As a Celtic fan I sit nervously waiting the trade of Allen Iverson from the 76ers and am adamantly hoping that Danny does not pull the trigger. Rumored throughout the summer I was worried that the Celtics would have to part with Big Al or Gerald Green and I was not happy. Now the Celtics sit at 6-14 and they are mulling over making this bad choice again. Here are the reasons why Danny Should Not Do It.
Past Follies
I don't want the GM of the team to avoid deals simply because of past incidents but it has to be said how the Celtics so quickly gave up on developing their own players in the past regime. Imagine a Celtics roster where Chauncey Billups was running the point, Joe Johnson was slotted in as the 2 guard and Paul Pierce at the 3 followed by some fillers at the 4 and 5. My guess is that team would be a perennial contender, instead the Celtics of the past gave up on their top rated draft picks well before they had a chance to develop into the stars they are now. While getting Iverson will certainly be a much bigger deal than the Johnson for Delk and Rodney Rodgers deal, I still feel like they will be abandoning the talent they have drafted which could easily come back to haunt them.
Celtics Noticeable Problems
The Celtics have some noticeable problems and trading for Iverson does not address any of them. First off the Celtics play no defense. They give up a ton of points every game because they are poor at guarding the perimeter. Will Iverson significantly improve their on ball defending on the perimeter? I doubt he would. If anything AI would only shrink the Celtics already small roster and would force Wally or Pierce to guard a big, which would not be good news.
Secondly, the Celtics get at best inconsistent inside scoring from the 4 and the 5. Right now Al Jefferson appears to be the only player on the roster with the potential to turn into a consistent post scorer. As shown on saturday night if they actually pass the ball to Jefferson he has the ability to put the ball in the hole. If they trade Big Al they will get almost no paint production for the remainder of the season.
They lack rebounding, the first week of the season Paul Pierce was pulling down 18 a game simply because no one downlow consistently pulls down boards. If there's something that AI certainly does not address its rebounding. Against the New Jersey Nets, who have limited size and a relatively weak on the glass as well, the Cs were abused on the offensive glass. Trading away Perkins or Jefferson would only decrease their rebounding.
Cap Room Tie-Up
Iverson is set to make a boatload of money the next two seasons and thus would financially strap the Celtics with an Answer Truth combo with nothing surrounding them. By agreeing to this deal and parting with some young talent, what they may end up doing is putting themselves in a position where they won't be able to afford signing any of their young guys.
Goal of a Championship
If the Goal is to win a championship, which I hope it is, I do not see how this gets the Celtics to the upper echelon of NBA teams. Sure it would pit two superstars together with the chance to score on every possession but name me a significant dual superstar scoring backcourt right now that is thriving. My guess is the Iverson Pierce combo would have a very difficult time gelling and would only turn the Celtics offense into a more stagnant less flowing offense. Think Celtics circa 2000 when if Pierce or Walker didn't take a shot on a possession, no one did.
This year obtaining Iverson most likely gets the Celtics into the playoffs, perhaps the division title, but would they be better than the Heat, Cavs, Pistons or a handful of Western Conference teams? I would say no, and if they aren't good enough this year, than why would they mold in the remaining two years of Iverson's massive contract.
What the Celtics need is a solid veteran 4 or 5 who can score. They do not need a small point guard sized shooting guard who needs the ball as much as Pierce. It just won't work.
Past Follies
I don't want the GM of the team to avoid deals simply because of past incidents but it has to be said how the Celtics so quickly gave up on developing their own players in the past regime. Imagine a Celtics roster where Chauncey Billups was running the point, Joe Johnson was slotted in as the 2 guard and Paul Pierce at the 3 followed by some fillers at the 4 and 5. My guess is that team would be a perennial contender, instead the Celtics of the past gave up on their top rated draft picks well before they had a chance to develop into the stars they are now. While getting Iverson will certainly be a much bigger deal than the Johnson for Delk and Rodney Rodgers deal, I still feel like they will be abandoning the talent they have drafted which could easily come back to haunt them.Celtics Noticeable Problems
The Celtics have some noticeable problems and trading for Iverson does not address any of them. First off the Celtics play no defense. They give up a ton of points every game because they are poor at guarding the perimeter. Will Iverson significantly improve their on ball defending on the perimeter? I doubt he would. If anything AI would only shrink the Celtics already small roster and would force Wally or Pierce to guard a big, which would not be good news.
Secondly, the Celtics get at best inconsistent inside scoring from the 4 and the 5. Right now Al Jefferson appears to be the only player on the roster with the potential to turn into a consistent post scorer. As shown on saturday night if they actually pass the ball to Jefferson he has the ability to put the ball in the hole. If they trade Big Al they will get almost no paint production for the remainder of the season.They lack rebounding, the first week of the season Paul Pierce was pulling down 18 a game simply because no one downlow consistently pulls down boards. If there's something that AI certainly does not address its rebounding. Against the New Jersey Nets, who have limited size and a relatively weak on the glass as well, the Cs were abused on the offensive glass. Trading away Perkins or Jefferson would only decrease their rebounding.
Cap Room Tie-Up
Iverson is set to make a boatload of money the next two seasons and thus would financially strap the Celtics with an Answer Truth combo with nothing surrounding them. By agreeing to this deal and parting with some young talent, what they may end up doing is putting themselves in a position where they won't be able to afford signing any of their young guys.
Goal of a Championship
If the Goal is to win a championship, which I hope it is, I do not see how this gets the Celtics to the upper echelon of NBA teams. Sure it would pit two superstars together with the chance to score on every possession but name me a significant dual superstar scoring backcourt right now that is thriving. My guess is the Iverson Pierce combo would have a very difficult time gelling and would only turn the Celtics offense into a more stagnant less flowing offense. Think Celtics circa 2000 when if Pierce or Walker didn't take a shot on a possession, no one did.
This year obtaining Iverson most likely gets the Celtics into the playoffs, perhaps the division title, but would they be better than the Heat, Cavs, Pistons or a handful of Western Conference teams? I would say no, and if they aren't good enough this year, than why would they mold in the remaining two years of Iverson's massive contract.
What the Celtics need is a solid veteran 4 or 5 who can score. They do not need a small point guard sized shooting guard who needs the ball as much as Pierce. It just won't work.
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