Jesus Shuttlesworth!

Is WEEI reporting that we are attempting to get Kevin Garnett?

I was skeptical about this trade when I first heard about it, but now I love it. Paul and Ray Ray without giving up any of the core yessss.

Awful, awful, awful – first we tried Ricky Davis, then Wally, and now Ray Allen. I am thisclose to giving up on this team. Even if we land Garnett – I don’t see how well a core of PP, Garnett, and Allen will gel – all three need the ball. Needless to say, I am very disappointed. We should have stayed the course and kept the pick. But it appears that PP got his wishes at the franchises expense. F.

Danny Ainge is a COWARD! So afraid to draft a player that he trade’s for yet ANOTHER swingman. He’s a joke. I HATE this move. Allen is older than PP and now he and they have two guys making over $30 million per season who play the same position! Now we need a big man AND another point guard. Where’s the logic?

Gotta say I like this trade. We keep Ratliff and GG to use in a future trade plus an early second rounder. Frankly with Conley and Horford off the board there just wan’t anyone I was in love with. I know Allen is 31 but with only 3 years left on his contract at a reasonable price we should be able to resign Big AL and compete in the east for the next couple years. Fingers crossed Perk steps it up this year!

1. Why pay Ainge a salary when Paul Pierce is the GM of this franchise?

2. This is a band-aid move. We’re just marking time for another 3 years. Is the 32 year-old Shttlesworth supposed to make the Celtics “relevant?” The team that just became relevant is Memphis.

3. The only bright spot is that Jeff Green is going to be a bust, so I guess if that’s the player you are picking at #5, you might as well trade him away. They also got rid of the totally useless Zoolander.

4. They will miss West, who is a much better defender than Allen. They still have no one on the team who can defend wing players, except Tony Allen.

Maybe there is another move coming. They need a big and a defender. That’s what they needed when the night started, and they have done nothing to address these needs.

I didn’t realize that Milwaukee had a big Asian population. I would expect that Yi will be moved by the Bucks.

How is this trade that bad? You get a 26 ppg scorer who will be the best player ever teamed with Pierce. He’s better than Antoine Walker, Ricky Davis, Wally, and Gary Payton.

Furthermore you don’t get rid of Jefferson, you do[/i] get rid of Wally’s contract, [i]and you still have Theo’s contract to peddle.

San Antonio gets Splitter. They are happy to wait a year. Ridiculous. They just keep getting better as the rest of the league falls on its arse.

Wait a minute Eric, look at what you just wrote. You don’t think KG, PP and Allen would be any good? If you don’t like this deal, fine, but get real.

Who were we going to get at 5 anyway, Yi? Brewer? This deal makes us a player in the East this year if we get the right coach. Our talent is better than Cleveland right now.

Just a flat out bad trade. Danny has made his bed. In my mind this trade marks the end of Big Al and Gerald. If Ainge isn’t going after a Garnett/Amare type, how do you justify this move.

I like the deal. I could care less about Wyc’s bankbook. Ray put up 26 a game last year people.

BIG BABY

I like the deal. We have enough youth. We keep GG, Big Al and Rondo and Theo’s contract chip. Plus now Doc has to stick with Rondo at starting point guard and not sub in Delonte. I think this trade allows us to be competitive for the short term with Allen and Pierce and still keep our long term players.

We now have the second coming of Robert Traylor.

I feel so relevnt tonight I think I’m going to get completely wasted. At least I can’t blame them for passing on Mike Conley.

With no defense how many more points are they going to give up.

I just can’t judge this trade yet. I love Ray Ray. I know he’s getting older but he’s still in his prime right now. Wasn’t completely sold on anyone available at 5. We kept our best young pieces. Yet this reeks of desperation and an attempt to appease Paul Pierce.

Nice second round picks. The offseason trading for Boston probably isn’t over, and that my friends is a scary thought. Polarizing stuff right here!

I’m not going to Danny-bash — this was a solid, very even trade. Injury-plagued Wally was going to clog our young guy’s development, and D-West, while above-average, is a 6th-7th man on a good team. Ray Allen is WAY better than Ricky or Wally.

Allen and Pierce do not play the same position. Pierce is a far more rugged player, a true SF who can post up. Allen is more of a perimeter threat, a SG.

Danny was able to hold onto Theo’s contract for future use as well as the young core. He also made two really good 2nd round picks — Big Baby and Pruitt should both be contributors next year.

Our line-up is solid. I think he could still get Kirilenko for GG, Gomes, and Theo…if AK-47 struggles early in the season. No reason to trade Al, though!

I don’t get it. I must be really stupid. We trade 30 year old Wally who had ankle surgery for 32 year old Ray Allen who had double ankle surgery. And we give away a fan favorite who gives 100% (DWest) and a #5 pick, who could have been( fill it in). This is a 3 year player rental and then start over. It stinks and that why the Celtics do.

