By Kevin Henkin

Somewhere, Red Auerbach smiles and takes a drag on a thick wet cigar. Recall his choice words of frustration following Boston’s dismal 2005-06 season: “Young talent, old talent, all I’m interested in is winning. I remember a baseball team that went through a youth movement for fifteen years! We’ve got a young team. So what? We want somebody to win!” If winning is what you want, winning is what you can expect to get following a nearly complete roster overhaul this off season with the pending trade for Kevin Garnett.

For those that bemoan the loss of both Al Jefferson and Gerald Green, I strongly encourage you to make your way through the seven stages of grief, whatever they are, then put your little hankies away and join the rest of us in celebration. The green ink is drying on 2008 playoff tickets as we speak. The focal point of Celtics basketball is no longer some distant unspecified point in the future where an aged Paul Pierce is dragged to glory by Jefferson and his merry gang of glorified role players. The future is now, friends. Finally. Seize the day. Enjoy the fact that in a span of mere weeks, your Boston Celtics have become relevant and dangerous again.

For those who complain that the Celtics gave away too much to obtain a player with a lot of miles on his sneakers, you may have a point. It’s a big package and much has been sacrificed. If you also wish to point out that the new core trio are all on the wrong side of their prime, that may also be so. Here’s the thing, though. Young superstars either entering or smack in the middle of their prime are simply not available. LeBron James is going nowhere, nor is Chris Bosh or Dwight Howard or Gilbert Arenas or Dwayne Wade or…well, you get the point. This leaves the players with a little risk attached to them. Garnett’s risk isn’t even age-related so much as it is the number games he’s played in the NBA beginning at such a young age, hence the mileage tag. Even so, he’s still KEVIN GARNETT, a bona fide stud player on both ends of the court who still in all likelihood has some serious miles left in the tank. Therefore, his price tag was inevitably going to be high, even with Kevin McHale involved in the equation. The Wolves weren’t going to take Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and an autographed picture of Fred Roberts. The Celtics had to give in order to get, and get they did, and in doing do they got immeasurably better as a team.

As Red said, we want somebody to win. That someone, a force in nearly every aspect of the game, is about to arrive. Take notice and save the tears for the poor folks in Minnesota.

* * *

Now remaining on Ainge’s to-do list is rounding out the roster by filling the empty spots with a veteran point guard and a backup center. Alas, there is more work to be done and the choices made may become a deciding factor come late spring 2008. Perkins needs help down low and is far too unreliable health-wise to truly depend upon. Rondo has shown flashes of terrific talent but the team also needs a veteran presence at floor general. If Ainge doesn’t have recently released Brevin Knight’s agent on speed dial already, I’d be sorely disappointed. As for relatively cheap big men, the market is predictably thin. P.J. Brown is elderly but available and would still add value as a role player. Most rumors have mentioned either retirement or a contract with Phoenix as the two likely possibilities for Brown but perhaps the Garnett landing in Boston changes that perspective.

* * *

A few random thoughts on the players reported to be included in the trade.

Gerald Green - The true “X Factor” of the trade. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see if the light every truly clicks on inside Green’s head. The desire is there. The raw talent is there. Flip a coin and you have as good a chance of being right about Green’s future as anyone else at this point.

Sebastian Telfair - At some point during the trade discussions, the phrase “But you have to take Telfair” had to have been uttered, and with conviction. “No, I mean it, Kevin. Telfair’s in or I’m walking away. I mean it.”

Al Jefferson - God, he was fun to watch, wasn’t he? Those terrific hands and that nifty footwork that cannot be taught, only honed. Jefferson even developed a personality during his time here. For example, on media day last fall, he was asked a series of questions about his off season weight loss, including this one: “So you won’t be going into McDonalds anymore?” His response? “Nope.” Then after a pause, he added, “Drive thru.” Big Al will be truly missed for all of his various gifts.

