Boston Celtics: Future Dynasty or a Bleak Future?
Somewhere lurking behind the plan that trades away your top scorer and top play maker is an evil genius.
Right?
Celtics GM Danny Ainge continues to play Jenga with his team, moving pieces and collecting draft picks in moves that can topple an organization or eventually lead to a dynasty.
Gone are stalwarts Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo. Various players have been acquired and shipped out before even stepping foot on the vaunted Celtics floor. In building for the future, Ainge has thus far valued draft picks over players that are past their prime.
Tayshaun Prince and Shavlik Randolph are two veterans acquired in these recent flurry of trades. Prince finally made his debut with the Celtics but questions remain as to how long these two will even stay in Boston.
Ainge, after years of seeing a consistent winner, has blown up this team and turned towards the youth to lead. While the Celtics have not struggled nowhere near as bad as teams like the 76ers, the youth can be seen in the quality of product on the court.
After a 25-57 record in the 2013-14 season, the Celtics sit with a record of 13-26. Coach Brad Stevens has certainly had his hands full in his first couple of seasons. He may or may not be in Boston when the Celtics finally get over the hump and back to the playoffs. If anything, he should be given credit in helping to lay the groundwork of a successful future.
As evidenced in their recent loss to the Clippers,the Celtics are on the verge of beating the best. The Celtics, at this point, are comparable to the current Cleveland Browns of the NFL.
The team plays nearly three quarters of a great game, only to have a quarter’s worth of lapses and cold spells to lose the game by ten or so. This is a team definitely on the cusp of putting together a string of wins against the best. It’s simply a matter of putting together a complete game.
Scoring is not a problem for these young Boston Celtics, as they are currently 11th in the league with 102.3 ppg. Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, and Marcus Smart are three of these young players that can lead the team in scoring on any given night. Throw in “veterans” Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley, and this team has the talent to succeed.
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It is time to convert this talent over to the defensive side of the ball. Currently, the Celtics allow 104.2 ppg, ranked 27th in the league. If Prince sticks around, this stat should improve. Though he is in the twilight of his career, Prince has an opportunity to pass on the tricks of the trade of playing good defense to this young team.
Ainge has stockpiled picks through the 2018 draft. It is no doubt he’ll leverage a few of these picks for veteran talent while carefully plotting his draft position. The draft lottery is no guarantee, but the Celtics do have a pick or two to use on a high risk, high reward type of player.
Plus, as Celtics fans, we can take solace in the fact that Boston plays in the Eastern Conference. As we near the halfway point of the season, Boston only sits three games out of the 8th seed of the playoffs.
The future begins today. Rest easy in the hot dealing hand of Danny Ainge. The playoffs will return and we can all forget about this two year hiccup.
Right?