I think the poor play is the very reason we should trade Ray. Obviously this team can play bc we were 23-5 but their have been issues – no killer instinct, age, injuries. The injuries can be fixed if everyone stays healthy but I think we make the trade for a young guy like Ellis or the kid from Sacramento for the youth, flexibility, and athleticism.

I think the primary issue with this team has to do with motivation and “pacing”…afterall, this is the team that started 23-5, they didn’t “get old” during the season, that’s pure BS…this team is struggling in part because its best player – KG – has not been able to get into a groove, this same player was peaking right before the hyperextension, so i don’t believe for a second he doesn’t have top game left in him – he showed it for about 12-15 games before going out…

I do believe this team needs to parlay Ray’s deal into a younger replacement, though i’d only do a trade if we could re-acquire him after buyout – Kevin Martin is too injury prone and Ray is just still too good to now retain in a backup/support capacity.

But the team does need an infusion of hungry players – i have ZERO doubt there is another gear this team will play at come playoff time – this isn’t age as much as it is indifference…but i don’t believe a team can “turn it on” and not be ruster – you have to play a certain amount of top-end basketball to be able to “turn it on” and right now the team is going through the motions far, far too much.

KG getting back into rhythm will help, as he isn’t being as vocal a leader while his game is off…having Marquis will also help as he hasn’t won a title and is still in his prime…TA/Walker/Davis/Williams would also help this cause if Doc would have the balls to BENCH some of the complacent stars more often – something Greg Popovich has been GREAT at doing to keep the stars heads deflated and remind them that their resumes don’t mean squat.

love some KG but this age plus injury plus another injury and we just don’t know what kind of shape he might get back in. They were old before the season started off, got off to an amazing start but the season is 82 games. The age is gonna show later not early in the season bc the legs are no longer fresh and injuries.

This guy makes several statements of fact that are actually unsupported guesses.

= How does he know KG will never be great again? Nobody knows that. He’s working on it. Anything can happen.
= The fate of the whole organization depends only on KG? Huh? In fact, it depends on many people and many factors. As constituted right now, they could win it all, with good health.
= He’s jumping the gun. The critical juncture will likely be spread out over the next two years, not two weeks.

His name is Robert McChesney, I believe, and he has written many articles on the C’s. Well written articles by the way. Big C’s fan.

The last two weeks have proved the Cs aren’t contenders. Right now. Those same games that have proved that have also proved that the Cs are better than every other team in the league. When they want to be.

Changing the lineup in a way that subtracts Ray Allen will not help that. Guys proving they want to win will.

 One day taxi driver picks up passenger and says “Perfect timing, you’re just like Frank.” Passenger: “Who?” Cabbie: “Frank Feldman, he’s a guy who did everything right all the time. He was a terrific athlete, could have won the Grand Slam in tennis, Masters tournament in golf. Could sing like an angel and dance like a Broadway star.” Passenger: “He sounds like a special guy.” Cabbie: “There’s more…He had a memory like a computer, remembered everyone’s birthday, knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat with. He could fix anything, not like me, don’t know which end of a screwdriver to use.” Passenger: “Wow, what a guy!” Cabbie: “He knew the quickest way in traffic, not like me. Frank never made a mistake. He knew how to treat a woman, would never answer her back, even if she was wrong. Perfectly coiffed, well mannered, no one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman. Not like me, a total failure.” Passenger: “An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?” Cabbie: “Well, I actually never met Frank.” Passenger; “What?” Cabbie: “Yeah, he died. I’m married to his widow.”

Elrod has been writing for a long time and has some very good insight into the Boston Celtics franchise. I don’t have to agree with every word he writes, but his concept is significant.

It’s not about writing the C’s off, although I don’t like at all what I’ve been seeing approximately since Christmas. It’s about the right business decisions as head of the franchise. I love Ray Allen even though I cringe multiple times in every game when Ray wants to handle the ball. If there is one phrase that I can be heard saying in every game it’s probably " Oh no. Pass the ball Ray. Somebody get it out of his hands!"

But can we afford to not take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself right now? I am not suggesting Ray for player X, Y or Z. That’s probably being worked on behind closed doors right now if I were to make a guess. But the risk is to lose the value of his expiring deal and get nothing in return. Personally, I believe Danny is too smart to let that happen assuming he has a willing co-conspirator……….and McHale is no longer an option or we might have gotten Big Al back again!

