Gasol. Kevin Garnett. Yet Sebastian Telfair is the only person who's walked through that door.

But the rumors persist and the fandom keeps praying. Steve Bulpett and others won't let the Garnett deal die. Chad Ford, a constant devil who wields rumors like Satan does temptation, is back on our shoulder, whispering in our ear that Pau Gasol could be had for as little as Theo Ratliff, Delonte West, and the #5 pick. Of course, like all rumors, common sense questions muddy the picture: why would Gasol be given away for so little (and isn't the deal more for Horford, who would be gone by #5?); if the issue is money, wouldn't they force Brian Cardinal on us (just like the Wolves did with Jaric); nevermind that other teams could come up with better offers. Yet still, the empty wishes are enough to capture the hearts and minds of the faithful.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that, finally, something will break in favor of the Celtics. I hope that, to steal from The West Wing again, I'm allowing my own demons to shout down my better angels. But personally, I think all of this hope for a blockbuster is more like the first quote, or like a quote from another Aaron Sorkin script, "The American President". Celtics fans want to win, they want to believe their team is getting closer to contending, and...

"They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.

Personally, that is what I think Ford, Stein, Bulpett and the other rumor-mongers have to offer; the promise of water and a glass full of sand.

Posted by SoulHonky at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The San Antonio Spurs dominated the playoffs but what was more upsetting than watching them run over their competition was the passive way they want about it. While everyone lauds them as champions, they play most of their games as if they are disinterested. They were just dominant enough so that you knew they would win but they'd never blow someone out of the water and embarrass them. They'd try just enough in the first half to stay close and then play just good enough in the end to close the opponent out. While people bemoan the dominance, the real issue is the lack of pizazz they add to the proceedings. 1983's playoffs were even more lopsided but one proclamation, Moses Malone's "Fo, Fo, Fo" (predicting three sweeps en route to the title) made it a memorable post-season.

And it's not like this post-season was an anamoly. The NBA as a whole has become devoid of personality and a certain fire. Has there ever been a time in the NBA where two players have been as dominant as Duncan and Shaq (they've won 8 of the last 9 championships) yet there is absolutely not one ounce of rivalry between them? How many times have you ever heard a debate about Duncan vs. Shaq? The two have met five times in the playoffs yet there is hardly a single memorable moment from any of those meetings. And it's not like there's any hope of one blossoming. Shaq, who once called himself the most dominant player in the league has handed the reins of his team to Dwyane Wade and is on the downside of his career.

And who is going to step up and fill the personality void left by Shaq, Diesel, the Big Aristotle? Lebron's focus on being a "world icon" has basically turned him into an empty uniform in terms of personality. While Jordan was dominant, he had a killer instinct and a slight swagger that, while not pronounced, was enough to annoy all opponents. Magic had his smile but he also had that switch that would turn him into a mercenary if that was what was needed to win. Larry Bird was downright cocky and didn't care if you knew it. Dwyane Wade is great but he doesn't exhibit those same traits. He's more like David Robinson, a nice guy who happens to be amazing at basketball. Carmelo Anthony might have it but just ask Tracy McGrady how much swagger matters if you can't get out of the first round. Gilbert Arenas has personality but he's more of a clown prince than lethal weapon. And who the hell knows what Chris Bosh is even like?

While the NBA is doing everything it can to clean up its image, the bottom line is that the league needs some villains. People might root for the heroes but they'll always pay more attention to the bad guys. People claimed they were sick of hearing about Terrell Owens, but that didn't make them stop talking about Terrell Owens. Everyone knows when A-Rod and the Yankees are in town. The NBA, however, doesn't have anyone to fill that role. Kobe seemed poised to take over but the Lakers haven't been good enough to make him relevant. Ditto for Vince Carter and Ron Artest. Josh Smith has potential but he needs to realize that to be successful you have to piss off your opponents, not your teammates. Everyone loves to hate the Knicks but the hate has gotten so bad of late that they are turning into the overpaid underdogs that you hope might be able to turn it around. Even worse, when possible villains do make it to good teams, the NBA and the media seems to do everything they can to paint them in more positive light. Rasheed Wallace was the poster boy of villainy during the Lakers/Blazers era but then became a misunderstood underdog when he helped lead the Pistons past the Blazers. Stephen Jackson underwent a similar change (although his constant complaining wore that will out in the Utah series). Bruce Bowen is gaining recognition but he doesn't have a foil to go up against. He's Rodman without a Jordan; Michael Cooper without his Bird.

