RealGM

There has been a lot of talk about keeping this window open after the New 3 are done. To a large extent this will be up to DA's ability to get value late in the draft. So - how is he doing so far? Lets look at the first and second wave of baby Cs under DA...

Rondo, TA and Perk are excluded (but Huge parts of our future)

AL
Gomes
Seb
West
Green
Greene
Banks

Powe
Baby
Giddens
Walker
Gabe
POB
Semi

Wile we don't have another Big AL coming up... I would say the second group is overall better! In fact, the second group Could Be Way better at the end of the day.

Thoughts?

The thing is, I wouldn't trade Al jefferson for every single person on that second list combined.

What we need after the new 3 is one of two things.

1) Cap space so we can convince another elite star to sign (you need at least 2 top 15 players in the league to win a title)

2) A couple lottery picks so we can rely on DA to draft these types of elite players

On another note, I think Paul Pierce will take a light home town discount to finish out his career in Boston like Reggie Miller did late in his career with the Pacers.

True... but in 2010 or so we can get that Star by trade or FA. We will need chips to trade and guys to play with the star(s) we get... The New 3 would not have been possible without AL AND Gomes, West, Green, Ect OR Rondo and Perk. So how this new crop of youngins does will be a Huge factor in us being good once our current stars are old...

Sebastian Telfair was not drafted by Danny. He was acquired so that we could dump Raef's bad contract for a bad contract ending sooner, which we used for KG. He was a risky piece to get that Ainge hoped would pan out but didn't. You also missed Perkins and Tony Allen in the first group.

In that first group, you have a potential All Star,a starting center (Perk) a starting SF/PF (Gomes), a starting PG/SG (West), and a 6th man (Allen). That's a darn good group.

Patrick O'Bryant is also not a draft pick of the Celtics. Out of the 2nd gorup, the only guy who looks like he is a starting caliber player right now is Powe, and even that is not a sure thing. Big Baby is a 4th/5th big man.

There is absolutely no way you could say that the 1st group is worse than the 2nd. Heck, a starting lineup of Al-Gomes-Allen-West-Banks would probably be better than a couple of lineups trotted out last year in the NBA. Of the 2nd group, the only one with anywhere near Jefferson's potential is Walker, and he is one slip on the court from never playing again (not to mention being absurdly raw).

Giddens is a nice player, but if he turns out to be better than Tony Allen I'd be surprised; the hit rate on the 30th overall pick isn't great.

Just ask yourself, which lineup would you rather bet your life on in a matchup:

Jefferson-Gomes-Allen-West-Banks

or

Davis-Powe-Walker-Giddens-Pruitt

Give me Team 1, and a 10 point cushion.

I think that Danny is relying on the mid-level and vet minimum signings going forward, as opposed to trades or the draft.

2008 was an exception in that you had a very deep draft, there were at least 17 centers taken out of 60 picks, with many of them remaining in Europe.

Danny made a comment that he wanted to upgrade the center position this year , whereas next year he hopes that Semih Erden will come over, which Danny said would be like having a First Round Pick even though the Celtics 2009 pick is owned by Minnesota.

So, at center, it would seem that although Danny is looking forward to Semih Erden coming over next summer , Danny is not confident in this year's rotation of

Perk / O'Bryant / Davis.

It sounds to me like he is seriously hoping that either

38 year old Alonzo Mourning (coming back from torn pateller tendon and medial collateral ligament) and something else done to the same knee recently or

42 year old Mutombo come on board for the vet minimum to back up Perkins,

even if it's early next year.

All that would be required is 15 minutes.

O'Bryant or Davis could fill in the rest.

That's the way I read his comments about the center position, because I don't see any other way of strenthening that position this year.

I don't expect KG to slide over to center like he did last year as often, if the Celtics can avoid it. I think that the Celtics would rather that KG log his at PF, and Powe (if he can fit the situation) or Scalabrine (better suited for Rasheed Wallace, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitski types) will take care of the rest.

It looks like Ray Allen or Tony Allen will be backing up Pierce at SF. Giddens may be good enough to warrant some time at SG, I think that Danny probably feels he's set at SG, and hopes that if more size is needed at SF, that either Walker or Scalabrine will fit the situation.

PG is more interesting. It's clearly Rajon backed up by Eddie, but I don't see Pruitt as a press breaking PG, more of a scorer off the bench who can play some D. I think that the Celtics would seriously consider adding Steph Marbury should he become available, and moving Pruitt, if they could.

I think that the Active 12 will be more interesting than the total slots.

I think that active 12 is:

C: Perk / O'Bryant / Davis (Danny & Doc praying for Mutombo or Mourning here)

PF: Garnett / Powe / Scalawheenie

SF: Pierce / Ray or Tony Allen ?

SG: Ray Allen / Tony Allen / Giddens

PG: Rajon / Eddie

which would mean Pruitt and Walker are Inactive initially.

And, if Mourning or Mutombo should decide to join the party, then Davis would likely go Inactive as well.