VT Bill, you are preaching to the choir. It’s so sad.

I guess they think that Gabe Pruitt is Delonte West without West’s heart.

If I were Al Jefferson I’d accept my qualifying offer and get the hell out of Boston.

I think this is a very good deal. We now have 3 potential all-stars and nobody in the east can say this. Remember Wally is a bust, Allen had surgery and Gerald wasn’t ready. So we needed an upgrade at guard and you didn’t even kill the cap. Nobody at 5 would of made us better. We still have room to make more moves too. Great 2nd round picks too. Glen Davis will suprise people.

Let me be the first to say; “Ray Allen meet "Allan Ray.” I like the deal, we get a great player, lose Wally and still keep Al;, Green and Rondo. Better basketball, while still retaining our long-term pieces.

I honestly don’t know how I feel about this deal. On the one hand we really didn’t give up much: a one dimensional player with injuries and a huge contract; a decent back up two guard; a pick that may or may not have yielded a productive player. (I was rooting for Noah.)

On the other hand, I’m really not sure we got all that much in return. I loved Ray Allen a few years ago, but there are a lot of miles on that wagon and a big contract with more years left than Wally’s deal. Allen is 32 and just had the second of two ankle surgeries. He hasn’t been able to do anything on a basketball court since March.

Now, the surgery he had was to take bone spurs out of his ankles. Wasn’t that what Al Jefferson had done? How’d he turn out after the surgery? Also, Allen’s stats before the injury were pretty good: 44% from the floor; few boards; few assists; steal here and there. Turnovers look a bit high.

At the end of the day, though, I’m scratching my head. What Allen brings to the team is similar to what PP brings—without the rebounding. I don’t see how this helps the team where we need it most: defense and size up front.

I just keep remembering Danny’s remark that great shooting makes up for a lot of deficiencies on your team. That mentality is one of the reasons the team is one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Again it seems Danny can’t recognize his blind spots, much less correct them.

If Allen, Pierce, and Jefferson stay healthy, we win 42-46 games and go one round, maybe two in the playoffs. Okay I guess, but is this really what we’ve suffered through the last four years for?

It’s over. This team makes the Bruins look like the Patriots.

Brickowski = rationaly sounding chicken-little hyperbole

Ray Allen is still one of the BEST players in the NBA. Last season (although shortened by injury) was probably his best year as a player. He is an outstanding individual and one of the true professionals in a league filled with overblown egos.

This trade is great because:

1. Everything Wally and Delonte provided this team with Allen does phenomenally better, e.g. score, defend, drive to the basket, shoot, create, lead. Even the whiny fans on this board who have been crying for a veteran should be able to see that we got one of the top veterans on the cheap.
2. Locker room influence brings in an established NBA veteran (a premier veteran) who can help the youth establish routines, and mentor them and show them the tricks of the trade for longer, more productive careers.
3. Salary. Short term the Celtics take a hit since Allen comes with a hefty price tag. 3 years down the line his salary becomes money spent to keep Rondo, Gerald, etc.
4. Relevance. I don’t know in what universe you can live an not believe that Ray Allen is an ENORMOUS upgrade over Wally and Delonte. A seven time all star who can shoot from half court with ease and finish in the lane, a second bonafide star to team with Pierce that was got for really not much.
5. Added a tremendous play and we have left:
     Al and Rondo (the future)
  More bargaining chips:
     Gomes – a solid NBA player by any stretch.
     Theo’s contract. I think all of us undervalue this because it’s big money coming off the books this year, AND since it is doubtful that he plays again the entire salary is covered by insurance and not the team.
     Gerald Green, a player with still some great potential, and who better to be mentored by than Allen?
     Telfair – still an interesting prospect.

There was nothing BAD about this trade. It was nothing but a huge upgrade for the Boston back court.
     

Everyone is such a drama queen these days. Give me a break. Still got Jefferson and got rid of wally. I’ll miss Delonte but he’s not irreplaceable. Davis will be a decent pickup. Its still early in the offseason guys pace yourselves.

Bleh. I was okay going for it – assuming you get Marion or Garnett. But to get a 32 year old injury prone overpaid jumpshooter…for a fifth pick. And don’t start comparing Jeff Green with Allen. I don’t think Jeff Green is very good BUT we could take anyone AFTER the fourth pick… One of those guys is bound to be good.

This draft night was another cruel joke.

They needed to get bigger. They didn’t.
They needed to get better defensively. They didn’t.

This draft night was the NBA equivalent of the Celticsblog.com server.
We’ll have months of rationalizations and excuses in both cases.

I like the trade. The 2nd Round picks were very solid. I like both Pruitt and Big Baby. They will both contribute right away. Now all we have to do is use Theo’s contract to get a legitimate bigman (Gasol, Garnett, Kirilenko).