The latest draft doesn't seem to hold much in terms of Villain potential. The one guy who seems like he could fill the role is Joakim Noah. If he pans out, I think all of his histrionics will make it pretty easy for opposing fans to want to root against him. But the real anti-saviors could be arriving in 2008. OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley are two throwback players in terms of their disinterest in whether or not opponents like them. Mayo has never shied away from letting people know how good he is and Michael Beasley won't refrain from yapping at his opponents during the game. And most importantly, they both have the skills to back up their boasts. Donte Green doesn't have bad guy potential but he is a vocal player with a flair for the dramatic.

While the future of the NBA looks bright talent-wise, hopefully some of the young prospects will start showing a little more attitude of Gary Payton, the flair of Larry Johnson, the determination of Alonzo Mourning, or the personality of Charles Barkley. As Gore Vidal once said, "It's not enough to succeed. Others must fail." A league full of nice guys isn't going to be entertaining to the average fan. The NBA needs to say hi to the bad guys that opposing fans relish rooting against.

Posted by SoulHonky at 02:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“So many calls are made for financial reasons,” Ainge said. “The trade world is just so different than any fan has any comprehension about. A lot of teams want to make deals that either free up money or cut their payroll just for cap or luxury tax reasons.”
- 5/30/07; Ainge on hoping to make trades this offseason

Actually, I think most fans, especially avid fans, understand this perfectly well. We understand that our owners (like a majority of NBA owners) don't want anything to do with paying the luxury tax. We understand that Theo Ratliff's expiring contract is an appealing trade asset since other teams are looking to avoid the luxury tax. Unfortunately, we also understand that because of our current financial state, we can't use this asset because adding salary in a Ratliff trade and re-signing Al Jefferson will likely put us over the luxury tax threshold for 2009. We got that this was the reason we had to dump Raef Lafrentz's contract last year. (Of course, the Celtics tried to sugar-coat this fact by asserting that Telfair was better than any available talent at the #7 pick. Now, of course, they admit openly that the deal was done, primarily, for financial reasons.)

"I honestly don't pay any attention to that," the Celtics' hoop el jefe said last night. "I feel our basketball staff, the players, the ownership, all understand completely what we did and why we did it. And I am satisfied with that. I understand that fans don't comprehend all the details, so people react without even knowing."
- 10/22/03; Ainge's take on the negative reaction surrounding the first Lafrentz trade.

The salary cap/luxury tax issues confounds the fans no more today than it did when Ainge first started. We understood the ramifications of adding long term contracts when Danny added salaries like Raef Lafrentz and Wally Szczerbiak. We comprehended while Danny Ainge sat around and laughed at us, stating that cap space is overrated.

Being an NBA GM is not brain surgery. It's not even graduate level economics. It's simple planning and common sense. While GM's bitch and moan about fans not getting it, more often than not, GM's are the ones exhibiting a lack of comprehension. Phoenix is one of the better run franchises but how many people thought a team nearing (and fearing) the luxury tax was better off signing Marcus Banks to 4 million dollars a year as opposed to drafting Marcus Williams, Rajon Rondo, Sergio Rodriguez, Kyle Lowry, Daniel Gibson or Dee Brown for 1 million or less? Who thought a team run by miserly Donald Sterling should, after investing too much money in Cuttino Mobley, pay big bucks for serial-slacker Tim Thomas? The problem isn't that fans don't comprehend the financial ramifications of trades, its that NBA GM's time and again defy this comprehension.

Fans understand the financial aspect of the "Trade World" of the NBA. Ainge whining about the financial straits the team is in makes no sense when it was Ainge who put the team in this situation. He doesn't have Vin Baker's contract to complain about anymore. All of the contract that Ainge inherited would have been off the books already. Celtics fans are painfully aware of where we stand and how we got here. This is Ainge's team. This is Ainge's mess. He'sturned the Celtics into a laughingstock and I don't think insulting the intelligence of the fans is the best way to turn things around.

Posted by SoulHonky at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

What I've wanted to do for years now. Kick Danny to the curb.

