Daily Links 7/2

The guy from Seattle PI needs to get his facts straight. The Celtics never retired Len Bias’ #30. Telfair wore it last year.

 Steve Kyler needs to check his facts the Celtics did not trade the 4th pick. If he cannot get the pick right his opinion is not worth reading!!!

Ryan’s pretty much spot-on with his criticism of the trade. It says something, though I don’t know what, that both Ryan and May (yes, the curmudgeons) are dumbfounded and bumfuzzled by this trade.
I’m not as much, but I am disappointed, for the reasons Ryan states. The key to the criticism of this trade is not that Ainge went after an all-star veteran — A for effort, Danny — but he simply got the wrong one. We needed a younger player by a good 3-4 years, we needed someone with fewer health concerns (how many times must Danny do this???), and we need more defense. While I do like the idea of going for quality over quantity at a wing position — there was a logjam with Delonte, Tony Allen and Gerald Green — I’m not sure we screwed ourselves by not going after that magical power 3 everyone keeps talking about.
Now, the Globe writers are all spot-on in saying that this MUST be a prelude to another move — otherwise it’s a dumb move. To make this trade and still keep Theo is perhaps the most impressive thing about it. But where does Danny go with this? I say trade for another all-star if possible, but NOT someone like Garnett, Jermaine or Lewis. That’s insane. But a Kirilenko? Absolutely. (May’s right again.)
I’d also spend the MLE on a Grant Hill, and suddenly we have a great balance of youth (Rondo, Big Al, Perk, Green, Gomes, Powe, Ray) and veterans (Pierce, Allen, Kirilenko, Hill). I’d take Grant Hill right now cuz he’s all heart and smarts, the perfect bench guy.
So color me disappointed in the trade RIGHT NOW. The two things that could easily change my mind would be a healthy Ray Allen plus two smart moves with Theo’s contract and the MLE.