By Mike Brilliant

Summer League games are as useless as pillows on a bull when it comes to gauging the future success of young players in the NBA. Even so, I came away with an uneasy feeling regarding Gerald Green’s recent mediocre showing in Las Vegas. Some showed optimism in pointing to Green’s poise and increased leadership in evidence, which are admittedly positives. Then again, it’s hard to lead teammates to anything but offensive rebounds when you shoot 29.8% from the field.

Over the course of his first two seasons, Green has certainly shown flashes of his NBA potential, often leading to some overzealous comparisons to two-time scoring champion Tracy McGrady. Unfortunately, Green’s superior athletic ability has also frequently served to mask his serious lack of fundamental basketball skills. It’s enough to make a fan worry. It’s perhaps even enough to draw comparisons away from McGrady and instead to another raw athletic specimen who had mad hops but a maddeningly low basketball IQ. Recall with a shudder Chris Wallace’s failed secret weapon Kedrick Brown. Ironically, both Brown and Green have worn #5 for the Celtics. Let’s run a few routine background checks on the two players to further examine whether such a comparison is legitimate.

Green was drafted 18th overall in 2005 out of Gulf Shores Academy in Texas. He was projected as high as 3rd by some mock drafts but ended up sliding faster than a wet Twinkie because of his refusal to work out for teams prior to the draft. The Celtics quickly realized that Green had plenty of raw talent but lacked the fundamentals of coming from a high profile high school or college program. In fact, he didn’t play much high school basketball at all. Gerald only began playing hoops in his sophomore year. His junior year was then cut short due to academic failures. It was during Green’s senior year that he transferred to Gulf Shores Academy and became a McDonald’s Academic All-American.

Kedrick Brown was drafted 11th overall in 2001 out of Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Florida. He was named a first team JUCO All-American as a sophomore yet remained as a relative unknown to many NBA General Managers. Not to Celtics GM Chris Wallace, however. One of Wallace’s old buddies ended up coaching Kedrick’s JUCO team and scheduled a private workout with the Celtics. From this workout, the Celtics gave Brown a promise that he would be selected no later then #11. I still recall watching the same two highlight reels from the 2001 draft. One showcased Kedrick forcefully slamming home an alley oop. The other showed him driving baseline. Brown’s elbows were over the rim while he tomahawk jammed. It was heady stuff, especially to people accustomed to watching lumbering guys like Dwayne Schintzius and Vitaly Potapenko (may you eternally rot in hell, Rick Pitino).

Although similar in background and athleticism, Green and Brown inhabited considerably different body types. Green is 6’8” and 200 lbs. To say he is slight of build is an understatement. His frame is well suited for a swingman role in the NBA. Although Brown’s height was a near-match at 6’7”, he weighed in at a far more imposing 225. In retrospect, Brown’s game and build were a perfect fit as a power forward on the JUCO level, where he was a monster at rebounding and scoring inside. But of course at 6’7” he was force-fit as a projected BIG swingman in the NBA, which has always been a reach.

Despite their different builds and strengths, Green and Brown both entered the NBA under the mold of shooting guard / small forward. Brown’s strengths were his athleticism and his ability to use his quickness and muscle to play defense. This is exactly what earned him time on the court for 29 games his rookie year and 51 games his second year. In fact, during that time, he was used a defensive stopper on some of the leagues best 2’s and 3’s. The memory that stands out for me the most was one of the Celtics’ highlight plays of the year in 2002. Giving up almost five inches, Brown went straight up with Tim Duncan and cleanly blocked his shot on January 12, 2002 in a 1 point loss to the Spurs. In retrospect, it was probably the highlight of Brown’s career.

Green’s strengths are in his athleticism, his superior release point and his shooting touch (although spotty) from long range. He played in 32 games his rookie year and 81 in his second year. His ability to score in startling bunches made him a valuable gunner off the bench this year. In fact, he averaged 10.4 points in 22 minutes a game. So why is he assumed to be included among the trade bait for the next Celtics veteran to come aboard?

This is where the Kedrick Brown comparisons come into play. Both players seem to clearly lack the fundamentals of the game. Is this a result of not playing for a major high school or college program? Are/were they just too young to learn on the job in the NBA?

