Asterisk?

It’s a new age in sports- adapt or lose. The Heat won a ring the same way. Homegrown talent carrying a team is a fine way to win, it’s just not the only way to do it.

What the…does this idiot know how championship caliber teams are put together? Miami (Shaq), Phoenix (Nash), Detroit (Sheed), etc.

What a friggin’ d-bag. Does that count as cursing? Sorry, but this guy is hatin’ before we have even entered training camp.

Obviously a jealous man. Those words should be accompanied by the squeals of a swine.

Please refer subject to Heat, Miami; Mavericks, Dallas.
Spending money like no tomorrow works.

What the heck is a “real” team anyways? One that’s kept its drafted players forever? The Atlanta Hawks?

For teams that don’t get franchise players in the lottery, this is the only way to have a hope for a title. It would be great to be the Blazers right now but only a few teams are so lucky. Besides, if you could “buy” a title then the Knicks would be champions.

As someone who’s been consistently down on the Garnett trade, I have to say that while I appreciate the notion that Ainge was (awkwardly) trying to build a team with youth as the cornerstone and was struggling, this guy’s taking the notion too far. If this were the Florida Marlins back in the ‘90s, I could see that. I concede that building a championship team is incredibly difficult in the NBA. You have to get lucky in some ways, and/or have an incredible combination of patient ownership, shrewd management and great head-coaching. (Spurs, Pistons and Heat, anyone?)
So while I disagree with Ainge’s move, I understand him jumping at AN opportunity to win it all. I just worry, not that he bought a championship, but that he gave up on the opportunity to build a successful franchise, a dynasty if you will, at least in the post-millennium definition that I think the Spurs embody.

I thougt that you buy your way to a title thru free angency. As far as I can tell, JPosey, EHouse and SPollard are hardly “buying” a title….how ironic

I dislike the Garnett trade and I think Paul Pierce is a disloyal mule in need of a good swift kick. I also believe in my bones that Danny Ainge is a cowardly half-wit and Doc Rivers is little more than an amway salesman with a better than average physique. BUT! If these moves net us even a single championship, it will have been entirely worth it. No asterix, no apologies, no crying about 10 time all star Al Jefferson. Rent it, buy it, cultivate it, whatever. A title is a title is a title.

to say that it should have an asterisk is ridiculous do you think that every yankee title in the steinbrenner era should have an asterisk or every recent red wing title.last i checked there was a salary cap in basketball so are the celtics spending some ludacris amount compared to other teams no.and if they were to win it you think that maybe pierce ,rondo, and perkins may have something to do with it.that makes three of five starters home grown.

I also opposed trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. But it’s a wild overstatement from TrueHoop to claim the Celtics mortgaged ‘’everything for a title.’’

If one had to bet on the chances of a couple of star-level players coming close to maintaining their level of play as they move along into their thirties, I’d say Allen and Garnett would be good choices to plunk your money down on.

Yeah, the increased chances of lingering injuries and just wearing down, does have me worried. But the increased chances of actually competing for a title has me excited quite a bit.

I figure, if worse comes to worst, then the Celtics will be mediocre. Heck, I’ve handled that before.

Just like Ainge has always said…you build your team up through the Draft, Deals, and free agency….that’s exactly what he did and what all teams do to get to the championship level. You can’t do just one thing to make your team great…

It’s not like we have all free agents on our team, we have 3 superstars. Pierce is homegrown, and the other 2 superstars are through trades made w/ players that we’ve acquired through the draft and trades. Also keep in mind that the other 2 starters (Perkins and Rondo) are our first round picks and Tony Allen, when healthy, will be quite possibly the sixth man on this team…that right there is a combination of everything and not just the result of Ainge dishing out money.

this guy is a retard, how did we buy this team? it was freaking trades.

the only asterix i could see is that the gms that made this possible were ex-teamates on the team that got the accomplished superstar. and both sadly and honestly, that does make me a little embarrassed.

This is silly. Boston hasn’t “bought” anything. KG, Allen were obtained through trades, and the KG trade cost them dearly. This isn’t a go out and buy Tim Duncan in FA, or go sign a gun-slinger FA to tip the balances. This Truehoop silliness is someone who is trying to stir the pot in a dead summer for hoops, and who is disgruntled because his team has probably done nothing, or has realized his hopes for acquiring KG were dashed.

Low class, bush league, cry baby, sour grapes.

the writer is wrong we bought a team but the notion is not all that wrong. Winning with jefferson, pierce, rondo with a few other mid level free agents like camby would have been alot sweeter than with the team we have never to grew up with.

Its like saying as a redsox fan you trade ortiz for two other stars that could give you a better chance to win, but in the end its not the same.

ainge should have done all he could not to trade jefferson who is your next franchise player. I would have traded pierce first than jefferson. I rather have trade pierce and some young guys for gasol and we wouldn’t be that much worst than today and alot better for the future. Anyways just a bitter celts fan and prob won’t be happy for a while , just gonna enjoy watching rondo play mostly

And that isn’t a real sentence. It’s a run-on. Oh yeah! My assertion is correct. Yours is not.

Same comment I left at TrueHoop…

It would be helpful if the quoted Sadaqat could layout exactly what “everything” was that was mortgaged. A lock for a title with Al Jefferson? An unavoidable Conference contender for five to seven years? Playoffs for ten years?

This team sure was bought. And what was mortgaged was a pile of assets built to enable the option of making a blockbuster purchase(s) not unlike what was done this off-season. Winning costs (ask the Suns — who probably are guilty of shortsightedly mortgaging their future to save some money now). It costs things not unlike good young players named Al Jefferson.

“Asterisks” are for steroid use and cheating refs. Not for teams that accumulated chips and then cashed them in for a shot at a title.

Triboy, why would you trade pierce and youngsters for Gasol? that would be horrendous….if anything it would have to be gasol and a bunch of youngsters for pierce…Also, trading Ortiz for 2 lower level all stars would be the opposite of what the Celtics did.

Unless the Big 3 are on steroids, stop this asterik B.S.

Unfreakingbelievable!

I have been a big huge critic of Danny’s for the past 2 years. Some how, some way, he was able to get us: KG/Ray Allen/Posey and we still have Pierce/Rondo/Perk/ and Scal (that Scal part was a joke although I expect production from him to this year to a cetain extent).

I now bow to Danny!

Ainge did exactly what he said he was going to do. Develop players, gather trade assets, make a deal when it made sense. His youth movement almost took off when he tried to get trade Pierce for Chris Paul. Didn’t work out. He pursued A.I. Didn’t happen. I’m sure he made a play for Shawn Marion. Fell through.

The KG deal came and went, but Ainge kept at it. It finally worked out.

There are no guarantees that the Celts will win a title this year or next. But they’ve put themselves in a better position to win. How can you argue with that?

There can’t be a bought team with a salary cap. It’s not loike they are the Yankees or Red Sox.

Horrible analysis by Sadaqat. He’s just jealous.

He’s a knick fan people! which makes this possibly ironic but mostly hypocritical. Pay it no mind.

Obviously the asterisk statement is asinine – as others in this discussion have pointed out rather well.

But it must be frustrating for fans of other crappy teams to see what the Celtics have turned into this offseason. We’ve gone from second worst to one of the best. PLUS we all get to cheer for a transcendent superstar for 82 games a year. I would have seriously thought about sitting the season out as a fan if KG and RA went to NY.

Kind of like his mother bought him that Pentium 90 that he is typing this crap on from his basement bedroom…