This is not the final deal of the offseason. This is an unfinished piece of work. Go ahead and b*tch and moan like most everyone will do, but there probably is another deal in play. We get rid of Wally’s contract. We keep Theo’s contract which is valuable. We still have Big Al. We still have GG. Delonte was a fan favorite but wasn’t going to win us a title. We still have pieces available for another trade.

Let’s go get Gerald Wallace. Let’s get a big guy. An athlete. A defensive minded guy.

Rondo has to step up. He is the man now. Pruitt will provide some help but probably not much.

We needed to make a move. Horford was gone. Conley was gone. No one knew anything about Yi. And if you say you did know about him because of YouTube then you are a joke.

We will get better. Big Baby, I think, has a lot to prove to people. He could have come out last year and been a first round pick. Maybe even a lottery pick. A lot will be expected from him.

Right…. Everyone says, this is just a precursor to another move.

But suppose it isn’t?

Ummm…I’m the Delonte West Fanclub President and…

Great trade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We still have Theo and the MLE. We’ll get 2 more vets to go with Pierce Allen and AL. We’ll be a contender by the end of the summer. Great move…year 5 is shapin up like Ainge promised!!!

I can’t believe how many people hate what Danny did. This is how I see it. This summer we add 1 more vet player without giving up the core (Al, Rondo, Green). Then we play the Pierce/Allen concept for the next 3 to 4 years. If that don’t work we move on to the “build around al” stage who will only be 25/26 at that time. Along with Rondo 24/25 and Green 24/25. Which will make them “young vets”. Also who knows what young studs we might find between now and then to add to the team. He still got 2 young players out of this draft. He did get ride of Wally (who didn’t work here). All in All I give Danny a B.

The Ray Allen trade is terrific. Big Baby is a great pick; though I wish we had taken Fazekas or McRoberts at 32…

Man, I’m glad about how tonight turned out: at least I’m excited for the season again!

sweet17, the problem with having a mid or late draft pick is that you don’t know who’s going to be a great player. therefore, saying one of the guys from pick 5-13 will be great is a copout. you may have your favorite, but if he doesn’t pan out, you don’t get fired. sure, one or more of them may be an all-star, but we got a sure thing in ray allen.

Count me as supporting the trade. No one can deney we are a better team this coing year than last. we still have our needs for a big man up front with al and perk so we still must look for a trade to come Portland has a big man in Koel Prysbilla (sp) we might get for Telfair and Scalbrine. we also can use Minny’s pick in 2010 as a bargining chip along with Theo’s contract Thus, we are in the game and I suspect the dealing is not done for now. even Ray ray can be tarded again in 60 days. I am also looking for contributions from Glenn Davis and Gabe Pruitt this year. finally if we keeep Ray allen we only give gerald time to develop and learn from a true veteran at his position. so we will have rondo jefferson perkins Green and allen as veterans when ray and paul contract expire so we want be totally starting over. I believe this will be the best season we will have had in a few years- even better than the last two playoff years, so things are looking up.

tony allen, allen ray, ray allen….. is danny playing a name game?

The Celtics are finished as a viable NBA contender until the contracts of Pierce and Ray Allen expire.

I said last week that they would act out of desperation and I was right. This was a desperation move, and anyone who buys tickets for the 2007-2008 season ought to have his or her head examined.

 Brickowski said:
  Right…. Everyone says, this is just a precursor to another move.

But suppose it isn’t?

well brick, im not too into supposing, but heres one for ya. suppose nothing else happens and we win a title? then what will you have to say. you are far to negative and opinionated to be a real celtics fan. we dont need your bad energy coming to the team. so please, for the good of the team, root for someone else. i love this trade and the celtics!

also, im not sayin we will win a championship this year, but well be contenders in the east and thats for damn sure!

The Celtics as presently constituted could barely contend for a YWCA championship. No defense.

Tonight’s trade will rank right up there with the death of Len Bias as a low point in the history of the franchise.

how smart Danny is will depend upon the players

why can’t Gerald Green learn to play defense? why can’t Paul Pierce learn to pass the ball?

my biggest worry is our coach

but, you know, in the end, it is just a game

be happy. these are the good old days

Give Ainge credit. He turned Eric Williams and Tony Battie into Ricky Davis, then Davis into Wally, and now Wally into Ray Allen.

He didn’t ‘mortgage the future’ with this trade. We still have, as some have already mentioned, Theo’s expiring contract to trade at the deadline next February, along with assets like Gerald, Gomes, and Tony Allen.

I, for one, am a huge fan of this trade.

(Also, though I’m not fond of “Big Baby”, if he stays trim, I believe he can contribute a lot to this team — as can Pruitt, who is described by some as a Devin-Harris-type player, which makes picking him fine by me.)

I like this trade because we’re better now than we were before we made it, and we’re better now than we would be with anyone we would’ve drafted at the 5.