Posted by SoulHonky at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"I think it was a great night," said Ainge. "We addressed some needs and we think we got two terrific young players and got some cap management at the same time." -- The Telfair deal. (FIND THE CAP SPACE IS OVERRATED)

"I honestly don't pay any attention to that," the Celtics' hoop el jefe said last night. "I feel our basketball staff, the players, the ownership, all understand completely what we did and why we did it. And I am satisfied with that. I understand that fans don't comprehend all the details, so people react without even knowing."

- Ainge's take on the negative reaction surrounding the first Lafrentz trade.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After this latest gem...

“It’s easy to find things that every coach does wrong,” Ainge added later. “X’s and O’s are somewhat overrated in my mind. Critiques of substitution patterns and timeouts are overrated because, in my opinion, just about every NBA coach is on a fairly equal field in those regards. Those are the least of my concerns.

...I've decided to start up the Tao of Ainge, a section to compile all of the greatest quotes from the Ainge Era. I'll get more together in a week or so. Of course, the most prophetic of the pathetic was his pronouncement that he was going to turn this team around. Mind you, the team was in the second round of the playoffs at the time so clearly, Mission Accomplished!

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

She's smart, pretty, funny, what's not to love about Rashida Jones? I know that my crush of the moment is spilling over from the main SoulHonky page but let's celebrate the fact that one of my favorite actors also happens to be related to the Celtics (her grandfather owned the C's) and she has a 1976 championship ring. 1976 which happens to be the same year I was born. Coincidence? I think not. Soul and Rashida Honky. It just rolls off the tongue.

And like the Celtics, she looks like she needs to learn to suck a little better if she's ever going to get the best available men.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DJ passed away today after collapsing during practice for the NBDL's Austin Toros. He was 52 years old.

Posted by SoulHonky at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's strange. Red has been sick but I literally gasped when I heard the news. One of those days that you knew was coming but couldn't believe when it finally arrived. Not only a basketball legend but a man who made his mark on the city of Boston, an impressive feat given the long history of Beantown.

ESPN.com has a great video piece about Red and Boston.com has a bulletin board with people posting stories about Red.

Posted by SoulHonky at 02:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leon "The Show" Powe is looking like yet another second round steal for the C's. He has been giving his all and showing that he belongs in the last couple of games. Thankfully, he has a fan in Paul Pierce who will hopefully lobby for Powe to leapfrog Brian Scalabrine on the depth chart. While I'm a huge opponent of the small ball lineup, I think a smaller froncourt of Big Al and Powe or Gomes and Powe could work in limited minutes. With Theo being brittle and Perkins being a foul magnet, Doc is going to have to mix and match in the frontcourt and, personally, I'd like to see how Powe and Big Al/Gomes can handle themselves rather than deal with Kandiman getting significant minutes.
Powe's emergence also will hopefully shift Danny's focus away from adding a PF like Boozer. The Celtics either need a center or a better all-around small forward. Tony Allen's disappointing play of late has knocked him down the depth chart, which is problematic since he was supposed to emerge as our best defensive player at the wing. With rumors of a deal on the horizon, let's hope Danny addresses our weaknesses instead of adding to our strengths.

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's the group that for one reason or another, I never want to see in Celtics green.

C: Mark Blount. Good god I hated this man. I was so happy when he was finally done with his contract... and then Danny resigned him. As much as I don't like Wally (who used to be on this team), Blount is worse in every way, shape, or form. All he's better at is being a punchline.

PF: Drew Gooden. He has always thought he is better than he really is. I think he's overrated and have never been a fan.

SF: Peja Stojakovic. The guy has no heart and disappears in the clutch... that is if he is feeling up to even playing.

SG: Larry Hughes. Overpaid and always injured. Hughes' defense is unbelievably overrated and I have an issue with someone who whines about their "role" when they only played 31 games in the season. What, was Lebron supposed to step aside so Varejao and Ilgauskas could roll out the red carpet?

PG:Andre Miller. I have never liked Andre. I think he's a punk and overrated. While I'm sure he's mellowed out from his days of freezing players out (reports from his Cleveland days had him not passing to certain teammates), I still don't want to see him don the Celtics green.