Despite their obvious differences, Green and Brown seem to suffer from some of the same limitations. As swingmen in the NBA, both need/needed to be able to dribble and penetrate with their superb athleticism. Neither can or could do so. And why can’t Green or why couldn’t Brown hit a midrange jumper with reliable consistency? With their incredible jumping abilities, what guard or forward could block or even bother their shot? Is this the result of lack of hard work or how coachable they are at such a young age? Both players after their second year in the league still seemed to lack the general knowledge of the game. Too often, they looked more lost out on the floor than Dan Shaughnessy at a popularity contest.

We already know the fate of Kedrick Brown. He never got it. He never improved. And going into his 4th season, he gained 30 pounds and essentially ate himself out of the league. Will Gerald Green suffer the same fate? (By the way, I know Green can afford to put on a few pounds but let’s hold off on the ‘chocolate cake for breakfast’ jokes for now). The one advantage Green has is that he played on a losing and injury-ravaged team last year, which resulted in boatloads of unearned playing time (and 26 starts). Will this exposure translate into a stellar 3rd year? It’s always a possibility, although the Summer League didn’t offer much in the way of encouragement. One has to wonder then whether the Celtics have similar worries, considering their big off-season move resulted in a 7-time All-Star at Green’s spot. As the saying goes, ‘rent, don’t buy’, Gerald. And in the meantime, avoid those trans-fats.

by Matt Richardson

One of Abraham Lincoln’s favorite maxim’s, derived from his father’s wisdom, went as follows:

“If you make a bad bargain, hug it all the tighter.”

Although the 2007 NBA draft was still seven score away into the future when he uttered those folksy words, Lincoln could have just as easily been discussing the Celtics as presently constituted. Honestly, I want to believe that Ainge considers Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, and Ray Allen to be a sufficient foundation on which to build a winner. I’m equally willing to believe that Ainge is simply a fool, in over his head in a Richie Kotite sort of way, like an NFL General Manager who freezes and drafts a borderline first rounder with the 8th pick because he loved the guy but couldn’t figure out how to trade down. Sucker that I am, I’d even buy that Ainge didn’t believe Brewer, Green, Yi, or Noah were anything special and that Allen was the superior move (although that same logic didn’t work out so well last year. See Telfair, Sebastian vs. Foye, Randy). What I do not want to believe, however, is that the trade was driven by the wrong sort of green. You know, the kind with portraits of dead presidents gracing the front?

Because unless Theo Ratliff’s contract, Gerald Green and other chips are converted into Andre Kirilenko, Marcus Camby or some other similar veteran impact player, then that’s exactly what this appears to be; a money grab intended to strengthen the budget with minimal regard to the actual performance on the court. My true fear is the Ray Allen trade was done as a half measure. Visualize the list of benefits gained by the Celtics’ ownership group by the trade:

• Big Name? Check
• Veteran Running Mate for Pierce? Check.
• .500 winning percentage? Check.
• Probable playoff berth in the East? Check.
• Attendance boost from All-Star with local ties improving the team? Check.
• Playoff Revenue? Check.
• A move that brings the Celtics close to winning a title? Sorry, no.

To truly become competitive, you must either commit to the youth movement by drafting Green/Brewer/Yi and perhaps even trading Pierce or you go all out to compete now by using Ratliff, Gerald, the mid-level, future first round picks, whatever your assets, to become better immediately. You can’t be half pregnant, as the saying goes. So what are they doing?

Consider the following three options:

1. Going young and building through the draft? Apparently not.
2. Loading up on veterans to make a run in the East? Thank you sir, may I have another.
3. Acquiring an Aging Former All-Star with Local Ties to Generate Some Fan Interest and Possibly Make the Playoffs? Your leader in the clubhouse.

The Celtics have made a significant decision by trading for Allen. I’m willing to embrace it as long as Ainge and Grousbeck go all the way with this strategy. However, they absolutely must add a veteran big man as well as acquire a veteran point guard to take the present team to the next level. Trade Jefferson for Garnett? Fine. Use the Ratliff/Green/Future Picks package for a Camby-type? By all means. But do not present this team as currently constituted to us as the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics.