I like this trade because

1) We’re better now than we would’ve been with anyone in the draft at 5 (except maybe Corey Brewer but I wasn’t even sold on him)

2) It didn’t cost all that much (besides heart, we lost a lot of that today)..we retain our best asset outside of Big Al in Theo’s contract and still have young players to watch develop/deal away (depending on the weather)

3) Ray Allen will be good for a good number of years yet, he’s no Dywane Wade or Lebron James…his style of play ensures he will fade away gracefully, not abruptly and still be effective for many years

4) Ray Allen is a cool guy…I like his comments and thoughts on stuff and he hates Bruce Bowen just like me..plus he’s a good actor.

5) Ray Allen will provide the veteran leadership that will qwash any PP rumblings and bring some stability to the wing..hopefully he can elevate Gerald Green’s game too

6) Glen Davis seems to be good…I don’t think he’s the second coming of Robert Traylor but so what if he is? He’s a non-guarenteed 2nd rounder and it seems he’s got a much better head on his shoulders and he can clearly lead a team..if he can keep the weight off he’ll be good.

I liked today for the most part…my own personal fantasy of Horford dropping didn’t happen so this move placates me…at least I can play as Boston in NBA 2k8 and probably win some games.

We definetely didn’t address our biggest need, defense. But adding Ray Allen as your third option catapaults us to the top of the East. If Big AL gets 20-25 touches a night, Jesus might lead the league in three’s.

This move won’t get us to 17, but I’m not sure any would have. I also don’t think this move prevents us from being really good 4-5 years down the line. We already have our core from this age group and now we won’t have to develop them on 25 win teams for the next 3 years. AL and Gerald would have been top 10 picks in this draft and Rondo isn’t too far behind Conley.

I am looking forward to rooting for these guys b/c by the looks of things they have a lot of folks to prove wrong. Celtic Pride Forever

It seems to me a lot of people feel secure because they know what Ray Allen is, besides the negatives (a longer deal than Wally, age). We don’t know what Yi Jianlin will be, or Jeff Green, or Corey Brewer, or Noah. So we feel comfortable giving up something that we never knew we had.

The problem is, we WILL know what we’ve missed when one of those guys we didn’t draft becomes a star next season and we can’t win a title with Ray Allen. It’s Ainge’s job to identify that guy and either he thought none of them were worth it or he felt forced to make a “win now” move.

Celtics fans better pray Allen and Pierce can stay healthy.

Get a grip Brick, I initially thought the trade was awful, but ive come to realize that Allen is far better than any or the rookies that are available with the 5th pick, just think about it, maybe 3 yrs down the road they are but even so, allen will be our Reggie Miller, a sniper that will keep opposing teams from doubling Al and PP, and who is to say Allen can not last till he is 36…Miller lasted till he is what?, Dale Ellis lasted till he is what?….I see Allen in the same mold, A reliable shooting Vet…He will be our Robert Horry …This trade may not be fantastic, but I can certainly live with it, besides, im pretty sure DA is not done yet.

Ainge didn’t turn Wally into Ray Allen! He turned this year’s 1st rounder, a 1st rounder from a few years ago AND Wally into Ray Allen.

The best thing about this upcoming season is that after our 40 wins and 1st round exit, maybe Ainge and Doc will be fired.

We got the best player in the deal and Danny got to make some picks in the middle of the draft where he’s at his best.

Good Job

Delonte will be missed

I predicted that Conley and Hoford would be gone by the time #5 came to us, pegged that. To me the best player available with the #5 was Brewer and in 5 years we will look back and wonder what happened.

I do now see the Cs winning 43 games this year and potentially losing in the first round of the playoffs.

Ray Allen gives the Cs the potential for maybe three decent seasons and then we may be back to building again.

I like the directions teams like the Bulls and Trailblazers are going, and although some of that is due to ping pong luck, it is also due to good management decisions on young quality players.

I don’t think we seriously contend with Ray Allen. I wouldn’t be surprised if injury issues to Pierce or both Allens continue to plague this franchise.

Tonight was short term gain at the expense of long term pieces to contend for a title.

Brickowski, I do agree that we needed to get bigger, and we didn’t really accomplish that. I would have been happy if we took a flyer on the Spanish kid Marc Gasol.

I’ll be the first to admit, Ray Allen makes us better (short term) for next season than anybody that we could have grabbed with the #5.

As Chad Ford said a few days ago, Ainge will either make a trade to help save his job or he’ll realize Boston needs to add a quality young player that will give them a better chance to build a contender and by doing so probably lose his job.

If this trade brought us Amare Stoudamire, I would get out of my chair right now and salute Danny. Marion, Jermaine, Ray Allen aren’t the franchise trading chip we needed.

Marc Jackson/Espn draft coverage said we were the biggest loser of the draft.

Oh, and to those thinking another trade is around the corner, that was said last year after the Telfair deal/Rondo pick and nothing matured there.

