Ray Allen and the Wrong Kind of Green
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.
