Where Are The Celtics Going?

The question in the title of this rant will be asked at least 100,000,000 times between now and the beginning of the 2006-07 season. The Boston Celtics -- the greatest franchise in NBA history (at least up until 1986) -- still have no firm plan for the future. Start at the top. Since taking over the Celtics as vice-president of basketball operations during the 2003 playoffs, Danny Ainge has talked about making his former team a contender to win a championship. So far his team has won a single division title -- the 2004-05 Atlantic -- and has yet to win a playoff series. But to Ainge's credit, he has added talent to this roster, young talent that has fans like myself drooling over the future. The grain of salt in that fan drool? The fact that the Clippers played this game for over twenty years. For now, Danny has my trust but if this team is still in the lottery three years from now, I'll know who to blame. Will the kids develop? That brings me to the coach, Doc Rivers. Rivers has been criticized in Boston for not playing the kids enough so that they'll develop. However, much of this criticism is unfounded. What is the point of getting a player minutes if said player has not earned those minutes. Even at the end of this season, after it was clear that the C's were going nowhere, Rivers seemed to cringe every time he saw rookie Gerald Green throw up another shot or miss a simple defensive rotation. Yes, the kids need time to prove themselves in the NBA but I think Doc did right by not just handing out minutes that were not earned. As for the players who will ultimately determine whether or not the Celtics will ever see another championship, what is here. Start with Paul Pierce. Pierce elevated his game this year to a standard that many in Boston were beginning to feel he could never attain. His scoring average of 26.8 (on 47.1% shooting from the field) was a career best, he grabbed 6.7-rebounds and dished out 4.7-assists a night. These numbers were good enough to earn the former Kansas star his fifth All-Star appearance. After Pierce, the C's best player is small forward Wally Szczerbiak. After coming over from Minnesota in the Ricky Davis trade, Szczerbiak provided Boston with consistent outside shooting which opened up the lane for Pierce. It is no coincidence that after Szczerbiak came to town that Pierce elevated his game to a new level. If he is healthy in '06-'07 (he recently had knee surgery), the C's will have a solid 1-2 punch on the perimeter. Supporting Pierce and Szczerbiak will be mostly inexperienced players. Guards Delonte West (entering his 3rd season), Tony Allen (3rd), Gerald Green (2nd) and Orien Greene (2nd) as well as big men Al Jefferson (3rd), Kendrick Perkins (4th), Ryan Gomes (2nd) and Dwayne Jones (2nd) constitute the nucleus of the future. Not that all will be here for the next ten years -- some may not be back come October -- but that is what Ainge and Rivers have to work with. Additional veterans Raef LaFrentz, Brain Scalabrine, Michael Olowokandi and Dan Dickau will either provide additional help or will be employed elsewhere. The Celtics also own a lottery pick that currently has them picking at No. 7. Depending on how the ping-pong balls treat them, they may or may not keep the pick. The question is, how can this team get to a level that will make the Celtics important in the NBA for the first time since Larry Bird retired? The first option is a trade for a marquee player. Names such as Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal will be thrown around this summer. Both would instantly make the Celtics a title contender but do they have enough to grab such a player? Would a package of Jefferson and/or Green, LaFrentz (to match contracts), and two first round picks be enough? Only time will tell. The other option is to ride out the kids. Jefferson and Green are considered the cornerstones of this franchise, is it worth it to Ainge to send them away for a small window at an NBA championship? Maybe isn't good enough an answer for me. Jefferson should be a 14-10 guy next year and if Green can learn a little bit of defense and figure out how to fit in a pro offense, he could be a double-digit scorer off the bench. Couple in Perkins at center, West at point guard and Gomes and Allen off the bench and maybe the C's are heading in the right direction. If they can land a veteran point guard (Speedy Claxton?) to sure up the backcourt, this should be a playoff team a year from now. There is a lot of time until even the draft so I will re-open this topic at that point. Until then, keep hoping that these young players are coming along because that is most likely the path Ainge will choose.