 Brickowski said:
  The Celtics as presently constituted could barely contend for a YWCA championship. No defense.

Tonight’s trade will rank right up there with the death of Len Bias as a low point in the history of the franchise.

WHAT!?!?!

i have been an advocate of doing a full on rebuild. trading PP for other picks and nba youth.. but i dont hate this trade.

i have always like ray allen. he is a class individual. A awesome shooter very good at keeping the defence honest. His type of player can go another very 4 useful years in this league miller style..

Picks in the draft are never sure things so you get a nba star at his peak for wally, delonte and #5. i think its not bad.

I personally dont like KG. I hate how he demanded huge money back in the day hurting his teams future.. but AJ and theo for KG makes more sense now than it ever has.

btw, i think perk will have a great season; i am not worried about our C spot (with or without KG)

Marc Jackson/Espn draft coverage said we were the biggest loser of the draft.

LOL! Marc Jackson has enough talent to be a . . . commentator on ESPN draft night! LOL! Tons of credibility coming from a washed out NBA point guard. He also said that Boston had “mortgaged it’s future” with this trade! ROFLMAO @ Jackson! What exactly is Jefferson, Rondo, Green, Gomes, Perkins . . . I like Green, but how was he in anyway shape or form the future of the franchise?
Marc Jackson is about as good a talent analyst as Brick. lol

Celtics fans are turning into Red Sox fans. Outside of Red Sox fans I have never seen a more pathetic bunch of histrionic whiners. At least Red Sox fans had the excuse of rooting for a team that hadn’t won anything in 86 years. Twenty years of not winning has made Celtics fans even worse.

What on earth do you people want? Danny just traded a injury prone one dimensional player and a back up two guard for an all star who averaged 26 points a game last year. Yeah he is 31 but the guy missed 8 games in his entire career before last year. Yeah, that is clearly inferior to trading for Kirlenko, statisticlly one of the worst players in the league and making almost as much money. Allen fits in well with Pierce and lets Pierce play SF where he belongs. If Jefferson, Rondo and Perkins actually get better, then Celtics should be decent next year. That sounds a lot better than 24 wins. If you people think this deal is that bad, then fine, stop pulling for the team. Just stop whining.

Well said JohnCK- thank you.

This is a solid trade. Unless you are addicted to negativity or have an agenda, I don’t see how you can be against it.

1) Wally and Pierce couldn’t play together (if you want the team to be any good) because they’re both 3s. Ray Allen is a great, pure 2 and one of the most well rounded offensive players in the league. He can shoot and slash and is also very unselfish.

2) You know how you build around the young guys (Big Al, Rondo, and maybe Gerald)? YOU MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. That’s how you develop young players, by winning and getting them playoff experience.

3) This proves that Wyc isn’t cheap. Ray Allen’s contract is bigger and a year longer than Wally’s, but it’s money much better spent. Who would want to pay Wally $13M per year to come off the bench?

4) This team had to go one of two ways. Get a veteran for Pierce or trade Pierce. I don’t think there would have been much of a market for Pierce with his injuries and big contract.

5) This solves all of the teams roster/salary problems. We no longer have to worry about moving bad contracts. Raef is gone. Blount is gone. Wally is gone.

6) The reports say that Seattle wanted Rondo, but Danny didn’t give in. That tells me he didn’t act desperately. And like someone else said, Danny’s strength is middle of the draft picks. He did a good job with the second rounders. Your not going to push around Big Baby in the paint.

7) Just to be realistic, I don’t see us trading Theo’s contract. His money will go to Big Al. However, I could see us packaging Telfair and Perkins or Scals for a solid veteran point guard or center. I don’t think Wyc wants to spend anymore new money, but shifting salaries around to acquire a vet would work.

8) Getting role player is easy (especially for Ainge with his great drafting). Getting great players is hard, even if you draft well. Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, and Big Al is a great 4/5s of a starting lineup. We still need a Marcus Camby type, but we’ll see what happens.

Good trade. Ray Allen will be very helpful on and off the court for the Celtics competitiveness, character, play down the stretch of games and the development young players, especially Gerald, T. Allen and Rondo. He’s been the consummate pro and was a model college star. He’s still in his prime, very likely with 2-4 very good years left, especially at 35 or so minutes per game. He’s not injury prone. He’s averaged 72 games per year over eleven years. In 7 of 11 seasons he’s played 76 games or more.

Danny did this without sacrificing the team’s future. We didn’t overpay Ray Allen and Glen Davis for Wally, West and Jeff Green. We didn’t lose any of our high potential young players, probably one of the few all-stars we could acquire and without hurting our future. And because of his intangibles as noted it will likely enhance our future. People negative on this deal want everything for nothing and don’t live in the real world.

There is a reason why Danny has no retired number hanging in the rafters. Tonight sealed his fate to that ever happening.

Thank you Red for not giving your nod of approval for a man like Danny to have his number retired as a Celtic. Danny Ainge is not a Celtic.

