10 things

[Gant]

1) Chris Wallace

What's the worst transaction of Chris Wallace's career? There's no quick answer to that one is there? You have to think about it.

Here's some of his more colorful Rolaids moments (via Hoopshype.com):

"Traded guards Kenny Anderson and Joseph Forte and center Vitaly Potapenko to the Seattle SuperSonics for forward Vin Baker and guard Shammond Williams.

Traded guards Randy Brown, Joe Johnson, Milt Palacio and a first-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Tony Delk and forward Rodney Rogers.

Selected guard Joe Johnson (10th overall pick), forward Kedrick Brown (11th overall pick) and guard Joseph Forte (21st overall pick).

Traded center Andrew DeClercq and a 1999 first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for center Vitaly Potapenko." (The pick would have been used on Shawn Marion.)

"Traded guards Chauncey Billups and Dee Brown and forwards John Thomas and Roy Rogers to the Toronto Raptors for guard Kenny Anderson, forward Popeye Jones and center Zan Tabak."

...and then there's my personal favorite: "Announced they will exercise the option on the Denver Nuggets' first-round pick, 11th overall, in the 2001 draft."
ARRRGH! All he had to do was be patient that year! Denver stunk. The Celtics were already bringing in two first rounders. If they just rolled that pick over a few seasons Boston could have ended up with Amare Stoudemire. Ugh.

Mr. Wallace has on moved to Memphis and look: "Traded forward Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for guards Aaron McKie and Javaris Crittenton, forward Kwame Brown, the draft rights to center Marc Gasol and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010 to the Memphis Grizzlies for forward Pau Gasol." Wow.

Ok, so mean old Rick Pitino made him do some of those bad things, and miserly Paul Gaston made him do others, and now Michael Heisley the 380th richest American, is taking some credit for the latest debacle. I have ask though, if you know anything about this game wouldn't you make at least an occasional good trade? Wouldn't you draft well once in a while? And most recently wouldn't you call around the league to force higher offers after talking to the Lakers? Wouldn't you? I need to know. I'm asking here. I'm desperate. This really bothers me.

All I can say is, thank each and every angel in heaven that Chris Wallace runs a different franchise now.


2) Underestimated

I have three favorite games so far this season: The game in Detroit, the Dallas game, and now the Spurs game. Oddly it's been just as exciting winning without Garnett than it was winning with him. I didn't think the Celtics could play nearly this well without their best player.


3) Big Game? Big Baby!

...Two of those three games were Glen Davis' finest performances of the year. In Detroit he outscored all seven all stars in the fourth quarter while virtually shutting down Rasheed Wallace. Then yesterday he played Tim Duncan better than anyone could have guessed. You couple his performance with the outstanding contributions of Leon Powe and you just shake your head.

I mean, I made some crazy preseason predictions, some that actually came true, but Glen Davis stymieing Tim Duncan and leading the team to victory was not among them.


4) The Streak

...which leads to this: It's been building day after day, week after week, month after month. For some reason San Antonio simply cannot beat the Boston Celtics. It's the St. Patrick's Day curse. For those counting, the long losing streak is now up to two games. When will it end? No one knows. The pressure continues to build on the Spurs.


5) 16-0

Among all the amazing things that have happened so far this season, none is more amazing than the fact that the Celtics are 16-0 against the mighty Western Conference. What the hey? Boston has beaten the Spurs and Mavs without Kevin Garnett, handily dispatched the Lakers, humiliated Denver and Golden State, beat Houston and Utah, and toyed with most of the rest. The western team that gave them the most trouble was Minnesota, twice.


6) Doc

Can't coach? CAN'T COACH? Are you kidding me? What you have witnessed in the past few weeks is the best Celtics coaching performance since Tommy Heinsohn patrolled the bench with long sideburns and a plaid jacket. The Celtics are 5-2 without Kevin Garnett. They outfought the defending champions. They lost every tall person on the roster. Doc Rivers is not doing a good job this season; he is doing a GREAT job!


