1. You do remember the Celtics went to the conf. finals in 09 without KG right? 2. they got swept this series? The big 3 got "schooled"? The Celtics led the Heat 80% of the time in the series. Were you watching the Western conf semi and mistook the Lakers for the Celtics?
The Big 4 should come together and announce their own "Decision".....by announcing they're going to take their talents to Magic Kingdom
Well KG, Pierce, and Allen are all under contract for next season, and there really isnt anything in equal value they are going to get for those guys. When they are out of their contracts next summer and they can either go their seperate ways, or resign for much less the team has alot of flexibility to go in many directions. Their best bet for next season is to take this long offseason to get healthy, get in great shape for next year, and give it one more try. A shortened lockout season actually could really help their chances. Also if Rondo can improve his game offensively it would take alot of the pressure off of the big 3 on offense. Teams like Miami simply do not guard him, and it works. If he could somehow learn to shoot it would make that team a force again. Next year can they take down the Heat and the Bulls in the East???... probably not, but can they be a decent playoff team and make a solid run... absolutely. They should give it one more year and finish out their contracts.
They were done when Rondo dislocated his elbow. After that, turnovers killed them. That was one nasty injury. If Rondo can play like Rondo next year, in the shortened season, those old men will still be good.
I'm surprised people are still talking about next year without adding in the expected CBA effect. NBA could be in for a serious reckoning, along the line of what happened to the NHL following their lockout. If the lockout is resolved with a hard cap, Celtics are going to be squeezed to some degree. They've got $72M in committed salary, $63.5M going to six guys. (note - not sure when Wallace comes off the books) If there's an Allan Houston rule, it may be easier on them (can kill Jermaine O'Neal's $6M), though I can't see them cold cutting any of the main 4 unless the hard cap lands below $69M. I think they ride this next year out, but a SLEW of those contracts are finished after next year and they only have Pierce and Rondo on the books starting next summer. Boston should probably just let next year be a "ride into the sunset" season and overhaul in summer 2012. Ultimately, I don't kill Ainge for Perkins/Green. It was surprising, it didn't pan out, but he was probably thinking he wanted a guy that might help more against the Heat than Dwight Howard and didn't trust Perkins to stay healthy longterm. Of course, all that does is burn me that we didn't work out a Battier/Perkins swap instead of Thabeet.
They should actually consider making another go at it if the season is shortened by quite a bit. One thing that was very apparent was the wear-and-tear of the regular season on them. I initially thought that they'd have enough for one last go but that wasn't to be. The lack of focus down stretches and the laboring up and down the court of KG and Pierce looks like they're done. Although, they did showed spurts, it wasn't sustainable. Surprisingly, Allen looked like he still had some in the tank. If the season is announced to go ahead as regularly scheduled, they should just stick a fork in it. They're done.
Blow it up... Trading Allen,Pierce,KG can be very rewarding, Upcoming Tier 2 Stars, Young Blood, Early 1st round picks 5-10... Build with Green and Rondo.
Perkins hasn't looked too good for OKC. I hope he'll recover and come back 100% next year. Right now, the Thunder's playoff hopes are weighing heavily on the shoulders of Nick Collison-- and he's been playing pretty well against Z-Bo.
A shortened season, healthly limbs, and improvement from Rondo and supporting cast. With the right matchups in the playoffs they could go still go deep in the playoffs and maybe they have some luck too. If your team is still going to be in the deep playoff mix, why break it up now, especially when there isnt anything of value you can get for their key players, and their contracts expire after next season. If I am Danny Ainge, I would rather give it one more try and you know you will be in the mix even if you are outmatched with just two teams in the East, rather than blow it up now and stink for 5 seasons. Did I mention its going to be a shortened season????... The Spurs and the Celtics could be in the finals for all we know.
I don't think the Celtics need to blow things up next year. Celtics lost because their bench was putrid. The C's were leading or tied in the 4th quarter of every game in this series but ran out of gas in every game except game 3. Outside of KG and Jermaine O'Neal they got next to nothing out of their bigs and West and Green were ok but nothing special. They need younger and more athletic wing players off the bench. Also, I would not bring back BBD Like sbyang said, and I would hate this, but a guy like Yao (assuming health) would be perfect on the C's. He instantly makes the big 3 better and would be a nightmare match up for almost every team in the east. They can play him off the bench and have him finish games with KG.
1) rondo MUST develop a consistent and confident jumper. i simply can't emphasize that enough. their 3 main stars are again, and the lack of a jumper really limits boston's offense. if he can get a jumper, boston can come back next year and challenge for the title 2) they need another big. 3) develop jeff green some more. he played pretty damn well in the playoffs and i think he finally found his niche: off the bench. 4) add to the depth as they're an aging team but #1 is most key.
a) Boston fans are fiercely loyal to their players and would riot if the Celtics blew up the roster this summer. Just look at how angry they were about Perkins getting moved. They'd rather fall out of the elite than see Pierce wear someone else's uniform. b) Allen @ $10M, Pierce @ $15M, and KG @ $21M aren't going to see folks lining up for their services. ESPECIALLY not with a much harsher cap environment on the way. These guys will combine with Rondo to still at least make the playoffs one more year, possibly enjoy a slightly easier road if a hard cap screws over Orlando (or Dwight does), Atlanta (unable to keep Crawford), or Miami (unable to load up at PG, C, bench). They don't look like title contenders right now, and age isn't going to help, but they can roll out one last season with this crew, then rebuild in summer 2012 with Allen and KG off the books. Trades now would almost certainly kill that flexibility.