Wow Mitchy, really??? is this THAT bad? I’m surprised you feel this way, especially with the Theo contract still in hand.

That all said, Brick, Seriously, I hope you just drop off the Celtics fan planet. Your negativity is driving me nuts. You don’t like the move?? Good, go the heck (edited) away. Really, if you think this is the end of the franchise, then give up…go away, and stop your griping (edited). I would prefer fans who love this team no MATTER WHAT!!!! I watched the worst season (as well as 30 others) in this franchise’ history under ML. Did I whine No. If this irks you as much as you claim it does, bail….do us all a favor. As a long tim C’s Blog member (actually, literally the 1st) your negativity would not be missed.

Question: How many bad knees are on the team?

Answer: None!!! (barring Ratliff who is just a contract currently)

TMC, I’m with you on this. We have not mortgaged our future (yet). Allen will help our guys learn how to win actually improving our future. Remember people how many close games we lost in the end even with the injury-riddled teams we were putting on the floor. But I especially liked the part about Brik.

People are losing sight of what’s going to allow us to make the jump into an elite team — Rondo, Gerald, Perk and Al’s improvement. All these guys are still getting MUCH better. That’s our future core, and they’re still here.

Brick is right on this — we still need to upgrade our defense. We probably need a defense-minded veteran big and maybe a back-up veteran PG.

I’m more afraid than ever before that Al is going bye-bye. As far as the trade itself, if Yi turns out to be a player there is going to be much gnashing of teeth down the line.

As a Celtic fan who no longer lives in NE, I was forced to watch the national coverage. Perhaps the ESPN guys don’t know more than anyone else but their verdict was more damming than even I thought it would be, once I heard the deal. “Screaming A” mentioned something about, “trying to figure out what the Celtics are doing would require more time than we have”. And that was that, no one made a single mention of the trade after that, at least while I was watching. That makes the C’s look worse than bad, it makes them look completely irrelevant.

I’m not one to look upon the Celts with a pessimistic eye. Honestly, I’ve been positive pretty much ever year since I started watching the Celtics. That’s 18 years of continued positive thinking, with no championships or even Finals appearances to lift my spirits. I looked on the bright side during the M.L. Carr years. I didn’t think all was lost after we missed out on Duncan in ’97. I defended DA when the Conference Final team got broken up. I even defended DA when he made the move for Bassy. (Guess that shows you what I know.)

But I can not look positively upon this trade or even try to defend DA.

I don’t understand why I keep reading people saying that we didn’t give up much for Ray Allen. It wasn’t just an end to Wally’s World, it was the 5th pick too, was it not? The 5th pick in a draft often said to be the deepest in years amounts to “nothing much”? Everyone who knows basketball knows that you can get a perennial all star at #5 in a weak draft. If this really is a strong draft, there should be several players after #5 who will be all-stars over the next ten years. I don’t know who, maybe Yi, maybe Noah. But DA, a GM who has drafted well in the past, should be able to figure that one out! I guess that is what gets me is that by doing this deal, DA is basically saying, “I’ll trade a 20-year old all-star for a 32-year old all star”. There is no other way to phrase it. Perhaps Ray Allen is not Dominique Wilkins before the ‘94-95 season but then again, Nique didn’t cost us a #5 pick either.

Yes, the team will be better than last year’s team. Now there is a monumental hurdle! Maybe it’s just me but I don’t see much difference between a 19-win season and a lottery spot and a 39-win season and a first round playoff exit in terms of bringing respectability to the team.

The only way a Celtic fan could be a fan of this deal is if they think a Pierce, Allen, Jefferson combo can seriously compete for a title. Even if such a team can get out of the East, which is no certainty, how could it ever beat whatever monster comes out of West? Is it that much better than the team DA broke up? I can see the ceiling on this team and IMOVHO it’s not a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

Sure if we did something like draft Yi, trade Pierce for picks and build around Big ‘Al, there is no guarantee that such a team would ever seriously contend either. But it would take a more than a few years before that became apparent. And at the very least, there would be a bit of a buzz around that team, people would be talking about such a team. Even if it wasn’t looked upon as a immediate title contender, it wouldn’t be looked upon as a freaking joke either.

I would like to see non-Celtic fans write how this deal makes us a big-time power in the East. The kind of people who look at Rondo as nothing more than a very decent starting point guard in the NBA. The kind of people who remember that neither Allen, Pierce or Jefferson have yet proved themselves to be at a talent level of a Kobe, Duncan or a LeBron. The kind of people who realize GG’s biggest claim to fame is still being a Dunk contest champion. The kind of people who don’t think that if the C’s were healthy last year that they would have got deep into the playoffs. Let me say, I’ve been looking over non-Celtic blogs and the vote isn’t even close. The sentiment, over and over again, is we got hosed.

