Barry Lird wrote:GuyClinch wrote:So are a few years of championship-level teams followed by another fallow period worth it to everyone here?
For me, yes.
It's usually like this though. It's hard to sustain championship dominance. Personally I don't think its really possible to build a team that can have say a 10 year run of championship quality basketball anymore.
I think it's smarter to pick your spots..
I truly think had we stuck with our previous "path" we would mired in mediocrity for the next 10 years.. (and I realize that Danny might say that was never a real path)...
Pete
It's definitely hard, but it can be done, and even then, 8 years is probably as long a run as can be expected (and even that is an incredibly long run of sustained excellence and championship caliber ball). Obviously, for a long run like that, you need to get a hall of fame type player very early on in his career (and more likely, two of them), so they can have a chance at that sustained run. Celts did it in the 80s, Bulls in the 90s, and Spurs in the late 90s, 2000s. So it takes the hall of famers, and a really great GM to surround them with the right pieces.
As to Danny's previous path, I've seen this mistake of thinking that Danny was going to go with youth in perpetuity a million times. It was always about accruing assets. I ALWAYS thought he would cash in when he thought the time was right. Personally, I think that this line of reasoning is a way for those who used to trash Danny to try and claim that it is they that were right all along, and Danny belatedly came to his senses and went veteran. The truth is, he HAD to first accrue the assets before making his big splash. Any sooner and the return would have been the likes of EWill and Delk.
He did a great job of gathering assets that he could trade away. There was luck involved to be sure. You need a willing dance partner at the time you're ready to dance, but without the proper preparation, none of it would have been possible.
All that said, I really think our window is this year, next, and at the very furthest out, 2 years from now. Enjoy it while it lasts, fellas.
So, for the championship run, you need the hall of famers, while they're still playing hall of fame ball. It's really hard to get those hall of famers. You either luck into them in the draft, or you trade for them. We've got ours, but our run will be short. Worth it though, in my view.
There's no one way to build a championship team. We did it by drafting Bird and McHale and getting Parish in the 80's for our long run, and we did it by trading this time for our presumed short run.
I don't think we'd have been mired in mediocrity had we had luck in the lottery last year (Oden/Durant). Our window just would have started two years later (and Pierce probably would have been traded), but it would have been longer, probably, but we'll never know.
...it would only take a brief look through Boston.com's archives to know that was Ainge's plan all along...he stated it numerous times since season one...fans are fans, they have their own ideas, often little perspective, and extremely short-term memories...
..have no idea how you can acknowledge Ainge's plan in one breath and then think the team can only contend for 3 years the next...Rondo will be an All Star no later than 3 years from now and all 3 of GPA will be no worse than 6/7/8 rotation players 3 years from now and can be re-signed for the cash equivalent of their value...
...Title contention will be legit as long as KG is manning the PF spot...his impact goes beyond scoring and I see no reason why he won't be playing at a high level deep into his 30's...another 7-8 seasons with KG (age 38) wouldn't surprise me one bit...
..but regardless of GPA's level of play, the Celtics will be in position to hit the FA market HARD 3 seasons from now...the team will have an in-their-prime core of Perkins/Powe/Pruitt/Rondo...Rondo will be the main star and KG/PP/RA should all be the best supporting cast players any team in the NBA has-PP and KG could easily still be starting and putting in 16-18 a night...
...with cap money free, a winning recent history behind them, and the prestige of having 3 HoFers and and up-and-coming star in Rondo, how hard is it going to be for the Celtics to sign another young star to complement Rondo and boost a battle-tested mix of veterans back into title contention?
I think the CURRENT roster has a 3-4 year title shelf life, but the FLEXIBILITY that Ainge has created in the cap and the newly raised level of attraction this team has for potential FA's extends that window another 3-4 years...
wow this year a possible 66-16 