Second Team:
Jerome James. He's like Mark Blount without the talent. And I mean, any talent. Even chewing bubblegum.
Kwame Brown. Kwame + Boston Media = even bigger disaster than Kwame already is. While I think Brown could blossom a little bit in a low key team like Atlanta, he'd never survive in Boston. This spot used to be reserved for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but 'Reef's actually underpaid now and was willing to come off the pine for the Kings, so he's moved off the team.
Danny Fortson. I don't care if he's an expiring contract. He's a headcase and a black hole whenever he gets the ball on offense.
Darius Miles. He COULD be good but he IS a complete asshole. His interview with Jason Quick in which he complained about not having a bobblehead doll almost pushed him past Peja and into the starting lineup.
Stephen Jackson: A good player but a complete punk. I thought he should have gotten a bigger suspension than Artest for the fight because he was the third man in that turned the incident into a riot.
Stephon Marbury. Now here's the thinig, I think Steph has actually become underrated in the past couple of years. That being said, he's still overpaid and still a problem child so I wouldn't want him on our team or payroll.

Dishonorable Mention: Stevie Franchise. I don't want Francis as a player but he seems like a fun guy so I have a hard time putting him on my list. There are other guys like Brian Cardinal and Eric Snow who aren't terrible on or off the court but are overpaid. And then there's Kenyon Martin. For some reason I think he might be able to turn it around and not be a team killer and go back to being the talent that he was in Jersey. But 99.9% of me doesn't want him on the team.

Posted by SoulHonky at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What would have been the downside had the Celtics decided to wait a year on the extension? Why not see what Pierce did with this team before emptying the vault?

This is the question that Peter May asks in his latest rant against the Celtics. He doesn't think the Celtics should have resigned Pierce to the big deal and claims that they should have waited to make the deal. The problem with this is that it overlooks the fact that Pierce could have opted out at the end of next season and simply left the Celtics, with Boston getting nothing in return for their top player.

Sure, you would have run the risk of the ``disrespect factor" by waiting. But here's what the Celtics also should have been gauging: What teams were going to have cap space in the summer of 2008 and did they really think any of those teams were going to keep that money to sign Pierce? In other words, were they negotiating against themselves?

As noted above, the Celtics risked losing Pierce in the summer of 2007 but overlooking that snafu, the following teams could have cap space in 2008: Washington, Toronto, Seattle, San Antonio, Portland, Orlando, New Orleans, Miami, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Detroit, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Now while Miami and San Antonio might not go after Pierce as it would mean their entire salary cap was spent on three or four players, to imply that Paul Pierce would not have had his suitors is simply ridiculous. In fact, even Peter May seemed to know this as he framed his point by using questions. He never stated anything; he provided himself with an out as he could claim that he never made that point but was simply asking a question.

If May wanted to make an argument, he could have made a bigger issue of the amount of money Pierce is getting. He began to state that Pierce hasn't shown that he can carry a team but he didn't venture much further into that discussion. He could have argued that it might have been better had the Celtics tried to get Pierce to sign a Ray Allen type deal for less money. These are stances that actually have some solid footing under them. While there would be some staunch opposition to those opinions, they'd at least be legitimate arguments. To say that the Celtics erred by making the deal now and not waiting until all of the bargaining chips were in Pierce's hand makes no sense whatsoever.

Posted by SoulHonky at 01:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm The Truth like A.I.
- Shawn Carter, co-owner of the New Jersey Nets

It's been forgotten by many, but before Reebok made Allen Iverson "The Answer", his nickname was The Truth. (There was also Bubba Chuck, but that didn't seem like the best choice for marketing) Now it seems like A.I. might be joining the player who took over his moniker. The question is, can the two co-exist? Can there be two truths?

While A.I. and Pierce would be a backcourt for the ages, their games don't exactly complement one another. Both guys are number one options but Iverson especially seems to require that he's the focus on the offense. In the past, Allen has fared better surrounded by role players rather than fellow scorers. Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, Derrick Coleman, Tim Thomas, Chris Webber, the players came and went. While none of them were the caliber of Pierce, the fact remains that the Sixers team that made the Finals featured Theo Ratliff as their second scorer and Eric Snow and Aaron McKie were key backcourt components. To get Iverson to work best with Pierce, A.I. would have to change up his game and you do not acquire Allen Iverson if part of your plan is that he alters his style in any way, shape, or form.