Look, maybe there is another shoe to be dropped. I’m not calling for DA’s assassination or something. A Garnett, Allen, Pierce team would be a whole different story. But with things as they stand now, I just can’t abide by the notion of making a half-baked attempt to win now and worry about falling short in three or four years. Will Boston be any more respectable or attractive to free agents in three or four years, with an over the hill Allen and Pierce and still no Banner #17? I guess just want Boston to make a full-on attempt to win, be it next year with veterans or 4-5 years from now with draft picks.

I love Ray Allen.. but im not ready to kiss Ainge’s ring until i see what else he plans to do next to fix the fact there is only one point guard on this team!

I hated the trade at first. I get attached to our players, like DW. I thought that it would have been best to wait till next year to trade Wally, when his expiring contract would have been valuable. I expect that at least 1 more important trade will be made. I’m guessing that it will be Theo, AJ, GG, and Min’s pick for Garnett; with whatever throwins to make it work. I hope that it doesn’t happen, but will still be a fan and look foward to the season. I was hoping and still hoping that we get Swift, but not at the expense of RR. I also think that Brick may be happier (and celticblog fans too), if he actually chose a different team to ROOT for! Good luck Brick – I hear that San Antonio is a pretty good team.

Without comparing the players in question, the Allen move reminds me of the kind of move a team makes when it’s adding the final piece for what they hope will be a title run or something very close to it. Most recently it smacks of the Pistons acquiring Webber. In terms of Celtic lore, I think of the trades for Howell, Silas, DJ and to a lesser extent Wedman.

At the risk of being misundertood, I should have added that the Celtics are of course miles away from making a title run.

i just don’t understand how you can hate this trade? WE HAVE ENOUGH YOUTH. we used the 5 pick and wally to upgrade our 2/“shooter” and i like what i did. in no way did we mortgage our future and i like that. i say we keep theo and hopefully he’ll be healthy and we can pair him with perk to form a nice defensive combo at center. we basically have a two-tear system right now with guys that can lead and help us win now with guys that will be good at the end of ray and paul’s contracts: al, gg, rr. i think that are biggest need is a backup veteran pg. i just don’t understand how people are upset with this trade. delonte is completely replaceable. you can sign a salim stoudamire off the street any day to take his place…this is a very good trade! the 5 pick is not close to as valuable as most of you think. it is hard to evaluate how good a guy will be in 5 years so i am glad that we just decided to stay with our young core and go veterean by trading the pick. ray is twice the player of wally and his contract isn’t even much worse. i want to give danny a hug for this one.

Is Allen the bait to lure Garnett? If so, then goodbye Al and goodbye this long-time Celtic fan, fair weather or not.

Read Bulpett in the Herald. With West departing, it seems moralizing Wyc is about to rescrew Bassy’s nameplate.

I think the key to this draft was ….Glen Davis…. As in all drafts, what you get is always a crap shoot and it’s only later that you discover what you have. Davis has been compared to Charles Barkley…at least in body-type and mobility. He also has bonofide skills. What he does with weight control will foretell his future. He could be one of the “special” players drafted in the second round and I’m excited about his acquisition. He’s not 7’ tall but he’s not a stiff either and his bulk and skill set can make him a star at the next level.

There will be busts in the lottery picks this year as well as future stardom in that group. Drafting high on “potential” doesn’t guarantee success nor does drafting in the second round mean disappointment. It’s what’s inside a player that ultimately determines his destiny. Virtually all the players drafted last night need to acclimate themselves to the NBA game since they are all on a learning curve, it will take 3 years to sift through the merits of this team’s acquisitions.

Like everyone else, I wonder how Ray Allen will mesh with Paul Pierce but appart from that concern, I expect we’ll be improved as a result of this trade. I think Delonte’s defensive abilities have been grossly exaggerated when compared to Ray Allen. Delonte excelled at blocking shots but he could NEVER stay defensively in front of quicker guards. He remained a one-dimensional talent that neither developed as an NBA SG nor as an NBA PG…kind of an in-between player. We’ll miss his energy and colorful character.

Gabe Pruit remains a big question. He has athleticism and skills as well as defensive liabilities. He has enough size and and quickness to substantially improve on his game. He also is not a pure PG and as always, there’s a risk in drafting a “swing” player as an NBA PG (a position requiring floor leadership). To be safe I hope we get another PG option in free agency as I doubt Telfair will be with us for the 2007 season. Despite my concerns Gabe could surprise.

Allen is only 32 years old. He averaged a career high in 26.4 points a game!! Allen has never shot lower than 35.1 percent on three pointers.
The Celtics didn’t have to part with Al, Gerald, or Rondo.
Great trade Danny!!

we need height and defense and another point guard and don’t you forget it.

