I posted a thread here because I think this effects the whole NBA not just the few teams in the east or the teams that were after him, like the Lakers, Nets, Warriors, etc... Firstly this basically is saving the NBA. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The revelation of the rogue official ground trade talks to a sudden stop. As a stunned sport reeled over the Tim Donaghy scandal, NBA executives describe several sluggish days of relative radio silence. The pall of possible point shaving consumed conversations last week, and the league desperately needed something to restore the business of basketball. "Everybody was in shock over the ref," one Eastern Conference official said Monday. "It was almost like we were waiting for it to get worse." Even now, they are still waiting for arrests and the damning details about the mob and a referee. It turned out to be two old Boston Celtics out of the game's glorious 1980's, Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale and Boston G.M. Danny Ainge, who gave basketball its biggest trade in years on Monday. The best Celtic since Larry Bird just walked into the Garden.</div> Read More The Deal has been finalized, Garnett will be in Boston today. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, who nearly completed a blockbuster Kevin Garnett trade before the June draft, resurrected those talks in recent days and have agreed to a megadeal that is likely to be announced later Tuesday, according to NBA front-office sources. Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Tuesday afternoon that the required trade call has been completed by the league office, which should soon lead to a news conference in Boston that formally brings a blockbuster end to Garnett's 12-year association with the Wolves. The Boston Herald reported on its Web site Tuesday that Garnett has agreed to a three-year extension with the Celtics, in addition to the two years left on contract, which would keep him in Boston through the 2011-12 season. The Herald also reported that Garnett is expected to arrive in Boston later Tuesday for a physical. The package going back to Minnesota, sources say, is built around two assets Wolves vice president Kevin McHale has long coveted: Al Jefferson and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract.</div> Read More
all hail the eastern conference champions ........... Red is somewhere in Heaven getting ready to light up a cigar....
^Lol, i agree. The team went from the 2nd worst team in the NBA to the best team in the east. I do question thier depth though.
Garnett/Pierce/Allen is a great trio. That's pretty much pick your poison. Props to Danny Ainge, he just saved his ass big time.
<div class="quote_poster">Bobcats Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Garnett/Pierce/Allen is a great trio. That's pretty much pick your poison. Props to Danny Ainge, he just saved his ass big time.</div>I believe that it was Ainge's plan all along to end up with a roster like this. He's been saying for 3 years now that he was looking for the right deal(s) to build around Paul Pierce. What took so long was the development process of so many young players. If you look back at the roster he inherited, you'll be amazed with how terrible it was. The team was a borderline playoff team filled with overpaid veterans who, individually, were not very good at all. He took all the junk and slowly turned it into draft picks and more attractive contracts to be used as trade assets. Why would he keep Pierce if he really wanted to go down the rebuilding route? He just had to wait for the right deal to present itself.
<div class="quote_poster">44Thrilla Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I believe that it was Ainge's plan all along to end up with a roster like this. He's been saying for 3 years now that he was looking for the right deal(s) to build around Paul Pierce. What took so long was the development process of so many young players. If you look back at the roster he inherited, you'll be amazed with how terrible it was. The team was a borderline playoff team filled with overpaid veterans who, individually, were not very good at all. He took all the junk and slowly turned it into draft picks and more attractive contracts to be used as trade assets. Why would he keep Pierce if he really wanted to go down the rebuilding route? He just had to wait for the right deal to present itself.</div> I actually think this is a case of "turning lemons into lemonade." Ainge was lucky to have capitalized on the situation in Minnesota. Hypothetically speaking, if Isiah Thomas were to have traded his assets - young players, expiring contracts, draft picks - and land someone like Jermaine O'Neal or Kobe Bryant, would that make him more of a competent GM than he already is? Any team that has suffered through bad management always has decent assets like A) attractive young players as a result from all the losing or big expiring contracts from overpaying a player in the past. I think many GM's could have done it, really. Boston just happened to be in the best position at the time.
Let not just look at the Celtics, look at the overhaul in the Atlantic Division. They turned from the laughing stock of the league to a strong and competitive division. Boston has the trio of Allen, Pierce and Garnett. Toronto has a young talented core of Bosh, Ford and Bargnani. New Jersey still has their big 3 of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. New York is loaded with talent and has a very scary frontcourt of Randolph/Curry. Philadelphia's the only one I can't say will do well this season. They're still rebuilding but soon enough they'll be able to compete with Iguodala emerging as a star, and tons of young talent starting to develop.
<div class="quote_poster">MrJ Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I actually think this is a case of "turning lemons into lemonade." Ainge was lucky to have capitalized on the situation in Minnesota. Hypothetically speaking, if Isiah Thomas were to have traded his assets - young players, expiring contracts, draft picks - and land someone like Jermaine O'Neal or Kobe Bryant, would that make him more of a competent GM than he already is? Any team that has suffered through bad management always has decent assets like A) attractive young players as a result from all the losing or big expiring contracts from overpaying a player in the past. I think many GM's could have done it, really. Boston just happened to be in the best position at the time.</div> There's a difference between bottom dwelling by design and accidental bottom dwelling. Ainge took over a playoff team and pretty much dismantled it in order to take on a whole roster full of draft picks and young veterans. He said all along that it was his intention to put together a team full valuable commodities in the form of younger players. He did take on a few bad contracts, but he was always getting rid of one that he already had, and more importantly, he was picking up first round draft picks in the process. I do think Thomas is in the middle of the same process, and is probably the most comparable GM in terms of philosophy to Danny Ainge. The difference, I think, between the two is that Danny Ainge has been more patient in waiting for the right deal to come along. Thomas has made the same types of deals, but he's done them for lower tier players like Curry and Randolph. I do agree that there was a lot of luck involved in the C's getting Garnett, but it was also due to great drafting and great roster postioning that Ainge was able to put together the best deal for KG. That's another thing to be said about what Ainge has done here. He hasn't done this by tanking season after season, drafting lottery pick after lottery pick, he's been building it all with mid to late rounders. So I think that makes it even more impressive. And to answer your question, yes, Thomas will become a more competent GM the second he traded for Kobe Bryant.