Forget about the 1980’s. Young fans weren’t even born when Banner 16 was raised. For those of us who grew up with Larry Bird posters on our walls, however, it feels like a lifetime ago. I remember how damn good it felt when ‘Toine, Paul, Kenny, E-Will, and Battie won 49 games and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. That feeling has since become a stale memory and I’m in dire need of a refresher. Ainge needs to move forward and make all the remaining moves available, thus maximizing the potential of this squad. Whether they know it or not, they’ve already taken the first step.

By Kevin Henkin

While we anxiously await “the next shoe to drop” in Danny Ainge’s oft-rumored off-season master plan, I offer up these few random thoughts…

Okay, so I’m a little bit late to the table on this, but I’d still like to offer a bit of commentary on the Ray Allen trade.

First of all, it seems fairly obvious that on draft night, Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers had a story to sell on behalf of their team owners. Their story had far more to do with the wooing of prospective season ticket holders and less to do with anything related to actual basketball. In short, these good company men attempted to convince us that the reconfigured roster instantly made them serious contenders in the East. It was a humorous moment enjoyed by all until we realized that they were dead serious. They were actually asking us to believe that Ray Allen’s ability to score 25 points per game represented a blanket cure for Boston’s long list of ills. The last time I checked, Ray Allen doesn’t play point guard or defense, which unfortunately remain as two of the team’s most glaring needs.

This is not to say that the trade is undesirable on its own merits. There are a number of positives to be fairly acknowledged. For example, when I first heard of the trade, I instantly offered my services to personally bounty hunt Wally Szczerbiak and fasten him to a seat on a one-way plane to Seattle. As for Delonte West and the fifth pick, like most people, I had mixed feelings. I knew I’d miss West’s gritty hustle and steady stream of bizarre quotes that regularly made for good copy. I was also terrified of future hauntings from Li Jianlian, who I came to know as a tiny Chinese menace against terrible competition on my two inch YouTube screen. That is, until I saw him play against the Celtics summer squad in Las Vegas, where he much more closely resembled an overwhelmed Jerome Moiso than an Asian template of Dirk Nowitzki. I’ve been sleeping peacefully ever since.

How the trade specifically benefits the Celtics the most is by their now improved ability to score down the stretch in close games. Last year, everyone knew Pierce was getting the ball on isolation plays and it allowed teams to clamp down with glee. With Ray Allen roving on the wing and keeping opposing defenses honest, at least a half dozen wins are chalkable based on that factor alone. Therefore, the trade does technically make them a better team. It just doesn’t make them as good as Danny Ainge and Wyc Grousbeck would like you to believe.

In other news, is everyone else enjoying the “Sebastian Telfair Public Image Rehabilitation Tour” that is currently underway? In case you’ve missed it, the message is basically this: Look everyone! Sebastian Telfair has lost 11 pounds! He’s unselfishly practicing with the team in Vegas! He’s going to focus on passing and the act of denying the other team from scoring (commonly known as “defense”)! He finally gets it! The Rehab Tour (brought to you by Foxwoods, the wonder of it all) officially kicked off on draft night when reporters pointed out to Danny Ainge that Rajon Rondo remained as the only legitimate point guard who still had one of those highly prestigious nameplates on his locker. Ainge smugly responded that Sebastian Telfair and combo guard Gabe Pruitt were on the roster as the other floor generals, then deferred to Wyc Grousbeck across the room. In a clearly rehearsed moment, Grousbeck indicated that Telfair might not be as much of a persona non grata as was initially communicated to the press following Telfair’s latest “gun & car incident”. Stay tuned for either a merciful trade or further heaps of praise for Bassy’s new attitude, complete with free copies of Ian O’Connor’s shamefully hyperbolic bio-drama book “The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High-Stakes Business of High School Ball.”

By Rich and Mike

The Celtics’ draft night trade has sparked much debate amongst the fandom regarding the team’s direction (or lack thereof). Two Full Court Press roundtable contributors give their thoughts on the trade and the road ahead.

