Humina humina humina humina humina...
Pardon me if this post is long and rambling, but the Gerald Green thing is slowly sinking in. There was a point last night, shortly after the McCants selection, when I realized we were going to get Green. To say I was happy would be like saying John Holmes had a big dong... it doesn't come close to accurately describing the situation. And as a side-benefit, the Celts drafted a guy named Green. Perfect. This is one of the times when the whole David-Stern-orchestrates-in-favor-of-big-market-teams thing works in my favor, and I have no choice but to shut my yap about him.
Anyway... Oliver Miller-sized shout-out to Danny Ainge. This guy was Boston's whipping boy for over a year before getting something right... and pretty much every single thing has gone right. Ainge's return from the depths has been unprecedented in the annals of Boston Fan Abuse. After the 03-04 season it was as if he was given a Range Rover as a Christmas gift from his wife, then lost it in a poker game. Now it's June 2005, and not only has he regained the Rover, but he's now got a Hummer, a Ferrari, and the Batmobile, not to mention a mansion in Newport to keep them in. THAT is how far back he has come from the screwedness he put us into.
These last two drafts by Ainge should be studied for the next 20 years by playoff teams looking to score value. How do you make the playoffs two years in a row and come away with no fewer than FOUR blue-chip players? Even if he doesn't work out, to get a guy like Green, a reigning McDonalds All-American, at #18 is a ridiculous steal. Sure, luck factored into it... but he could have stuck to his guns and taken some shitty Euro or a retread like Julius Hodge, just like everyone else did. It's not like the ten teams in front of the Celts had guns to their heads, with someone barking "Draft McCants! Draft Joey Graham!" at them. They had every opportunity to take Green and didn't. But they should have. Sometimes it takes the smart guy to make you see who's dumb.
The question now becomes what to do about the glut at the 2 and 3. Depth is no longer a problem... the thing now is they need more from the classes of 2003-04. Al Jefferson, Tony Allen, Delonte West and Kendrick Perkins specifically must emerge, because if they don't take control of the rotation, nobody will. Pierce has made it abundantly clear that he's not interested in leading this team, so one of them will have to.
In closing, some thoughts on the specific on-the-court improvements the Celts need...
Pardon me if this post is long and rambling, but the Gerald Green thing is slowly sinking in. There was a point last night, shortly after the McCants selection, when I realized we were going to get Green. To say I was happy would be like saying John Holmes had a big dong... it doesn't come close to accurately describing the situation. And as a side-benefit, the Celts drafted a guy named Green. Perfect. This is one of the times when the whole David-Stern-orchestrates-in-favor-of-big-market-teams thing works in my favor, and I have no choice but to shut my yap about him.
Anyway... Oliver Miller-sized shout-out to Danny Ainge. This guy was Boston's whipping boy for over a year before getting something right... and pretty much every single thing has gone right. Ainge's return from the depths has been unprecedented in the annals of Boston Fan Abuse. After the 03-04 season it was as if he was given a Range Rover as a Christmas gift from his wife, then lost it in a poker game. Now it's June 2005, and not only has he regained the Rover, but he's now got a Hummer, a Ferrari, and the Batmobile, not to mention a mansion in Newport to keep them in. THAT is how far back he has come from the screwedness he put us into.
These last two drafts by Ainge should be studied for the next 20 years by playoff teams looking to score value. How do you make the playoffs two years in a row and come away with no fewer than FOUR blue-chip players? Even if he doesn't work out, to get a guy like Green, a reigning McDonalds All-American, at #18 is a ridiculous steal. Sure, luck factored into it... but he could have stuck to his guns and taken some shitty Euro or a retread like Julius Hodge, just like everyone else did. It's not like the ten teams in front of the Celts had guns to their heads, with someone barking "Draft McCants! Draft Joey Graham!" at them. They had every opportunity to take Green and didn't. But they should have. Sometimes it takes the smart guy to make you see who's dumb.
The question now becomes what to do about the glut at the 2 and 3. Depth is no longer a problem... the thing now is they need more from the classes of 2003-04. Al Jefferson, Tony Allen, Delonte West and Kendrick Perkins specifically must emerge, because if they don't take control of the rotation, nobody will. Pierce has made it abundantly clear that he's not interested in leading this team, so one of them will have to.
In closing, some thoughts on the specific on-the-court improvements the Celts need...
- Jefferson needs to become a reliable source of offense in order for that to happen. The conditioning he does this summer will help his stamina against NBA bodies, which should alleviate the inconsistency. If he's good for 15 ppg, consider yourselves warned.
- Delonte West ought to become a decent point this season. Last year he was stunted by PG depth and injury, but he's a good passer and solid shooter from 3, so I'd expect him to establish himself. The question is whether he's ready to run an offense. That's what will decide the 05-06 season... if he can run the offense, I think the division is locked up for the foreseeable future... but if not, I've got some bad news for you: Gary Payton ain't walkin' through that door. Tiny Archibald ain't walkin' through that door.
- Kendrick Perkins is ready to take Mark "Monkey Butt Nugget" Blount's place in the rotation. He rebounds, and he's a mean bastard... this team could use some teeth. If your starting center is gonna be a big stiff, it might as well be a mean stiff, right? I'm assuming, of course, that Raef LaFrentz gets injured this year.
- Tony Allen is going to see his minutes return with the departure of Antoine Walker. But between Pierce and Davis there's nowhere for him to go, really. He might as well just be greased lightning off the bench. I feel bad that the playoff experience didn't go so well for him... Reggie Miller wiped his ass with him, and he got benched for the series. Not the most confidence-inspiring coaching decision from head coach Corky "Doc" Rivers.
posted by Jeff at
4:52 PM
1 Comments:
I agree that ainge's past couple drafts look good... but let's not start sucking each other's Greens just yet. Might I refer you to another McDonalds All American: Shavlikmysweaty Randolph
By
Alex, at 9:32 AM
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