<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It?s hard to say this (I?m a diehard Celtics fan), but after entering the second half of the season, I think it?s in the best interest of Doc Rivers and Co. to tank the rest of the season and look forward to the June NBA Draft, and rebuild the roster once again. Yes, I know the All-Star game has not arrived yet. But, this team, at the moment, is going nowhere. Danny Ainge?s youth movement has not progressed as quickly as he had hoped. The Celtics are one of the worst teams in the league. They?ve suffered a losing streak over 10 games. Paul Pierce is still on the shelf with a leg injury, defensive?minded Tony Allen is out for the year with a torn ACL, and no one else on the roster has a pulse. The ?young and promising young guys,? Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Gerald Green, and Ryan Gomes, are all way too inconsistent on a night to night basis. Ainge needs a make a move, a big move. A move that will make a big splash and shake ?up a roster that will make them contenders in a far inferior Eastern Conference. The time for Ainge to take a mulligan and re-do his roster is no better than now.With the recent development on the NBA grapevine that Grizzles owner Michael Heisley is looking to deal All-Star forward/center Paul Gasol, Celtics ownership have shown some interest. The only holdup on a deal is the Grizzles are asking for young buck Al Jefferson. The Celtics brasses are enamored with Big Al. But, a package of Al Jefferson and a high draft pick could bring the 26-year old Spaniard to Boston. However, the high draft pick would be in this year?s draft where two franchise players are expected to enter, Ohio State center Greg Oden, and Texas forward Kevin Durant. Instead of the draft pick, add Delonte West, Tony Allen, and a future first rounder with Jefferson, and I think the trade would work. Adding an All-Star caliber big man like Pau Gasol with Paul Pierce, and a likely Top 3 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Celtics would become not only playoffs contenders, but possess realistic expectations to reach the NBA Finals in 2008.Think about it for a second.Scenario 1: With Oden (5), Gasol (4), and Pierce (3) in the front court, and highlight reel Gerald Green (2), and Sebastian Telfair (or a quality veteran free agent) in the back court, the Celtics would have one of the best starting fives in the Eastern Conference. The bench would have possible starter Ryan Gomes, an improving Kendrick Perkins, second-year guard Allan Ray, and veteran Wally Szczerbiak. This nine man rotation would return the Green back to the Glory Days.Scenario 2: With Perkins (5), Gasol (4), and Durant (3) up-front, and Paul Pierce and Telfair/Green in the back court, the Celts would have one of the biggest back courts in the league and have a mismatch advantage at every position. Perkins can bang the boards all night, Gasol and Durant can shoot in and out, run with the best of them, and Pierce and Green will over-power their opposing guards. Add the bench above, and this team would be very dangerous. Imagine the possibilities.But, here?s the thing. Celtics fans do not have to dream anymore, if Ainge is willing to trade away his promising young players and get a proven, All-Star veteran to pair up with Pierce. Add in an Oden or Durant, and the Celtics can become meaningful once again in one off-season. Make the trade Danny Boy. If you don?t improve this team soon, you and Doc, realistically, will be looking for new jobs. The time is right.</div>http://celtics.realgm.com/articles/325/200...he_trade_danny/
1. If you trade Big Al in a deal for Gasol, that's a mistake. He talks about getting an All-Star big man to pair with Pierce, well, Big Al will be that and he is also 5 years younger than Gasol. 2. LMAO @ scenerio 1. If we did that trade, no way we would get the #1 pick. Pierce + Pau for the rest of the year would rack up some wins. 3. Scenerio 2, same thing. If we trade for Gasol now, we won't get a top pick in order to get Oden or Durant. 4. I don't understand why this "die-hard" keeps mentioning Telfair as our future point guard. Watch games, buddy, ever hear of Rajon Rondo?
No danny...don'tid rather gamble on the draft...if we have the worst record that pick is EASILY tradable and a great chip for the superstar we needif we are gonna make a trade at the deadline be for a veteran PG like Brevin Knightdon't throw all our chips away nowwait till the offseason to make that big trade or just draft Durant/Odenbecause if we have the worst record its a guaranteed top 4 pick (and we get the #3/4) and I think a lot of teams would take that as a chip and we wouldn't have to give up one of our big time chips we already have
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>1. If you trade Big Al in a deal for Gasol, that's a mistake. He talks about getting an All-Star big man to pair with Pierce, well, Big Al will be that and he is also 5 years younger than Gasol.</div>That doesn't really help with Pierce though when he will get older and out of his prime as Big Al progresses into that All-Star. If Danny wants to a make run now and have Pierce as one of those key players. Then he's better off trading for Gasol, whilst keeping the pick as well(albeit not a top 3 but at least a lottery). And going for it, otherwise he should trade Pierce and make this a complete overhaul into a youth movement.