I tend to agree that with the right deal, we would have no less of a chance at a title than we have as currently constituted. And it would leave us better set up for next year and beyond.

While I’m not a bridge jumper by any means, I can find a lot of truth in what the big enchilada writes.

If you look at the situation logically and not emotionally, it will help generate the right decision. It’s not about liking, or disliking Ray, Danny, Wyc or anybody else.

ok i know the last few weeks/last month has been bad. but really. how can everyone say we arent contenders>? after all….
1. we had the lakers beat, and only lost by a lucky/clutch kobe shot.
2. we’ve had the hawks almost everytime, just failed to finish.
3. similar to atlanta, we were beating them. actually we were DOMINATING them.

of course i know all these ended up in losses. but it was mental collapses combined with a bunch of other things. it wasnt that we werent good enough. if we werent good enough we wouldnt have had all those double digit leads. no doubt there is a problem. but we are still contenders. and we in it to win it.

UBUNTU! (keeep raaaaay!)

if we win the 2010 NBA title as a “genuine condender” or as " the most common underdog". We still can do it.

If I remember correctly, Elrod is a blogger who use to be one one of the blogs I frequented in the past…maybe geocities. I googled him and his bio says he is a professor from Illinois (no where or what). His interests are “snoring and humming” and he break dances and plays air guitar. He always seemed like a good poster to me, but I think I will stick to my own opinion, and that is that this team is not finished yet!

What are you talking about? Is he the only player you’ve ever paid attention to with an injury? He had knee surgery (not uncommon) bounced back to a high level and then had someone fall on his leg( not the same injury) Now he’s played, what – 7 games since coming back and he’s done?

Its not wrong to question whether this team has what it takes to win – but to ask for logic and then make statements like “KG is done” are counter productive.

I think KG is good for quite a few more seasons and I doubt he misses any more time this year…that opinion is just as valid based on the sample of data we’re going off of…if not moreso

great job as always elrod, and even though I agree I think for the sake of loyalty, for the wholeness of taking the good with the bad, I would be ok with letting this team try again, I think they earned it. I’ll root for them, I’ll swear every time ray allen over dribbles and turns the ball over, and I will feel sick when they lose, but even having watched the 80’s C’s as a teenager, this is my favorite team of all time and if they want another go, have at it.

Elrod posits:

If this were the KG of his prime – the 22ppg, 13 rpg, 6apg, 2bpg 1st team all-NBA stud for much of the past decade – the Cs would be very much in contention.

That would be great. But its not particularly relevant. The relevant KG to compare is the one from 2007-2008. If KG can be close to THAT version (which, every 36 minutes averaged 20.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg & 3.8 apg) then they should be ‘very much in contention’.

His numbers indeed are down from 07-08 (17, 8.6 & 3.3, respectively, per 36). But not by so much as if you compare him to his prime.

More telling is that the team’s performance with him on the floor is still dramatically improved over not having him on the floor. Especially on defense. Having KG in the lineup represents around a 5-6 pt swing in the point differential!

If KG is at all reasonably healthy, and the rest of the top-9 rotation stays stable, this team definitely should should be able to turn this around.

That would be great. But its not particularly relevant. The relevant KG to compare is the one from 2007-2008. If KG can be close to THAT version (which, every 36 minutes averaged 20.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg & 3.8 apg) then they should be ‘very much in contention’.

His numbers indeed are down from 07-08 (17, 8.6 & 3.3, respectively, per 36). But not by so much as if you compare him to his prime.

His offensive numbers have not fallen off that dramatically. He can still shoot a good jumper, and do it well. Other than alley oops, he’s near allergic to the paint this year. The big fall off in production, which the numbers don’t indicate, is that he’s nowhere close to being the DPOY type of presence he was two years ago. Not close. Cannot move his feet like he used to.

But next summer, if KG hasn’t looked much more like the KG of old, I trade Pierce and do my best to trade KG also.

Pierce should be tradeable since he will be an expiring next summer.

We might be stuck with KG’s contract for another season…. but getting value for Ray now and Pierce next summer will help make our rebuilding much less painful than we experienced in horrible 20 year period.