7) No Doubt

The doubters have been silenced. The Spurs game muted the last of them. I read some of the recent comments on some large Western Conference fan forums like dallas-mavs.com and spurstalk and no one's questioning the Celtics anymore. They are bickering among themselves a lot which is always entertaining, but no one is saying the Celtics cannot win the title.


8) East

Unlike the 80's it's nice to be in the East. Back then scary teams like Philly, Milwaukee, and Doc Rivers' Hawks roamed the Earth. Now though it's the West that's brutally competitive. As of this writing, Houston and Golden State are both 30-20, and one of them wouldn't even make the playoffs. In the East they'd be seeded fourth.

Still, it will not be an easy road for the Celtics to reach the Finals. 16-0 against the West means all nine losses have come in the East. Boston will need to be healthy to get past Cleveland and Detroit. That's why it's critical to rest Garnett and Perkins now. Get them healthy, even if they miss the entire west coast trip after the all star game, and even if it costs the team some wins. It's the playoffs that matter.


9) Rondo

I love Rondo. I think he's my favorite player since Havlicek. I would not be surprised if Rondo makes the whole silly "big three" controversy completely obsolete, because soon there will not be a big three; there will be a big four.


10) Davis on Duncan

I don't know if you saw it on the postgame show, but Greg Dickerson interviewed Baby right after the game and asked him if all that jabbering he and Duncan were doing was trashtalk. Big Baby said (paraphrasing), "Oh no. That was Tim Duncan! He's like Kevin Garnett! I was just soaking up the immortality."

[cfan79]

Whoa you put in the boy scout effort for this one Gant.

I love how Baby played Duncan. Tim looked like an old man out there.

[elrod enchilada]

great column, Gant.

I actually favored using Denver's pick in 2001. Had the Cs taken Richard jefferson it might not have been so bad. But you are right, the Cs should have been patient.

And, wow, what a missed opportunity taking Joe Forte over Arenas or Parker. Danny would have never made that mistake. Ever.

I recall that when Joe Johnson was traded to Phoenix the Cs actually prefered to trade JJ and keep Kedrick Brown. If that is true, that the Cs could have kept JJ, then the basketball judgement of Wallace and Jim O'Brien is pathetic. I mean they had four months of seeing these guys every day and they couldn't see Johnson was a player and Kedrick Brown had..."issues"?

[BillessuR6]

I almost stopped after the first paragraph and all those horrible wallace moves! It just brought back terrible memories and it really depressed me...

Luckily I kept on reading....


Great stuff as usual gant!

[cfan79]

I recall that when Joe Johnson was traded to Phoenix the Cs actually prefered to trade JJ and keep Kedrick Brown. If that is true, that the Cs could have kept JJ, then the basketball judgement of Wallace and Jim O'Brien is pathetic. I mean they had four months of seeing these guys every day and they couldn't see Johnson was a player and Kedrick Brown had..."issues"?

They should have known Kedrick was going to suck. The guy came from Okaloosa-Walton Community College. He probably would have went undrafted.

[Gant]

If anyone ever asks, "What's the worst trade in Celtics history?"

The answer is: A second round draft choice to Miami for the rights to hire Chris Wallace- because every one of those transactions above came from that deal.

[cfan79]

If anyone ever asks, "What's the worst trade in Celtics history?"

The answer is: A second round draft choice to Miami for the rights to hire Chris Wallace- because every one of those transactions above came from that deal.

I completely forgot about that one. How the heck does this guy keep getting jobs?

[SuperDeluxe]

Very entertaining post as usual, Gant!

I completely forgot about that one. How the heck does this guy keep getting jobs?

The Grizzlies needed someone not fearful of pulling a string of horrible trades, someone used to getting flack for his work and ready to get some more. Chris Wallace (who had been looking for a new job for a long while) was the right person for the gig. A marriage made in heaven, if you will.

[Tricky Ricky]

great column gant, in my mind had we had been patient with the denver pick in my mind with Wallace drafting we wouldve ended up with someone like Ely or Tskitishvili lol

[UGA Hayes]

I think there is a big 3, its just the 3rd guy is rondo not allen.

[Tenbomber]

You know Gant, you just make too much sence!....

Nicely done BTW!