Ironically, if Iverson does come, the team will likely have a similar makeup of the team Ainge blew up: two players eating up all the shots while the rest of the team is left to do the dirty work. The problem is that the roster isn't built with people who can fill those roles. Theo Ratliff and Kendrick Perkins are solid in the middle but neither is athletic enough to guard upper echelon big men. Ryan Gomes and Big Al aren't exactly shutting anyone down either. Delonte West is talented but not on the defensive end, where Erick Strickland helped the 2002 team. Telfair is talented but wasted if A.I. is around. Also, his strength is offense and not defense. The only people on the roster who seem to really complement the Two Truths is Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo, but both have height issues and Rondo is reportedly part of the package to get Iverson.

Getting Iverson would have to be one step of a bigger overhaul. While Ainge has been the king of running half of a plan, he can't afford to aquire Iverson and then hope that Jefferson or Gomes matures into a role for which neither is suited. Another deal for a big man would have to happen. Unfortunately, Ainge might not even have that option. The Jay-Z song that nickname dropped Iverson was "Money Ain't a Thing" which is pretty much the diametric opposte of what the current Celtics owners believe. Money is most definitely a thing when it comes to the Celtics. A resigned Pierce to even a modest contract and Iverson eats up around two-thirds of the salary cap. The C's would be hard-pressed to add the final pieces and avoid the luxury tax.

While people hope that the A.I. deal would be like Houston adding Clyde Drexler, it's more like Houston adding Charles Barkley. It looks good on paper but in reality, it probably won't work out. We might be able to make a run for the conference finals, but in the end, we'll have too many flaws to beat the elite teams.

Posted by SoulHonky at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Old friend Antoine Walker got the debate roaring this morning with a little jab at the Celtics.

"If he wants to get to this level [and play for a title], he may have to move on. I don’t know if he can be that patient. To get to this level, you’ve got to be deep. Look at both our teams. We’re very deep teams. You’ve got to be talented. I don’t believe [Pierce] has that other piece yet. You can’t just do it by yourself. When you think of Boston, you just think of Paul Pierce solo.”

The biggest insult here would be to Wally Szczerbiak.  I doubt Antoine would have ever said this if Ricky Davis was still on the squad but since he has no connection to Wally One-Leg, the criticism rolls off the tongue much more easily.  But how true is it?  Does Paul really need to go?

If Pierce demands anything near a full max contract, then Antoine is right.  I think there are only a handful of players in the league that truly deserve the cap-crushing second full max deal (16 million to start, balooning to over 20 million at the end of the deal).  That contract limits cap space too much and makes absolutely no sense for a team that has ownership that is completely terrified of the luxury tax.  If Pierce goes for a more reasonable deal, like the contract Ray Allen signed, then it makes sense to keep him.  

But does he have enough to help him win? Well, right now I believe the Celtics have one of the deepest benches in the NBA.  The problem is that four of these role players have to start because we have zilch when it comes to legit starting talent.  While most of our youth is "servicable" as starters, we need improvement.  But we really aren't THAT far away.  Yes, Ainge has screwed us with some bad contracts but I think Gerald and Paul are the future of the swing spots, we can fill a need with this year's pick (be it drafting someone or in a trade) and in a couple of years we have Wally and Raef's expiring deals to maybe add some other pieces.  Will it be easy? No.  Will Ainge screw it up? Probably.  But it is possible.

On a side note, there's also the discussion of how good the Heat's future is.  I would say that it looks very bright but, ironically, the worst blemish on their payroll is... Antoine Walker.  Perhaps I was being too hard on Danny and didn't see the method to his madness.  Had Ainge not agreed to trade Antoine, he would have likely just gone to Miami for the MLE.  Instead, Ainge agreed to the deal and now Miami has Antoine on the ledger for more than 9 million per year for the next five years.  So while the Heat do indeed have a bright future, the last person who should be bragging about it should be Antoine because in a couple of years, he could be the guy preventing the Heat from adding the depth that he so admires now.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Looking at the roster of today's Boston Celtics, I can't really say that Danny has put us in a much better situation than M.L. Carr did.

Raef Lafrentz = Pervis Ellison: Raef is definitely better than Pervis but they are both overpaid big men who aren't helping the Celtics out very much. The craziest part of it all is that Raef will make more money in 2008/9 than Pervis' entire contract was worth (6 years, 12 million). Inflation's a bitch, and so are these two. Neither could really help the C's get banner 17 but neither could really go anywhere because of their contracts.

Brian Scalabrine = Greg Minor: I really liked Minor but he was a flawed player. He seemed like he was about to turn a corner but suffered a debilitating injury from which he never recovered. I know some people like Veal but he just doesn't add anything to the team and is a waste on our roster. He should send Jason Kidd a Mother's day card because Kidd weaned him to the contract he signed with us.