First from Rich:

Danny Ainge is getting killed from all angles by the national media after Thursday evening’s Ray Allen deal. We have learned that 32 year old Shooting Guards have the fast track to oblivion nailed down. We have also learned that Danny has no vision and no plan. We have learned that this was a knee jerk reaction and obviously a move by a desperate man.

If this was part two of the Celtics restructuring plan would these same pundits be hammering away at Danny? I highly doubt it. If the Celtics had made acquiring a defensive minded big man top priority and then went after Allen you would hear a different tune.

As it is what did Danny do to our beloved Celtics? Oh my goodness he traded away Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak (@ 13M a year) and the rights to the 5th pick–which turned out to be Jeff Green based on Seattle’s preference.

According to Chad Ford the proper thing to do was to draft Yi Jianlian because he had the most upside. Darko Milicic also had the most upside in the 2003 draft–thanks for the advice Chad.

Even if you break it down monetarily the Celtics only acquired one more year of a high salary and there has to be an assumption that West would have hit on a fairly large raise in that same year at any rate. Wally and Delonte were on the books until after the 08/09 season at a combined $15.7M. Ray Allen, who is currently better than Wally/Delonte, is on the books at $18.8M. This one move doesn’t make the team any worse off financially than had they not done it.

Oh, but what about the Tax Threshold? They would have been skirting this line anyway with Al Jefferson’s contract extension.

Everything hinges on what they do with Theo Ratliff’s ending deal. If they flip his $11.6M for a near-max player that adds another solid, ongoing fixture to this lineup the Ray Allen deal looks like part one of a master plan. If they sit pat then they have not finished the job and at that point the calling for change will be legitimate.

In effect this one trade cannot be fully gauged until the other shoe has dropped.

If anyone was asking me the targets for Ratliff’s contract they would be:

Andrei Kirilenko: With a max deal and with declining numbers AK47 has to be the biggest target. What would make it even sweeter for Utah is if Theo could actually, you know PLAY basketball this season. Utah could rid themselves of serious long term money and free up the capital it will take to care of Deron Williams. They wold also be under the cap for next season to address whatever they consider to be a team need (Ahem–Shooting Guard might be a good place to start!)

Pau Gasol: With Memphis bleeding money and Gasol not exactly thrilled to be in this situation Gasol might be had with just Theo’s contract, depending on how desperate Memphis gets. This isn’t an obvious home for the extra parts it may take to get Gasol now that Delonte West is in Seattle.

Marcus Camby: Sure the man brought new meaning to the nickname Mister Glass but when healthy he is a great rebounder and weakside shot blocker. Denver would probably dangle Kenyon Martin but no one not named Isiah would touch him coming off of microfracture surgery and especially with his game predicated on his athleticism.

Troy Murphy: You will read about Jermaine O’Neal but understand that Danny Ainge and J.O. do not get along. There would be serious issues unless he could be flipped to a third team (Hello LA–send over Odom please!) Murphy makes sense for Indiana as they have Granger and Diogu that can step up and play PF minutes and they still have O’Neal and Foster.

Al Harrington: This one would be difficult but makes some long term sense to Golden State. They just acquired Brandan Wright and have a slew of similar skilled players. Harrington would make the Celtics front court extremely small.

Mike Bibby: count me among the Rondo believers but if they think he is still a year away they could bring in Bibby. Bibby is on the books for one more year after this and that seems to be how Ainge likes to do business-extend the expiring contract out a little to work the angles a bit longer.

Brad Miller: Please, dear God no. If the Celtics took Miller’s contract they better be bringing Shareef with them and getting rid of Scrubaline.

Rasheed Wallace: At 33 count me as a pass on this move which should have happened 3 years ago any way.

Lamar Odom: Only in my dreams does he end up in Boston.

