So now I've had days to calm down about the Celtics trade and while I'm still against the trade personally I understand why other people feel like the trade was good and I feel I should present the counterpoints.
Closer to a Title
I don't think one can argue that KG will be an upgrade from Big Al the next few seasons. I may argue that the upgrade isn't going to be nearly large enough to justify trading every other franchise asset for, but to some gaining a Hall of Famer at the tail end of his prime is going to be a massive upgrade to a 22 year old who has never played a full schedule. And obviously this thought pattern would lead a person to feel like the Celtics are vastly closer to a title.
The Roster Changes Aren't Done
One of my initial points was the fact that the remaining roster as currently constituted blew. And well you can try to make a case for Rajon Rondo being very good, but you're kidding yourself. And you really can't argue for anybody else on the roster. With that said a legit argument is saying that Danny isn't done with free agent pickups. Could veterans flock to Boston to suit up with KG, Pierce and Allen? Sure. It started yesterday with the pickup of quick shooting Eddie House. Is he that much of an impact player? No. Is he a vast improvement over what they had? Sure. And who knows maybe he's just the first of many additions. The more legit NBA players they get this offseason the closer they will be to the coveted title.
Other than Big Al they Gave up Nothing
For next season Telfair and Ratliff were not going to contribute at all so who cares if they lost them. Gerald Green could potentially become a 20 per game scorer, key word potentially, some people don't believe it. Ryan Gomes isn't really that good and is nothing more than a bench player. As for the two draft picks, the Celtics draft pick should be in the 20s so they aren't losing much there and the T-wolves draft pick might come so late that they won't even get the pick.
The Celtics Are Relevant
No argument here from me, the Celtics are being talked about a lot more than they would have without this trade. They even took headline space from the Sox in July. And they'll be on national games a ton this season which they haven't been on in awhile. And the arena will probably have some juice for the first time in a while. And season ticket holders will actually be able to sell their end of the season tickets if they can't make the game.Doc's Coaching Won't Matter
The belief would be that the three stud players will be so good and already know what they need to do that Doc won't really be coaching anything. And also stripping down the roster to absolutely nothing simplifies Doc's rotation so he can't botch that up like he always does.
KG and the Three Press Conference
Part 2, Part 3
Comments
If you guys can't appreciate what an amazing and great thing it is to have a player like Kevin Garnett on your team (and especially being able to acquire him without giving up a real superstar) then you don't deserve to have him.