O.K. Danny, time to put your money where your mouth is.
Not literally, but you know what I mean.
In my mind, this will be the most important and most challenging offseason in Danny Ainge's tenure as Celtics GM. Last season, the only real question mark was Kevin Garnett. When Garnett re-signed, that made Ainge's life that much easier, as he had no choice but to add reinforcements to give this group another crack at it. This year, things are a bit more tricky.
So, what should he do?
First, let's start with Garnett. Garnett played with a variety of ailments during the playoffs, and he may end up retiring. According to reports, Garnett may need surgery on both ankles to remove bone spurs. When last season came to an end, Doc Rivers said that despite all the whispers and rumors that Garnett might walk away, he was certain Garnett would return in 2013. After Game 6 last Friday night, when asked if he believed Garnett would return, Rivers responded, "I'm not so positive." Garnett made it clear after Game 6 that one of the major reasons he came to the Celtics was because of Paul Pierce, which leaves you to believe that if Pierce goes, so does KG. The two are virtually intertwined.
Which brings me to Pierce. He's due to make $15 million next season if the Celtics are to hold on to him, or they can buy him out for $5 million. After watching the likes of Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton completely embarrass him during the playoffs, it's hard to fathom why the C's would pay $15 million to a soon-to-be 36-year-old Pierce. It's easy to let the last time we see players be the lasting image we have of them, but we should not view Pierce for what he did in Game 6. He couldn't have picked a worse time to play his worst game of the season. His legs looked shot. He looked overmatched. He looked slow. In a word, he looked old.
However, we also shouldn't look at Pierce as the guy who scored 29 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 6 dimes in Game 4. At this stage in his career, Pierce is somewhere in the middle. I'd say that the Paul Pierce we saw in Game 4 -- 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting, 4 rebounds and 5 assists -- is most likely the Paul Pierce you'll see on a nightly basis if the C's are to retain him. For a guy going into his 16th NBA season, those aren't terrible numbers.
It's clearly obvious they just finished year six of a three-year plan. This group was not supposed to be together in 2013. The window was supposed to close in 2010, and as far as a championship window, it probably did. Ainge was the one who said that he would not make the same mistake his former coach Red Auerbach did by hanging on too long to the old Big Three. So far, Ainge hasn't lived up to his word.
Call me a homer or a sentimentalist, but I still want these guys here. They may be in the twilight of their careers, but answer me one question: do you want to go back to the days of 18-game losing streaks and 24-58 records? I sure as hell do not. It may be basketball purgatory, but it's better than basketball hell. It's more entertaining, to say the least.
Answer me another question: unless Dwight Howard or Chris Paul abandon their respective Hollywood comrades and head to the East coast, who in the East seriously has a shot of knocking off the Heat? The answer: no one.
Look, this is LeBron James's world, and we're all living in it until he tells us otherwise. As long as the Heat stick together -- I don't see any reason why James would opt out and go somewhere else -- and stay healthy, they should be representing the East in the Finals for the next four to five years. Let's all agree on that.
So what's the next best thing? Meet them in the playoffs and go from there. Since Miami's Big Three came together, the one team that has always given them fits and has never been afraid of them has been the Celtics. The C's match up well with the Heat. Let's not forget, the Celtics took them to an elimination game last season up 3-2 in Boston with basically six players. Anything's possible, right KG?
I've thought about this long and hard. Believe me. Taking all emotions out of it, it probably is best to see what this group has left. Think about this: the Celtics were prohibitive favorites to meet the Heat in the conference finals. In their preseason predictions, three of the seven NBA writers for Sports Illustrated picked the Celtics and Heat as the last two teams standing in the East. ESPN had the Celtics fourth in the preseason power rankings, only trailing Miami, San Antonio and the L.A. Lakers.
This team was widely regarded as the deepest roster since the 2008 championship squad. With Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Brandon Bass and Leandro Barbosa supporting the Big Three, this team was supposed to be really, really good. But consider this: the Celtics only played 11 games with their "full" squad. ELEVEN. How can you make any conclusions about this team if you never knew what they had? That's my biggest thing.
After watching how well he performed in the playoffs, there is no doubt in my mind that Kevin Garnett still has something to offer. He can still rebound, defend and knock down shots. He may not be as quick or as agile as he used to be, but he can still defend. When Garnett is on the floor, the plus/minus numbers are staggering. Keeping Garnett around is a good idea not only for his performance on the floor but for his leadership, on and off the floor. Health and mileage are definitely issues with Garnett, but if Rivers can manage his minutes yet again, I truly believe Garnett will be fine next year.
As far as Pierce is concerned, I believe the Celtics should keep him. He is most valuable to the Celtics. He's still their best all-around player. Plus, look at the free-agent market. Who is going to replace him? Besides Paul and Howard, there aren't any gems out there to be signed. Pierce is still better than 95% of the market.
At the end of the day, Ainge's best option is to keep the gang together for another year. Pierce's contract is up after next season, so that will free up $15 million in cap space. Garnett may walk away as well. Add a few complimentary pieces. See what this roster has over the course of a full season. You're most likely not going to win it all next year anyway, so what's it matter? Just make the playoffs again and make some noise, because a thrilling playoff run is better than watching a losing team. And if you say otherwise, than that's just silly.
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