First, here's an email exchange I had with a friend. I leave his gracious comment on in the spirit of hopeful self-congratulation:
Jeff,
Good, thoughtful analysis, as always. I just
talked to Scott. He had a similiar take to yours.
Pat
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff
To: Pat
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2007 9:46 AM
Subject: Re: Celts moves
> --- Pat wrote:
>> The real question, what do you think of the C's
>> moves last night?
>> P
>
> I've gotta stay ever-hopeful. I was bouncing from the
> computer out to my car to listen to ESPN radio on AM
> last night until I got the confirmation of the Ray
> Allen deal. When I saw you had written "moves" I had
> to go see what the rest of it was. I think Glen Davis
> has great NBA potential. Pierce was reportedly
> lobbying for immediate veteran help, and they got that
> with Allen. Then Davis, I'm almost surprised he fell
> far enough for them to get him.
> I think Allen is a great pro with a great attitude, if
> his body hasn't broken down, I'm psyched, He's known
> for his shooting, but he works hard at every aspect of
> the game. I'm imagining Pierce driving and kicking to
> Allen for threes, or Jefferson drawing doubles and
> getting it to Allen for a three. He's got a quicker,
> more accurate release than Wally. I think we won't
> miss Delonte too much because of Rondo, and because
> Pierce, Allen and others handle the ball well. I'm
> hoping Tony Allen comes back as good as he was just
> before he went down. I like Gerald Green as a seventh
> or eighth man. They are in danger of being undersized
> unless Kendrick Perkins gets his shit together and
> Ratliff can contribute, because Davis will have to
> play power forward, and the next best player I haven't
> mentioned is Ryan Gomes, who is small but plays like a
> power forward in some ways too.
> i want to see them get rid of Scalabrine and
> Olowakandi, then I'd be pretty happy about the
> attitudes and mindsets of the guys they have. I'd
> expect them to play better defense than they've done
> for years, and to fast break a lot and get points in
> flurries in a lot of regular season games.
> Time will tell.
Next, here's some of Bill Simmons's draft diary:
4:30 pm (PT): Thanks to rumors that the Celtics might trade the No. 5 pick, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West for a soon-to-be 32 year-old shooting guard coming off double ankle surgeries (Ray Allen), I just spent the last 20 minutes on basketball-reference.com trying to find one great shooting guard who didn't decline significantly in years 12 through 14 of his NBA career. Here's the list: Reggie Miller. That's it. Also, I just threw up in my mouth and some of it went up the back of my nose.
4:41: Andy Katz reports that Boston agreed to deal the No. 5 pick, Szczerbiak and West for Allen. Not even 10 seconds later, the Sonics take Kevin Durant ... the guy I'd been rooting for the Celtics to get since December.
(Hold on, I'm picking my jaw off the ground.)
Unless there's another major move coming -- and Lord, let's hope so -- are we really contending for the title in 2008 or 2009 with Pierce, Jefferson, Allen, Doc Rivers and nine unproven young guys? Are even we winning 47 games? Three seasons from now, if you're watching Doc and Danny Ainge announcing the same TNT game, then you flick channels and see a broken-down Ray Allen jogging around a half-empty TD Banknorth Center at age 34, you'll think of me. I promise you.
4:52: ... I'm busy trying to find the right adjective for my father on the phone right now. Beaten down? Distraught? Perplexed? Horrified? Apoplectic? All of them fit. He's absolutely appalled by the Allen trade.
"Shooting guards always lose their legs when they hit 32 or 33!" Dad yelps. "It happens to all of them. They can't avoid it. Make sure you put in your column that we traded the fifth and seventh picks in consecutive years for a point guard who was too short and a shooting guard who was too old. Put that in your column. Put it in. I hate this trade."
(Ummm ... sure thing, Pops.)
4:56: Dad calls again: "And by the way, I liked Delonte West. Put that in, too. Terrible. This is just terrible."
4:58: Boston picks Jeff Green for Seattle at No. 5, but Green has to go through the charade of wearing a Celtics hat for the next few minutes because the trade hasn't been officially announced yet.
6:53: Looks like Boston acquired the 35th pick in the Ray Allen trade as well. Hmmmmm. I'm feeling a little better about things. I was a 2 out of 10 two hours ago ... now I'm a 3 out of 10, and I'll be a 5 out of 10 if they take Big Baby with one of their second-rounders. As for my Dad? Let's call him.
6:53: "I'm still a 0 out of 10," he says.
Well, then.
...One more thing: With the second-rounder obtained from Seattle, my Dad and I were on the phone rooting for Big Baby ... and when it happened, we both cheered and did the whole "I can't believe we got him at 35!" routine. Sure, it was a minor victory, but when you're a Celtics fan these days, you take what you can get.
Last, a few more hopeful thoughts of my own: mostly I'm dreaming that Glenn Davis becomes a Barkley-like impact player. I'm moderately hopeful about Ray Allen: he's been carrying teams of stiffs around for most of his career, but in the ideal Celtics arrangement he's one of a rotating cast of third options, and I see him as very Reggie Miller-like. I don't think any other team in the Leastern Conference did anything to separate themselves from the crowd, so with good luck about injuries and rehab, and reasonable development of the most promising kids, we could go a couple rounds into the playoffs next season. Who knows?
