Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Garnett, what? Who else?

So the C's are Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins as starters...

then Scalabrine, Tony Allen, Leon Powe (last year's 2nd rd) as
the only other signed players.

Then likely rookies PF Big Baby Davis (LSU), combo G Gabe Pruitt
(Southern Cal), 3/4 blocks man Brandon Wallace (South Carolina) as
signed rookies. That's still only 11 players.

Free agent Michael Olowokandi might reup if only for nostalgia
purposes, after all he's the only guy left from the Ricky Davis trade
that eventually landed them Ray Allen. Wait... what? Strange but
true.

But still only 12 players.

That leaves three more spots for quality NBDLers and other unsigned
college players and with more than half of their roster (8 out of 15)
still first or second year players, the youth movement is still on in
Beantown only this time without all of the unfounded hype (Green,
Telfair, etc.) and this time the kids might learn something from the
starters. He's already anticipated this trade by adding two big men (one HUGE and bulky, the other LONG and lean) and a point guard from the college ranks.





&





Up until now, I've hounded Ainge because of the Telfair trade, the Ricky Davis trade, pretty much everything he's done except the young talent he's drafted. But now it's all crystal clear. That running through all his lineup shuffles last year was merely to showcase the potential of his roster, not to win! If he had shelved Telfair like he should have, he'd have absolutely no value. And besides, the Telfair trade wasn't really about Telfair at all. It was about acquiring the expiring contract of Theo Ratliff. Brilliant! Now, he's got three or four roster spots to scour the available talent pool, and this after one of the deepest drafts in recorded memory thanks to Stern's anti-teen stance.

Question is: Who might these additions be? And remember... The Celtics are just under the cap with the GAP at $20m per annum or so each. So, you're looking at rookies, NBDLers, and veterans willing to sign for the minimum.

As currently constructed post-Garnett trade, the roster as listed:
20 Ray Allen G 6-5 205 07/20/1975 Connecticut 11
42 Tony Allen G 6-4 213 01/11/1982 Oklahoma State 3
11 Glen Davis ** F 6-9 289 01/01/1986 Louisiana State R
5 Kevin Garnett F 6-11 253 05/19/1976 Farragut Academy HS (IL) 12
41 Michael Olowokandi (FA) C 7-0 270 04/03/1975 U. of Pacific 9
43 Kendrick Perkins C 6-10 280 11/10/1984 Clifton J. Ozen HS (TX) 4
34 Paul Pierce F-G 6-6 230 10/13/1977 Kansas 9
0 Leon Powe F 6-8 240 01/22/1984 California 1
13 Gabe Pruitt ** G 6-4 170 04/19/1986 USC R
9 Rajon Rondo G 6-1 171 02/22/1986 Kentucky 1
44 Brian Scalabrine F 6-9 235 03/18/1978 USC 6
8 Brandon Wallace F 6-9 203
South Carolina R















So the roster sports a good mix of length height speed and bulk as is. Where it lacks is point guard play, particularly as there is no veteran presence at the point, and maybe some youthful wingmen and a veteran center.

Let's look at the available point guards Ainge is considering:

Point guards:

1) GARY PAYTON

He's already demonstrated an affinity for this historic organization. But having already won a championship with the Heat, is he willing to pimp himself out again? Seems like this will be up to the Heat... if they don't end up signing him and the Smush Parker signing validates this question, he may well end up signing here for the exception.

2) BREVIN KNIGHT

Quietly a top-10 PG in steals AND assists while he's healthy, Knight has recently been released by the Charlotte Bobcats in order to reserve as much burn for the development of Latta, SC hero Raymond Felton. Given that he's an expansion draft winner (though not as much as his recently maxed out former teammate Gerald Wallace) and is just coming off his first big contract, I doubt Brevin will want to sign for the minimum just to back up another young up and comer in RR, but he would be the perfect baron for the C's Rail Road.






3) TRE KELLEY

Despite suffering a severe ankle sprain with 10-15 games to go in the season, Kelley was the top scorer in the toughest league in college basketball last year. Oh, you have to ask? The SEC of course. Seems like a solid fit here for Prof. Ainge who's bet heavily on the SEC by picking up the top two centers from last year's league and the top PG, in Rondo, from the year before that. Plus, Kelley is a man who managed to average more than 5 assists on a team that finished under .500 and really only had Brandon Wallace as an offensive target. And he's known primarily for his blocks and rebounding. In fact, the Gamecock team was so thin in 06-07 and lacked any veteran presence except for its two seniors, that Brandon Wallace actually ran point for about 3 or 4 games while a severely-injured Kelley recupaterated on the bench and at the 2. What's that? Isn't that the guy the Celtics just signed? That's right, folks. For the second straight year, the first free agent signed after the 2nd round has been from the University of South Carolina. Last year Memphis signed Tarence Kinsey just after the draft, expecting him to sit on the inactive list or NBDL squad for the year, only to watch him explode for 20 ppg as a starter in the last quarter of the year. Even if they do pick up a vet at the 1, this is a solid move for the Celtics or any team. But of course, I'm biased, just look at my post on Renaldo Balkman last year.