Dan Dickau = Dana Barros: Barros was coming off an All-Star season but wasn't worth the money that he made. He had a great season because the 'Sixers were terrible and their offense was entirely comprised of setting pick after pick for Dana until he either got an open three or spotted an open man on a missed defensive switch. Dickau isn't really what this team needs either. While he is more of a point guard than anyone we have, he can't play a lick of defense and, like Dana, made his money off of being good for a bad team. In his short time in Boston, he came back to reality and got his pre-New Orleans stats.

Delonte West = David Wesley: Solid guards who were brought in on the cheap. West was a late first round pick. Wesley was a free agent signing. Both guys are very solid but both have their weaknesses. While some people may get upset about this comparison, they forget how good Wesley was, especially during his years in Charlotte.

Tony Allen = Rick Fox: Defensive minded players with solid offensive games. M.L. inherited Fox but resigned him, something that Rick Pitino was not wise-enough to do when the time came. Also like Fox, Allen could be gone next season as he seems like our most likely trade bait this offseason.

Kendrick Perkins = Eric Williams: Solid role players who help most on the defensive end. Williams actually had a better post game than Perkins when he arrived but Perk is developing nicely. While Perk's value is much higher because he is a center, like E-Will, I don't see Perk becoming more than a role player.

Marcus Banks = Eric Montross: The "mistake" of their drafts, Ainge dumped Banks while M.L. used Montross to steal away a lotto pick from the Dallas Mavericks. Also, Banks actually played well once he was shipped off while Montross was what he was which was not very good.

Gerald Green and #7 = the #3 and #6: Ainge lucked out having a lotto talent fall in his lap in Gerald Green while M.L. lucked out that the Mavericks were complete morons and were willing to move down in the draft AND give up a future unprotected pick for Eric Montross.

Ryan Gomes = Dee Brown: Fan favorites who are talented but are best off the bench and even then have their weaknesses.

Orien Greene = Marty Conlon Neither had any business getting as much playing time as they did. Orien has some potential but will he be around long enough to realize it?

Dwayne Jones = Steve Hamer : Big men nobody is really expecting much out.

Al Jefferson = Antoine Walker: Talented young power forwards with major question marks surrounding them. Can Al mature? Can he stay healthy and in shape? Could Antoine play the post? Could the C's win with a three point chucking 4?

Wally Sczcerbiak = Todd Day Both were prolific shooters. Unfortunately, Todd wasn't as prolific when it came to getting his shots to go in. Still, his contract was short term and while we're stuck with Wally, Todd was a free agent after 1997.

Pierce = Dino Radja: There's really no comparison but that's the point. Dino was the franchise player that M.L. inherited. He was not very good and by 1997 wasn't even starting every game. The Celtics let him go, opening even more cap space. Pierce is doing his best but right now his best is just keeping up from better lottery picks.

MLE/LLE = Cap Space: M.L. left the Celtics with a ton of cap space which Rick Pitino immediately used in a somewhat Danny Ainge like manner, signing guys like Andrew Declerq, Travis Knight, Bruce Bowen and Chris Mills. I say it is only a "somewhat Danny Ainge" manner because Chris Wallace did hip Ricky onto the talent on Bruce Bowen, whom they also brought in that offseason. Ainge has yet to sign someone that good nor has he signed anyone who actually played defense.

In hindsight, people will look at the current Celtics and say there is one big difference: potential. But, honestly, how high is the ceiling of our young players. Is Delonte that much more than a rich man's David Wesley? Can Big Al become an impact player like Antoine? Will Gerald be Chauncey or Mercer? The funny thing is that while people will take this comparison as a slight, Ainge's best move right now is to remain M.L. Carr. The worst thing that Danny could do is follow Celtics history and make Pitino-like moves, dealing our youth for veterans. While people like to mention names like Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett, it's more likely that we'll be getting guys like Kenyon Martin, Carlos Boozer, or (shudder) Stephon Marbury. The type of guy that will end any hope of cap flexibility while not making us true title contenders.
So where are we? Back where we started about a decade ago. We have a piece or two but need patience and good management to turn the potential and promise into playoff glory. Can Danny do it? Only time will tell but I'm not holding my breath.

Posted by SoulHonky at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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)