“Get a grip Brick, I initially thought the trade was awful, but ive come to realize that Allen is far better than any or the rookies that are available with the 5th pick, just think about it, maybe 3 yrs down the road they are but even so, allen will be our Reggie Miller, a sniper that will keep opposing teams from doubling Al and PP, and who is to say Allen can not last till he is 36…Miller lasted till he is what?, Dale Ellis lasted till he is what?….I see Allen in the same mold, A reliable shooting Vet…He will be our Robert Horry …This trade may not be fantastic, but I can certainly live with it, besides, im pretty sure DA is not done yet.”

My initial reaction (I’ve been following the team for more than 40 years) was negative. I would have preferred the patient all out rebuild that Brick wants. However, with Oden, Perkins and (to a lesser extent) Horford gone, nobody else was a sure thing. Brewer would have been my choice (less risky than other possibilities with decent upside) but selecting him would have led to dealing one of the core youngsters.

This is just like last year’s draft. While Brandon Roy was a possibility (although he might not have been there given the trades that occurred), he essentially would have completely devaluaed West (in the team’s reasonably ample depth chart of wing players) because he would have gotten the P.T. that wouldn’t have otherwise been much available until after the Pierce injury.

Clearly, Ainge is dumping the overpaid slower white guys (Lafrentz and Szerbiak), pairing them with lottery picks and taking back young players (or picks) that could be booms or busts. Telfair might get another shot after busting last year because his trade value is nil despite the team’s desire to unload him. Big Baby David might be this year’s Charles Barkley or Oliver Miller. How did Davis and Horford perform against each other in their multiple match ups during the last 3 years in the SEC? Somebody should look that up.

Weirdly, this draft compares to the draft where Olujuwan (Oden), Jordan (Durant) and Barkley were HOF lottery picks. Wouldn’t it be ironic if, with a second round non-guaranteed pick, the Celtics just drafted the next Barkley?

If both Allen and Pierce return to the durability of their earlier careers (Allen, like Pierce, wouldn’t have been available for trade if not for last year’s aberrational lost games to injuries), this trade will work out. On balance, this might be a better gamble than wiaitng to see if whoever Danny would have selected for the Celtics at #5 will develop.

Wally and West essentially for Davis (at #35) took care of the need to get another big man (and pruned the relatively well stocked depth chart at the wing positions). If Davis has the discipline to control his weight (and he does have something to prove), he will contribute more up front (where help was most needed) than Wally and West could have as wing players. Likewise, Allen (if healthy) alone could contribute more than Wally, West and the traded #5 (necessarily another wing player vying for playing time) combined could be expected to produce.

With Allen on board, the acquisition of Garnett becomes at least a theoretical possibility if Jefferson, the Ratliff expiring contract and their own former #1 draft pick (for next year) would be enough to get him. Assuming that Garnett would now consider Boston to play with Allen and Pierce, is it better to let Ratliff expire and extend Jefferson or get Garnett (with or without a contract extension)? Garnett will still be in his prime until his short contract expires and, after that, the Celtics would have salary cap flexibility.

If Garnett could be had, the argument as to whether to acquire him will be endless. However, if the decision is made for the Celtics (Garnett still refuses), an extended Jefferson is not a bad consolation prize.

I’ve come back from the ledge and, after more reflection, feel better about last night’s trade.

Why was WEEI reporting that Swift was part of the deal? when i heard that i was happy. but now that he’s not, we COULDA GOT CAMBY INSTEAD OF ALLEN FOR THE SAME OFFER AND STILL PROBABLY COULDA KEPT WEST!@!!! Camby is the same age as allen and is the DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND BEST SHOTBLOCKER IN THE LEAGUE.

I have been a supporter of Danny Ainge, but last night’s move was atrocious. For the second year in a row the team has wasted a high lottery pick, this year wildly overpaying for a defensively challenged 32 year old chucker coming off double ankle surgery. Putting a contender on the floor, even in the putrid East, requires the ability to get value in trades, which danny has proven to be incapable of doing

Wally & West for Allen = fair trade

Wally, and West & #5 for Allen & Swift = fair trade

Wally, West & #5 for Allen = the C’s get taken by yet another Pacific division team.

I’m now the JohnCK fanclube president.

JohnCK didn’t threaten anyone. If anyone has been threatening it’s been Brick and all the Brickettes. Calm down Po.

For the most part I agree with him. Please stop whining. If you hate the GM/Doc/Players that much that all you can do is cry about every move they make then maybe you should root for Toronto. Danny could have walked away from this draft with Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, and Kevin Garnett and the fans on this board would have immediately started whining “We may win the NBA title the next two years, but then what? Danny has doomed us to failure for 50!!”

There’s just no pleasing some people.

I say it could possibly be one of the better trades for the future..maybe the 2009 season when big al transforms even more into a bigger better player…just think you have a player (al jefferson) who near the end of the season was avg. a double double a game..then with ray allen avg. 26 ppg and peirce avg 26 ppg then rondo becoming a better point guard were gunna b a decent team no doubt ;)