Rome Was Not Built In a Day
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by Tyduffy
It is now official, and the Boston Celtics have made the big splash for Kevin Garnett. One of, if not, the worst team in the NBA last season, the Celts will now feature a triumvirate of all-stars. In one day, their official odds of winning the NBA title jumped from 100-1 to 5-1. ESPN analyst Marc Stein has the Celts as a "lock" for 50 wins and as his favorite to win the pathetically weak East. ESPN has been hyping Allen, Pierce, and Garnett as the reincarnation of the Big Three (Parrish, McHale, and Bird) Hall of Famers who led the famed Celtics teams of the 80s. The great refrain among pundits and fans alike is that basketball's most storied franchise is now "relevant" again.
First of all, these guys pale in comparison to the Big Three. Kevin Garnett belongs in that class. At 31 years old, he is a 10-time All-Star, 3-time All NBA 1st team, and an MVP (2004). He has averaged at least 20 pts 10 reb and 4 ast for nine consecutive seasons. He has often been considered one of the best players in the NBA.
Pierce and Allen, while fine players, hardly live up to this level. Paul Pierce has been a very good player for the Celtics. He is a 5-time All-Star and has been voted to the All-NBA 3rd team twice. He has a career scoring average of 23.6, which is 2nd All-Time to Larry Bird in Celtics history. Ray Allen is a 7-time All-Star and has been voted to the All-NBA 2nd team once and to All-NBA 3rd team once. It is also unclear, at 32 years of age and after surgery in both ankles, what kind of player he can be for the remainder of his career.
They are both very good players, particularly scoring-wise. But they are hardly sure-fire hall-of-famers, or McHale and Parrish to KG's Bird. The most important difference is that the real Big Three became that because of the big three NBA championship rings on the fingers (which probably would have been more had they not co-existed with Magic's Lakers and had Len Bias not died). None of these three players are proven winners.
Second, the rest of this team is, quite simply, rubbish. They may arguably have the best top 3 players, but they may also have the worst back 9 players in the NBA. This can be seen quite clearly in the projected starting lineup. The projected starting Point Guard is Rajon Rondo, who has shown to be a pretty good player, but is young and hardly a championship caliber point guard. Kendrick (The Perpetual Project) Perkins will be starting at Center. Both players combined for about 11 ppg last season.
It only really goes downhill from there. Tony Allen can be a decent player off the bench, but is no sure thing coming off major knee surgery. Second Round picks Pruitt and Glen "Big Baby" Davis can't exactly be counted upon to contribute immediately. Brian Scallabrine is the poster-child for over-rated white guys (He somehow earned a ludicrous 5 year $15 million contract after one solid performnace for NJ in the playoffs). Former #1 Overall Pick Michael Olawakandi is terrible. The rest of them is unremarkable.
Danny Ainge, of all people, should understand how important role players are for championship teams. He, along with Dennis Johnson, M.L. Carr, Bill Walton and others played integral roles in those championship teams of the 1980's. This was true of their foes in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Chicago. Role Players were also a fixture for the more recent dynasties in LA and San Antonio. The star players are a key to a title winning team, but role players and guys off the bench are integral as well. Having quite possibly the worst bench in the NBA could seriously hinder their playoff performance, where a lack of depth and tired legs start to show.
Because of the Garnett trade, they leave themselves with few opportunities to improve the roster as well. Their caproom is taken up by the new three, who will be costing Boston about $56 million this season. Their only opportunity will be the mid-level exception, where veteran point guard Brevin Knight will most likely be targeted (not exactly a difference maker). There is also the possibility that they could convince a few veterans to take a below-value minimum contract with the promise of contending for a title. This could help solidify the team a bit, but Ainge will have to work a few more miracles to upgrade the periphery into a playoff caliber bench.
Third, the reason the Celtics are considered a contender is that they are in the East, which, quite rightly, is viewed as the much weaker conference. It is bad, but not that bad. Yes, Cleveland made the Finals with one All-Star player, LeBron James. But, it took some of the best playoff performances in the history of the NBA for him to lead them there. He may go down when he is finished as the best player in the history of the game, and he isn't going anywhere. Chicago has the best collection of young talent in the league. Detroit, despite having Flip Saunders at their coach, can still compete. Miami, with a healthy Wade and Shaq, can be a force. There are also up and coming teams in Toronto and Orlando, and the Nets, who also feature three stars. The conference isn't as good as the West, but those teams are hardly pushovers. Even with KG, it is not a guarantee that the Celtics are going to be able to breeze through those teams.
The Celtics truly are "relevant again," whatever that means. They will win more games with Garnett and Allen in the fold, and prove to be a solid playoff contender. However, they took a huge risk to get there, giving up depth, youth, and future draft picks. And, this risk may not necessarily pay off in the short-run. Even if everything goes perfectly, the Celtics don't have a team that would have an advantage getting out of the East, let alone when they would play the Western Conference Champions in the Finals. People may be talking about them, but that doesn't mean they are close to winning a title. To build a champion takes skill and patience. Boston may have become a good playoff team now, but at the risk of being a potential champion down the road.
You mean let's think about second here?
The only trophy they're winning is the eastern conference finals one...