Not a surprise to most, but Ainge was on WEEI just now and was asked what major changes we would see on the floor. He said the biggest difference will be faster play from the point guard position, and Delonte West will most likely be the starter, backed up by Marcus Banks. That pretty much closes the door on GP. Danny also mentioned that talks with Antoine Walker will begin tomorrow.
Well it might be a postive to see Payton leave. That means we will have more youth and quicker guards in the backcourt. But this also means we lose veteran leadership to help the younger players. Now on the subject of Walker. I do think we need to resign him. He is a great player and plays well with Paul Pierce. He also is a versitale player which is something we need. I say Ainge re-signs Walker to a 2 or 3 year deal. That will give players like Jefferson more experience so they will be ready to take over.
I doubt Gary Payton isn't resigned, if his asking price is reasonable, why wouldn't they give him another year or two? As for Antoine, the most interesting part of the interview was Danny talking about how they wouldn't be TOO aggressive putting together a new deal. They said they would have talks with his agent, pitch an offer, than let him explore and see what his market value is in 2005. I don't think this team is worried whether or not Antoine Walker remains a Celtic, but I don't think they would mind having him back at 7-8 Million Dollars a year, that's for sure. Question is, Does Antoine want to play for that kind of money? He made 14 Million last season, is he willing to take a near 50% paycut?
This reminds me of a trade that I thought of last night before I went to sleep: Boston gives: Paul Pierce, Marcus Banks, Future first round pick. Utah gives: Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting H.ayes:</div><div class="quote_post">This reminds me of a trade that I thought of last night before I went to sleep: Boston gives: Paul Pierce, Marcus Banks, Future first round pick. Utah gives: Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams</div> I like the trade, but The Celtics are in such a weird postion right now. The way their roster is put together, they have depth at The Power Foward and Center Postion. However, what do The Celtics most need? A Low Post Presense. Raef LaFrentz doesn't cut it, nor does Mark Blount or Kendrick Perkins, and certainly Antoine Walker has discluded that from his game. So that leave Al Jefferson. The only problem is he still is developing and may not be quite ready to be inserted into the starting lineup and produce at the level we're looking for. So what do they do? I'm all for trading Pierce, I honestly believe Ricky Davis can produce similar numbers, and than in a couple of seasons Gerald Green will be ready to take on that role. Who do we aquire though? Do we get a Carlos Boozer or an Elton Brand? If so, where does that leave our Gem Al Jefferson? Boozer and Brand aren't old guys, if we were to trade for such a player we'd want him to start for the next 6 years, right? So than obvious choice would be trade for a center. But who's out there? The best centers are Shaq, Brad Miller, Ben Wallace, and Yao Ming but I highly doubt any are even entertaining the thoughts of being traded. No one is jumping on Raef or Blount's contracts, so it's a tough spot to be put in. The talent pool at center is pretty dry and in order to aquire such a player we'd have to trade Pierce. Trading for size is always a difficult thing, and your not likely to get equal value in doing so. Tough spot for The Celtics, I'm sure Ainge will come up with something.
He isn't done yet. He's either staying in Boston to help the development of this young players or he'll return to play for a championship contender. He's still a nice veteran to have around, especially at that price.