Next, from Mike:

I’m with you, Rich. This trade is a talent and experience upgrade for a team that needs both, for a limited increase in salary obligations (assuming West signs an extension). I can’t understand the critics who say this is a huge change of team philosophy in moving away from the youth movement. West was the only member of the oft-derided “best young talent in the NBA” who was shipped out in this deal. While the 5th pick would have immediately become a youth movement centerpiece, all of the players after the top 3 came with significant holes in their games. Obviously there will be several players who pan out of this draft, but when given the opportunity to pick up a talent like Ray Allen the calculus seems pretty easy from where I am sitting. The chance you take is that Jesus Shuttlesworth shows up with a fork in his back, but I’m not sure that is any riskier than paying Wally to test his ankles out, or drafting Yi in the hopes that his performance on the under-19 national team wasn’t just Kramer dominating the elementary school karate dojo.

Of course as Rich points out this deal did nothing to address the glaring hole at the power forward slot. Perkins and Jefferson showed enough last year to establish themselves as two pieces of a viable big man rotation, but the remaining bigs on the roster all have major shortcomings to their games, be it lack of height, lack of athleticism, or both. On top of that the trade left the team extremely thin at point guard, with Rajon Rondo the starter backed up by Sebastian Telfair (assuming he keeps his nose clean long enough to let the team forget about the tough talk after his latest arrest) and draftee Gabe Pruitt (whom scouts pegged as more of a point guard by default during his college days rather than a natural for the position).

The question then becomes, when does that other shoe drop, and what does it look like? Like anyone else who suffered through last season I want those holes filled yesterday, and with solid veteran talent to boot. But it seems that with the loss of the #5 pick and the continuing unwillingness to deal Jefferson the team probably has lost whatever leverage it may have had to make a deal for a headliner at either position.

So, contrary to my instincts as a fan, I think the team will probably wind up biding its time on the long term fix at either the PG or PF slot. Instead I see them looking for a midlevel exception fix at one slot or the other, in the search for a veteran who is willing to play relatively consistent minutes in a secondary role to the team’s young talent. Think Steve Blake or Brevin Knight at PG, and Joe Smith or Mikki Moore at PF. There could also be smaller trades for better frontline talent, like Zaza Pachulia from Atlanta.

While this kind of patience will be frustrating to some (including myself, I am sure) it may make all the difference in the end. First of all, Theo Ratliff himself would be a great upgrade for the team’s interior defense, so it may not be so bad to give him a month or two during the season to see if he can make even a little bit of a contribution. Never underestimate the power of a contract year to get a guy out of the 5-button pinstripe suits and onto the floor. But if Theo’s injuries continue to sideline him his contract will just get more valuable as the year goes on, especially if talented players in bad situations continue to muddle around (Mr. Kirilenko, please pick up the green courtesy phone).

Similarly some of the Celtics’ other trade chips like Tony Allen, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green will benefit from another summer of development and/or rehab, as the case may be. It obviously would benefit the team to take advantage of any gains in marketability by these players if they are to be traded, rather than dealing them out prior to seeing what another year of experience has done for their games.

It will take guts to take the floor on opening day with this roster, after the team and its fans have let it be known that the rebuilding era is no longer welcome. Everyone sees the ticking clock behind the two max-salary players now employed by the team, so it’s a tightrope between winning now as best they can and finding the perfect piece to contend for the now-devalued eastern conference championship. The sense the team’s leadership gives is that it hears and understands the fans when they say it’s no longer OK to make excuses. The way they handle the next few transactions will go a long way to showing how true that is.

(Finally, another word about Tony Allen. As this deal thinned out the two prime competitors with him for wing minutes, the spotlight will be on him. Obviously Ray Allen and Pierce will be the starters at the wing slots, but if the TA of the month prior to his injury was not a mirage then this team will benefit greatly from him stepping up and asserting himself as the third man in the wing rotation, bringing defense and tenacity to a unit that generally lacks those qualities. In addition, Doc Rivers has often said that Allen’s unique defensive abilities make him indispensable for the smallball units that Rivers has always employed. Depending on who else comes in after this deal I think we may see a lot of Tony Allen playing with both Ray Allen and Pierce at the same time, a nod to the success of the smallball teams in Phoenix and Golden State over the past few years. Even staid San Antonio used a smaller lineup to good success on the way to its championship this year, so it is becoming clear that this needs to be part of a versatile team’s repertoire. Should be interesting to watch.)