<div class="quote_poster">Iggy Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Let not just look at the Celtics, look at the overhaul in the Atlantic Division. They turned from the laughing stock of the league to a strong and competitive division. Boston has the trio of Allen, Pierce and Garnett. Toronto has a young talented core of Bosh, Ford and Bargnani. New Jersey still has their big 3 of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. New York is loaded with talent and has a very scary frontcourt of Randolph/Curry. Philadelphia's the only one I can't say will do well this season. They're still rebuilding but soon enough they'll be able to compete with Iguodala emerging as a star, and tons of young talent starting to develop.</div> I totally agree with you. Anyone can emerge from there and win that division. I mean Boston is the front-runner but they have no depth so if KG, Pierce, or Allen go down, they might be screwed. I think the division that is worse right now is the Southeast. I mean the Magic aren't doing bad but the Heat are getting old and the Hawks and Bobcats are still question marks. The only team that is a threat is Washington as of now.
<div class="quote_poster">Iggy Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Let not just look at the Celtics, look at the overhaul in the Atlantic Division. They turned from the laughing stock of the league to a strong and competitive division. Boston has the trio of Allen, Pierce and Garnett. Toronto has a young talented core of Bosh, Ford and Bargnani. New Jersey still has their big 3 of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. New York is loaded with talent and has a very scary frontcourt of Randolph/Curry. Philadelphia's the only one I can't say will do well this season. They're still rebuilding but soon enough they'll be able to compete with Iguodala emerging as a star, and tons of young talent starting to develop.</div> ummm... maybe but i still give decent odds that the atlantic will still end up last place in the overall standings. Jersey was a 500 club last year and they just got a year older. new york still stinks dude. certainly a losing team next year. randolph carries alot of baggage and curry is well, curry. toronto might be good but bargnani is a moron, and bosh is maybe a starter an the all star team next year. so maybe. Boston will be awsome on paper so yeah. maybe.
<div class="quote_poster">mechanix Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">ummm... maybe but i still give decent odds that the atlantic will still end up last place in the overall standings. Jersey was a 500 club last year and they just got a year older. new york still stinks dude. certainly a losing team next year. randolph carries alot of baggage and curry is well, curry. toronto might be good but bargnani is a moron, and bosh is maybe a starter an the all star team next year. so maybe. Boston will be awsome on paper so yeah. maybe.</div> why is bargnani a moron again?
<div class="quote_poster">mechanix Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">ummm... maybe but i still give decent odds that the atlantic will still end up last place in the overall standings. Jersey was a 500 club last year and they just got a year older. new york still stinks dude. certainly a losing team next year. randolph carries alot of baggage and curry is well, curry. toronto might be good but bargnani is a moron, and bosh is maybe a starter an the all star team next year. so maybe. Boston will be awsome on paper so yeah. maybe.</div> Ok, do you even watch basketball?
<div class="quote_poster">mechanix Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">ummm... maybe but i still give decent odds that the atlantic will still end up last place in the overall standings. Jersey was a 500 club last year and they just got a year older. new york still stinks dude. certainly a losing team next year. randolph carries alot of baggage and curry is well, curry. toronto might be good but bargnani is a moron, and bosh is maybe a starter an the all star team next year. so maybe. Boston will be awsome on paper so yeah. maybe.</div> Jersey a 500 club?? Can you say injuries?? They are still loaded with talent and added some more frontcourt players. New York stinks?? Yeah I mean they might but they are always injured. They got a great starting five and good depth when healthy. Toronto is only getting better! Bargnani a moron?? How so??
With Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett, I believe the Celtics are ready to win right now. The window of opportunity is there, but all three of these players are on the backsides of their careers. The Celtics are taking a stab at a championship now, but if they don't win they are going to end up right like they were last season.
Kevin Garnett is definetly a top-knotch pick-up. But I don't really think the move(s) puts the Celts atop the Eastern Conference, and definetly not out in the West. Kevin, Ray, and Paul are a great trio, but the title isn't coming to Beantown soon.
This trade has no affect on the west at all. because KG had absolutly no effect on the west for the past 2 years. So all of this shift of power sh1t is untrue. but it will have an impact in the east for the next 2 years or so. A big impact?......no. Why because the east is all about defense. If you can defend you opponants you will more than likely go far in the east. But aside from KG the celtics have no defenders. Ray allen can be abused by a guards as weak as chris duhon and Paul piece has never been a motivated defender himself. they will win games because they are in the worst division in the NBA. thats why I still wouldnt put them above Chi Det or Cle. these 3 teams won 50 games while beating up on eachother. the central division is a tuff place to play so boston is lucky in that aspect.
