Going into last night's NBA Draft, it was obvious that the Celtics needed help for their front court. With Shaquille O'Neal retiring, Nenad Krstic looking to play in Russia, and Glen Davis facing free agency, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal are their only forwards under contract.
When David Stern announced that the Celtics had drafted Providence College's MarShon Brooks with the 25th pick I was a bit surprised considering Brooks is a shooting guard. A few minutes later it all began to make sense because a trade was announced between the Celtics and the Nets that landed Boston JaJuan Johnson, a 6-10 forward from Purdue, and a 2014 second round pick in exchange for Brooks.
Johnson is the reigning Big 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and was a First Team All-American. Even though he needs to get stronger, he should be of help to the Celtics on both ends of the floor with his scoring and defense. I love the idea of Johnson being tutored by Garnett for a year.
In the second round the C's tabbed Johnson's Purdue teammate E'Twaun Moore, a 6-4 guard, with the 55th overall pick. Moore was a two-time First Team All-Big 10 performer who can score (18 ppg as a senior and shot over 40% from three-point land) and should find a role off the bench.
In the big picture, the Celtics knew they were not going to draft the eventual replacements for Garnett and Ray Allen last night but in getting two players who played for four years in one of the most competitive conferences in college basketball, they have improved their roster. Johnson and Moore are winners (they were 107-33 while at Purdue) and that should help them fit in with a team that considers anything short of a championship to be a failed season.
Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers now need to find some veteran help in free agency. The core of Garnett, Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo will keep them in the contender discussion but if they are going to make a serious run at the 2012 championship, they need to add quality depth. Right now the rest of their team consists of Delonte West, the aging Jermaine O'Neal, second year guard Avery Bradley, and the two former Boilermakers drafted last night. Along with Big Baby Davis, Jeff Green is also a free agent.
The labor situation in the NBA has made the free agency period cloudy and no one is certain what the rules will be once the anticipated lockout comes to an end. I would expect Green to make a comeback and if the lockout drags on and training camp is shortened considerably, Big Baby might have to return as well (although a few months with no basketball could see the hefty Davis triple in size).
Regardless, here is what the C's currently look like if Green and Davis do in fact play in Boston in 2011-2012.
1: Rajon Rondo, Delonte West, Avery Bradley
2: Ray Allen, Delonte West, E'Twaun Moore
3: Paul Pierce, Jeff Green
4: Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, JaJuan Johnson
5: Jermaine O'Neal, Glen Davis
There is potential in there but Ainge and Rivers have a lot of work to do to take that roster from fringe contender to Banner 18.
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