Total Overhaul

Talk about starting over.

We’ve been sitting here all offseason talking about this person and that one… trade rumor this and draft pick that.  And now that the C’s seem to be done making moves (they’ll be out of money once they sign James Posey and their 2 second rounders) it’s time to step back and look at the house that hasn’t just been renovated.  It’s be rebuilt.  It’s amazing to look at the roster and see all of the names that are not there.

This week, Danny Ainge will put the finishing touches on a roster that will be almost 180 degrees from of the one that managed to win 24 games last year.  The C’s carried a maximum 15 players last year (and they even got that waiver to add a 16th, Kevinn Pinkney). 

Only 6 remain.

Comparisons to last year can be tossed into the recycling bin.  A team that once took the floor with an average age in the early 20’s… is now 10 years older.  A team that had question marks on defense now has at least 3 perimeter defenders and 1 on the blocks.  A team that relied on 1 star to carry the load now has 3. 

(continue reading… and today’s links… after the jump)

Jerry Seinfeld once made a joke about how we don’t root for players, we root for laundry.  And right now, that’s what we’re doing.  5 of the 9 players who appeared in last year’s opening night game are gone.  They’re being replaced by 2 star players who were the #1 options on their teams last year.   A third is being replaced by a starter on a team that was defending a championship.

That’s what I call an upgrade.

And so now that our roster seems to be set, we can go about the business of hoping and dreaming.  We can dream of alley-oop lobs from Rondo to KG on the break.  We can dream of Paul driving and dishing to a wide open Ray Allen for 3.  We can dream of James Posey stepping in front of LeBron and making a steal to start a break that puts the defending conference champs away. 

Danny started this offseason by looking at his house and decided it needed a renovation.  What he did was tear it down and rebuild it… saving only a couple of the walls in the process.  Right now, we’re standing outside of our rebuilt home… dreaming of what it will look like inside.  Right now, we’re walking up to the front door, and we’re reaching for the knob.

In a few weeks, we’ll be able to go inside.

From today’s papers:

First, let’s get the Posey stuff out of the way:  Mark Murphy correctly points out that signing Posey is a much greater help to us than Reggie Miller would have been.  Danny Ainge will get the credit for signing Posey, but let’s not forget that this was plan B for him.  In fact, so were Ray Allen and Glen Davis… who only came to the C’s when a KG swap couldn’t be worked out by draft night.  Here’s the Globe’s take on Posey.  The Sun-Sentinel in Florida has more from Posey’s agent.

Shira Springer did the NBA notes piece for the Globe today… and had some good stuff on how KG should LOVE playing with Leon Powe, and why Paul Pierce’s new shoe will have a shark motif.  Mark Murphy’s notes include the trend that Ainge has started by courting Reggie Miller.  Scott Souza has a piece on the slimmer, more noticably chisled Glen Davis.

Also today:  Team USA toys with Canada, wins 113-63  |  I know Ruben Patterson is no longer a possibility… but I had to pass along this I *Heart* Celtics rant against signing him  |  FLCeltsFan tells us that the Posey signing could mean a lockdown defender at every position