Jeff,
Good, thoughtful analysis, as always. I just
talked to Scott. He had a similiar take to yours.
Pat
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff
To: Pat
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2007 9:46 AM
Subject: Re: Celts moves
> --- Pat wrote:
>> The real question, what do you think of the C's
>> moves last night?
>> P
>
> I've gotta stay ever-hopeful. I was bouncing from the
> computer out to my car to listen to ESPN radio on AM
> last night until I got the confirmation of the Ray
> Allen deal. When I saw you had written "moves" I had
> to go see what the rest of it was. I think Glen Davis
> has great NBA potential. Pierce was reportedly
> lobbying for immediate veteran help, and they got that
> with Allen. Then Davis, I'm almost surprised he fell
> far enough for them to get him.
> I think Allen is a great pro with a great attitude, if
> his body hasn't broken down, I'm psyched, He's known
> for his shooting, but he works hard at every aspect of
> the game. I'm imagining Pierce driving and kicking to
> Allen for threes, or Jefferson drawing doubles and
> getting it to Allen for a three. He's got a quicker,
> more accurate release than Wally. I think we won't
> miss Delonte too much because of Rondo, and because
> Pierce, Allen and others handle the ball well. I'm
> hoping Tony Allen comes back as good as he was just
> before he went down. I like Gerald Green as a seventh
> or eighth man. They are in danger of being undersized
> unless Kendrick Perkins gets his shit together and
> Ratliff can contribute, because Davis will have to
> play power forward, and the next best player I haven't
> mentioned is Ryan Gomes, who is small but plays like a
> power forward in some ways too.
> i want to see them get rid of Scalabrine and
> Olowakandi, then I'd be pretty happy about the
> attitudes and mindsets of the guys they have. I'd
> expect them to play better defense than they've done
> for years, and to fast break a lot and get points in
> flurries in a lot of regular season games.
> Time will tell.
Next, here's some of Bill Simmons's draft diary:
4:30 pm (PT): Thanks to rumors that the Celtics might trade the No. 5 pick, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West for a soon-to-be 32 year-old shooting guard coming off double ankle surgeries (Ray Allen), I just spent the last 20 minutes on basketball-reference.com trying to find one great shooting guard who didn't decline significantly in years 12 through 14 of his NBA career. Here's the list: Reggie Miller. That's it. Also, I just threw up in my mouth and some of it went up the back of my nose.
4:41: Andy Katz reports that Boston agreed to deal the No. 5 pick, Szczerbiak and West for Allen. Not even 10 seconds later, the Sonics take Kevin Durant ... the guy I'd been rooting for the Celtics to get since December.
(Hold on, I'm picking my jaw off the ground.)
Unless there's another major move coming -- and Lord, let's hope so -- are we really contending for the title in 2008 or 2009 with Pierce, Jefferson, Allen, Doc Rivers and nine unproven young guys? Are even we winning 47 games? Three seasons from now, if you're watching Doc and Danny Ainge announcing the same TNT game, then you flick channels and see a broken-down Ray Allen jogging around a half-empty TD Banknorth Center at age 34, you'll think of me. I promise you.
4:52: ... I'm busy trying to find the right adjective for my father on the phone right now. Beaten down? Distraught? Perplexed? Horrified? Apoplectic? All of them fit. He's absolutely appalled by the Allen trade.
"Shooting guards always lose their legs when they hit 32 or 33!" Dad yelps. "It happens to all of them. They can't avoid it. Make sure you put in your column that we traded the fifth and seventh picks in consecutive years for a point guard who was too short and a shooting guard who was too old. Put that in your column. Put it in. I hate this trade."
(Ummm ... sure thing, Pops.)
4:56: Dad calls again: "And by the way, I liked Delonte West. Put that in, too. Terrible. This is just terrible."
4:58: Boston picks Jeff Green for Seattle at No. 5, but Green has to go through the charade of wearing a Celtics hat for the next few minutes because the trade hasn't been officially announced yet.
6:53: Looks like Boston acquired the 35th pick in the Ray Allen trade as well. Hmmmmm. I'm feeling a little better about things. I was a 2 out of 10 two hours ago ... now I'm a 3 out of 10, and I'll be a 5 out of 10 if they take Big Baby with one of their second-rounders. As for my Dad? Let's call him.
6:53: "I'm still a 0 out of 10," he says.
Well, then.
...One more thing: With the second-rounder obtained from Seattle, my Dad and I were on the phone rooting for Big Baby ... and when it happened, we both cheered and did the whole "I can't believe we got him at 35!" routine. Sure, it was a minor victory, but when you're a Celtics fan these days, you take what you can get.
Last, a few more hopeful thoughts of my own: mostly I'm dreaming that Glenn Davis becomes a Barkley-like impact player. I'm moderately hopeful about Ray Allen: he's been carrying teams of stiffs around for most of his career, but in the ideal Celtics arrangement he's one of a rotating cast of third options, and I see him as very Reggie Miller-like. I don't think any other team in the Leastern Conference did anything to separate themselves from the crowd, so with good luck about injuries and rehab, and reasonable development of the most promising kids, we could go a couple rounds into the playoffs next season. Who knows?
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