I don't see how people think Pierce is gonna be out of his prime while Al Jefferson progressesGasol is 27..Pierce is 29Al Jefferson is already a 15-10 guy...at 21and I say Pierce still has a good 3 or 4 years left in his prime..plus hes here until 09-10Al will surely be amazing by then...and if we don't have Gasol already then we will have somebody elsewe will probably have Oden or Durant depending on how this season plays outand who knows Rok..Pierce may extend his career by sitting out most of this yearonce he's back players like Al will be WAY better offensively because he won't be getting triple teamed because Pierce is a bigger offensive threat..and I don't know many players who can beat Al one-on-one
Seeing as Gasol is 2 years younger than Pierce and you don't feel the need to trade him because of the youth. I see that as the same reason you should feel the need to trade Pierce to continue the movement.
well Gasol being 27 was kind of irrelevant to what I was sayingbut you can't go completely youth at this pointAinge trades Pierce he loses his jobit's 4 years into this youth movement and it hasn't worked yetwe need that franchise player like Oden or Durant in the draft..not just another projectif we trade for Gasol in the draft and he doesn't perform at the level we want him to..we just get another project because we won't be in that #1 pick area...and we can't trade our pick eitherand remember what happened when we traded our good young projects? (Billups, Johnson) for players who would "change" our team?they wen't to other teams and became stars and we had a bunch of 1st and 2nd round exits
I get what your saying but I'm just looking at it from his point of view. It seems like he wants the Celts to do something within Pierce's window. Instead of using these years as progressions for the youth and wasting chances. Even though, his scenarios has flaws, I get his point. For me, if I was a Celts fan, I would see this as a movement and would completely overhaul the team. Pierce is someone you would move now and go for it. Instead of keeping him to try and wait it out while the potential talent grows. Which is a gamble in itself as I feel Pierce is getting into his 30's and will start going downhill. Just not coinciding with the youth. That's my view on it.
Every team needs a franchise player and Pierce is that for Boston. Everyone saw what the Sixers got for Iverson and it wasn't even close to being worth it. If the Celts start shopping Pierce something similar would happen. No team has ever been better off after trading a proven franchise player. What would the Celts get? Some more young guys or maybe a pick that may or may not pan out? As is illustrated by the current team playing at the Garden a completely young NBA team cannot win; they need a veteran leader. By adding Oden, Durant, or even Gasol Boston would become a playoff team in the East and could make a nice run. Why worry about time running out for Pierce? He's got 3 or 4 years left and by then Gerald Green will be ready to take over. In the meantime the Celts will make a strong playoff run if they get one of the three I previously listed.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ Feb 7 2007, 03:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That doesn't really help with Pierce though when he will get older and out of his prime as Big Al progresses into that All-Star. If Danny wants to a make run now and have Pierce as one of those key players. Then he's better off trading for Gasol, whilst keeping the pick as well(albeit not a top 3 but at least a lottery). And going for it, otherwise he should trade Pierce and make this a complete overhaul into a youth movement.</div> Exactly. Either than or.... or nothing. Why do I say that? Because Danny Ainge won't make a decision on anything. It has been 4 years and he still doesn't necessarily have a direction or plan. He's trying to stay competitive with guys like Pierce and Wally but at the same time he's trying to develop the youth. You can't have both, Danny, pick one. At this stage, trading Pierce isn't so far out there. If keeping Paul Pierce means we have to give up our best young player... just to make a small playoff run... then I say deal him. I love Paul Pierce, he's my favorite player and he will be as long as he's in the NBA, but trading a 21 year old double-double guy with an outstanding back to the basket game for a softer All-Star big man is not the right thing to do. Bringing Gasol here wouldn't solve anything. It wouldn't make us a championship team. Keep Big Al and keep building, especially with this top draft pick.
I don't care who it's for I don't want to see Big Al, Rajon, G-Green or Pierce go, and that's final. Go ahead get Gasol, but don't give up these 3 young players who are all potential all stars and I hope Pierce is always a Celtic. I'd rather trade draft pick for Gasol.Imagine:C - Pau GasolPF - Al JeffersonSF - Paul PierceSG - Gerald GreenPG - Rajon Rondo(keep that team going for 2 yrs down the track and it is unstoppable!)Then trade any of the other players or our draft picks to get Gasol.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (envygreen @ Feb 9 2007, 02:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't care who it's for I don't want to see Big Al, Rajon, G-Green or Pierce go, and that's final. Go ahead get Gasol, but don't give up these 3 young players who are all potential all stars and I hope Pierce is always a Celtic. I'd rather trade draft pick for Gasol. Imagine: C - Pau Gasol PF - Al Jefferson SF - Paul Pierce SG - Gerald Green PG - Rajon Rondo (keep that team going for 2 yrs down the track and it is unstoppable!) Then trade any of the other players or our draft picks to get Gasol.</div> Exactly, I don't want to see Big Al, Rajon, or Gerald leave either, and of course it would crush me to see Paul Pierce in another uniform... but to be realistic, no way we get Gasol (even if we give them this draft pick) if we don't give up Big Al, Rondo, or Gerald. A deal I would definitely consider would be like Theo Ratliff (contract), this years' pick, Sebastian Telfair, and maybe one more filler for Gasol and a filler. But realistically, that won't happen, IMO.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (envygreen @ Feb 9 2007, 02:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I just don't want to see the Celtics make another Chauncey Billups mistake.</div> While I agree, this is MUCH DIFFERENT. When we traded Billups and Joe Johnson halfway through their rookie years, we got aging veterans. Solid players (Kenny Anderson, Tony Delk, Rodney Rogers), but nothing special. The difference now is that we would be getting another STAR player. A 27 year old star 7 footer. It wouldn't be the same kind of "mistake."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Feb 9 2007, 06:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Kenny Anderson, Tony Delk, Rodney Rogers</div>Who?? :HAHAHA:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (envygreen @ Feb 9 2007, 02:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Who?? :HAHAHA:</div> You know... those key role players that played big parts on our 2002 Eastern Conference Finals team.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (playaofthegame @ Feb 10 2007, 06:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>^^ You don't know much about the Celtics do you Nat?</div>You don't sense sarcasm well do you?