4) KEITH MCLEOD

I don't know much about McLeod but he is another journeyman PG who can be called on to start when your "future" is injured and probably can give any NBA player a tough time in practice. Probably could be had for the minimum due to The GAP Factor. I'd pick him below 1 and 2 on this list but you're gonna need a veteran PG for this team any way possible and if it's gonna be McLeod well then that's who it will have to be.

Sharpshooters / Wing Men:







1) EDDIE HOUSE

If anybody can shoot when he's wide open, Eddie is it, as he often demonstrated with the Suns draining wide open 3 after wide open 3 thanks to Nash D'Antoni & Co. Unfortunately, the Nets never had the talent to spread the floor like that (despite their wishes) so Eddie flopped. In Boston, he could serve as the Jason Kapono or the Dale Ellis that he has always strived to be. But even better, cause Eddie's got flair - he averaged nearly 23 ppg his sr year at Arizona State so if the bombs don't drop he can go and get em in the paint by driving 1 on 1. What - you're gonna double team Eddie House?

2) MATT BARNES

He's probably a better fit for the Warriors, but this is the kind of guy that the Celtics don't have (that is unless Brandon Wallace can make an impact earlier than expected and by the looks of his former teammate Renaldo Balkman that may happen). Available to spell anyone 2 through 4, Barnes has range on his jumper, a long wingspan, an inhuman leaping ability, and a nose for the ball known only by those who have had to work hard to get their deserves in this league! (Hark hark Sebastian Telfair!). I'd expect Barnes to earn a bit more than the minimum on his upcoming contract, though, given his role in the Greatest Upset of ALL TIME. (Note to Cuban: PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BUY THE CUBS!!!)

3) JAMES POSEY & EDDIE JONES

One of these guys is likely to stay with the Heat, the other not. I'm betting it's Jones that stays given the orgyfest the Heat have with their former superstars. Plus, Posey has been incredibly underwhelming for the amount of money he has commanded the past couple of years (nearly $6m). If he gets that kind of money again, he's definitely not headed toward the C's.



Big men:

1) DIKEMBE MUTOMBO
2) CHRIS WEBBER

These are some guys that need a ring and don't give a hoot about how much money they make though both of them seem to be in the best situation they could possibly be in, with Mutombo guaranteed a minimum of 15-20 games starting per year due to the inevitable Yao injury and Webber seeking redemption in his hometown for his ill-fated Fab Five timeout and NCAA violations. But Gollum, we know the lure of the ring, don't we precious?



What used to be called the Laker Effect in the Shaq/Kobe Era will now be called the Celtic Effect or rather the Boston media will gloss it over and call it old school CELTIC PRIDE. Who do they stand to lure in the next few years with this triumvirate? Seriously, if anybody knows next year's expiring contracts, post them in a comment here.

But seems Ainge has set himself up for the next 3-4 years, maybe even a 5-6 year window of winning the championship (or a few) with these guys. And that's really all you can ask for as a fan. But Danny can't let up yet. I think it will be critical to this team's success who these four bench players end up being and who they can add to their NBDL roster to anticipate future roster needs on the cheap. They are a lot of four-year seniors, discarded vets, international players and seasoned NBDLers out there who just want a chance. It takes a good GM to find those players and I think Ainge has a knack for it.

To quote the now squarely under pressure Doc Rivers: "We're thin. Clearly, we need a little more help. But it's sure better talking about shoring up the bench than talking about shoring up the starting lineup."












































































G

3 comments:

Unknown said...

magisterial post, nick. you display a powerful command of the cultural ethos. the 'celtic pride' reference is priceless.

Anonymous said...

Props to Danny Ainge? It's about time. What a friggin' genius! I love what the Cs have done... love it! Growing up without a "home team", I fell in love with the Bird-led Celtics and rooted them on after the legends were long gone. The last 10-15 years have been frustrating, but there is blinding light at the end of the tunnel. Nicky, you are right about their needs obviously, I just hope they can fill them intelligently. Think they might try to sign SEC alum Alan Houston? Pat Burke would make a great Celtic.. LOL! Quality role players, please step up! Charlie Bell anyone? Is Robert Horry signed? Now nabbing Horry (SEC alum also) would be a good omen huh?

shaman

nKralls said...

I think that Allan Houston would be perfect here. Good call, shaman!