If the latest rumors are true… The Boston Celtics are about to get rid of Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff’s contract and future draft picks for Jesus Christ Kevin Garnett. Sorry… it only feels like we’re giving up enough to get Jesus. Garnett better get off the plane at Logan and walk up the Charles River for the introduction at the Garden.
The local papers have absolutely nothing on this. The Globe’s “update” looks a lot like Chuck’s post… a bunch of links to ESPN and Fox Sports…. and the Herald only has this one little item on Rondo. So I’d like to be more specific about it, but we’ve been let down yet again.
The question, as it was the last time these rumors were around, is now: “What would we gain?” Is Danny doing this for the right reasons? The one quote that scares me comes from the Fox Sports story on this:
”It’s basically done,” one source said. “If it does happen, this will make the Celtics relevant again.”
Yeah. I’d like the Celtics to be relevant too. You know what else I’d like them to be? Champions.
It’s entirely possible that this trade could be what puts us over the top. But it’s also entirely possible that we’re the Minnesota Vikings, and Garnett is Herschel Walker. I don’t want to be relevant because we’re on national TV a few more times… I want to be relevant because we’re mowing down the East and competing for a #1 or #2 seed.
The difference in this scenario is Ray Allen. Pierce, Allen and Jefferson drew a big round of “yeah… what else you got?”. Does Pierce, Allen and KG suddenly wow you?
I hope so. Because it’s going to be all we have for a long time. I can’t predict what this trade, if it happens, will exactly do for us. But I know that there are only 2 possibilities. This won’t end up being an “ok” deal. This deal is either going to go down as a tough decision that had to be made, but ultimately put the Celtics in the NBA Finals… or it will go down as one of the biggest fleecings in NBA history… which ultimately led to the Timberwolves getting very good… and the Celtics being hamstrung by huge egos and even bigger contracts… without any draft picks left to get out of this mess.
The fact the KG almost made it to the NBA finals with his two weapons being Cassell and Sprewell proves that he doesn’t need a lot around him to be on a very successful team.
Someone with a blog entitled Red’s Army should understand NBA basketball a little better than what you seem to know based on this column. Kevin Garnett is one of the Top 25 players of all time. He is still a Top 10 player. He becomes the best player on the Celtics, and has done things that no other player in NBA history has done. In fact he may be the most complete player to ever play the game. He has no one of the right substance around him. The Celtics now have 3 of the Top 25-30 players in the NBA. Jefferson is a good young player, but he is no where near being the physical specimen or talent that KG is and will be for a few more years. The Celtics will be built to win now. When they add a C-Webb, Brevin Knight, etc . . . watch out because #17 is finally within our sites! If only Red was here to witness his protege Danny Ainge make the boldest move in franchise history.