[Gant]

I think there is a big 3, its just the 3rd guy is rondo not allen.

I thought about that too. Ray Allen has been off, but I try not to judge a guy by how he plays when he's hurt.

Hopefully Ray will get healthy and his game will return to the level he was with the Sonics.

[GreenMachine]

You Allen haters are NUTS - what... so he is ONLY putting up 19 pts (and then 30+ when PP has an off night)?

Another great read Gant...

But I really think Tom T should get some credit in #6...

[Gant]

You Allen haters are NUTS - what... so he is ONLY putting up 19 pts (and then 30+ when PP has an off night)?

Another great read Gant...

But I really think Tom T should get some credit in #6...

Yes yes. Amen. The whole coaching staff has been superb. Thibodeau. Clifford Ray too. Not only have they instituted the D, but they've developed the young big men, and they've got everyone playing extremely hard every night.

You can't ask for more from the coaches.

More tests are coming. That west coast trip will be very tough. Half those teams are itching for revenge.

[Triple M]

Great thread, lol @ the streak btw did anyone else feel the fortunes of the Celtics would turned around in after that game at that time. I remember always saying the year we finally beat the Spurs would be the year that everything would be turning around. After the lotto I didn't feel that way but shortly after the turnaround was starting and here we are now with the best record in the nba.

[Banks2Pierce]

An encouraging thing about Ray Allen's game is that he has the knack to really step his game up when the game is close in the fourth quarter and the team needs a couple of big shots. He will be very good when it comes to high pressured situations in the playoffs.

Has anyone else noticed that Pierce just hasn't been hitting the daggers late in the fourth when he used to be so deadly? Maybe this can be solved with a more lengthy rest before his final stint in the fourth or maybe it's something that can't be solved. It really does seem like he always front rims these shots so I suspect it's exhaustion that is preventing him from making these shots.

I agree with your sentiments on Rondo. I love the kid. I thank the heavens that he is only 21 years old. Think about that. 21!! He is so fun to watch. Who would think my favorite player on a team with 3 perennial all stars is the unproven pg coming into the season? I love when he sticks his nose in there with the trees and comes away with the rebound. I remember Ainge touting how well Rajon tested prior to the draft and now it is all making a ton of sense. I'd love to watch a college bball game with danny or even attend testing days for potential draftees. He clearly sees things that some of the best gm's don't.

[Gant]

...speaking of spurstalk- For those of you suffering withdrawal symptoms and who desperately need a Darth Celtic fix, I just stumbled upon the green-faced one here:

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread. ... ost2236587

(I'm not stalking you Darth. I just saw this by coincidence a few minutes ago.)

[Dogen]

I agree with your sentiments on Rondo. I love the kid. I thank the heavens that he is only 21 years old. Think about that. 21!! He is so fun to watch. Who would think my favorite player on a team with 3 perennial all stars is the unproven pg coming into the season? I love when he sticks his nose in there with the trees and comes away with the rebound. I remember Ainge touting how well Rajon tested prior to the draft and now it is all making a ton of sense. I'd love to watch a college bball game with danny or even attend testing days for potential draftees. He clearly sees things that some of the best gm's don't.

Rondo's rebound among the trees at the end of the games was incredible. He's really beginning to get 'the look' when he enters the game now--that he's going to dominate, get a little nasty if necessary. What remarkable growth this year.

Banks2Pierce, love the new avater. Ginobili is ridiculous at times.

Manu: Watch this, I'm going to get to the line easily on this sucker.

TA: Hey, just minding my own business here--- watcha doin' on the floor, son?

[Celtic Esquire]

...speaking of spurstalk- For those of you suffering withdrawal symptoms and who desperately need a Darth Celtic fix, I just stumbled upon the green-faced one here:

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread. ... ost2236587

(I'm not stalking you Darth. I just saw this by coincidence a few minutes ago.)

How in the world does Darth have 842 posts on a Spurs thread!?!?

[bujabra]

Great post as usual Gant. Not nitpicking but Powe deserves a discussion point too, he really stepped it up since our big man crisis. Keep your posts coming my man.