to somehow acquire Ersan Ilyasova & Nicolas Batum??? Both are unrestricted free agents, whose teams didn't extend a contract to when they had the chance.

Could we send "player A" + 1st round pick for Ilyasova??? If so, who would they ask for??? Making 2.5M this year.

Could we send "player B" + 1st round pick for Batum??? If so, who they ask for??? Making 2.2M this year.

Both of these players are proven young talent coming off rookie contracts, they are better pieces to build around for the future than the maybe a good player down the road upside of a mid-late 1st rd pick. Whatcha think???

Going forward, provided we don't have to give up one of the following, our roster could have these young pieces,

Stiemsma, Ilyasova, JJJ, Batum, Green?, Pietrus?, Moore, Rondo, Bradley,

VETS, Pierce, Allen, KG? Buy a 1st, 2nd, we have our 2nd.. We could get young quickly and remain competitive...

Keep it clean, thanks.

Dont get me wrong Im a huge kg fan as well as Ray, but like it or not they have to go. If the celts are going to make a move that involves either kg or ray they have to do it this season. Next year they will be one more year older and less valuable. Monta Ellis is a big time scorer and i think could real succeed in a Celtics uniform. The same goes for Josh Smith as well.

Trade idea:

celtics get; Monta ellis

Golden state gets; ray allen and brandon bass

OR

Celts get; Josh Smith & kirk hinrich

Hawks Get; Kg, Avery bradley,JO and first round pick

Its clear the warriors need to break up their backcourt if their going to win games. They have Klay Thompson but he's just not ready. Ray could provide them with what they need.

As for Josh Smith. its wishful thinking at best, but if there is a way to get both of these guys i say go ahead and pull the trigger.

We are playing Detroit in Boston on Wednesday night, then flying to Chicago for a rematch with the Bulls the next night. The dreaded Road-2nd-of-Back-to-Back. The guys will get to bed at about 5am (if they're lucky). Everyone will be ragged. You're probably not gonna win anyway.

So give Stern and Co. the finger and sit all the starters. You've got another road back-to-back on that Sunday/Monday, and more coming fast and furious after that. So don't run em into the ground. It probably won't work anyway. Let them rest once in a while, so that they can survive this absolutely-ridiculous regular season schedule.

Yeah, I know they're pros, etc., etc.... but this schedule is brutal for any human.

So, all you anti-Rondo people out there, how does 32 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds sound??? Rondo is without a doubt our best player. Not only that, but he MAKES everyone else on our team better. WHY AM I SEEING POSTS ABOUT TRADING HIM?!?! Yes he is sometimes inconsistent but geez, this guy is a top 5 point guard!! He knows this team inside out, and he knows where to put guys and where to find guys. He's an absolute star. I can't believe people actually would trade him.

Deal with it. If you don't like it then go watch the Heat. Because Rondo is a Celtic and always will be to me.

As for Rondo:

Best passer in the league

Best defending pg in the leage

Best rebounding pg in the league

Best FG% as a pg

He isn't just good because he plays with HOFers

Grittiest and toughest point guard in the league

Sure he can't shoot outside, and he can't shoot free throws but look at that list up there. Everyone has holes in their game and his positives really outweigh his negatives.

If they aren't named DRose or Chris Paul then I'll take Rondo every time. And to be honest I would rather have Rondo then those 2. He might not be better then them but he's a true Celtic.

Tonights performance was one of the best by ANY player this season.

If you don't like Rondo's game then get a clue.

Yes, it makes total sense and must be considered as the leading possibility for Dwight Howard's services. Recent history clearly demonstrates that if your star player doesn't renegotiate a new contract in his final year, then he is as good as gone. Orlando, in spite of owner's wishes, are well aware of this and are keeping things mum until the right moment. I am sure covert negotiations are going on between Orlando and one or two unexpected teams, such as the Celtics.

I am convinced knowing Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers and the way they think, that there this is a real possible play for Dwight Howard and that it is being discussed and held in complete secrecy. It only makes sense!

Please have a look at following Dwight Howard trade possibility: Dwight Howard Trade

Boston is trading their only star player with significant value to Orlando. That player is of course Rajon Rondo! Magic starts their rebuilding with some good pieces such as Ryan Anderson and of course Rajon Rondo. Along with Rajon, we ship them JaJuan Johnson, an attractive PF/C with a very nice upside, also E'Twaun Moore to provide backup minutes at PG position and Jermaine O'Neil to fill in at the Center position for this season and his expiring contract. Naturally, our two 2012 1st round picks would be shipped along with another 1st round pick to be shipped to them in the next 3 years.

Orlando does this trade because they start rebuilding with a star PG in Rondo and a future star in PF Ryan Anderson. Orlando then trades Jameer Nelson to the Los Angeles Lakers for their Lamar Odom trade exception. A welcome financial relief next year! The only bad contract remaining on the Magic will be Hedo Turkoglu....perhaps he can be traded along with a 1st round pick for an expiring deal somewhere?

Boston does it because Dwight becomes the cornerstone of the Celtics going forward and puts us is a great position this year for banner 18. During Rajon's injury this season, we learnt that with a combination of PG's Avery Bradley and Keyon Dooling along with Paul Pierce playing Point Forward, the Celtics looked damn good!

Beware the Ides of March folks...Danny will make this happen, I just have this premonition! This trade just make so much sense for all concerned. Oh I almost forgot, the 2nd best thing about this trade....we would be in a position with the cap room in summer of 2012 to sign free agent Deron Williams!!!! Imagine that, both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams are a real possibility. I love Dominoes!

A few weeks I captioned a post 'Blow it up, but start with Doc', that post was not received well by the readers, but a few weeks gone by has shed some more light on the Doc issue. There is now a building constituency of readers that are starting to question Doc's coaching, from the overall strategy, player development, player confidence, and use of his bench.

The events of the past week did not help those that have defended Doc. There is no answer to the charge that he rides Rondo and the big three, and only goes to other players when forced to by injury or foul trouble.

The fact is the Celtics can bring in as many star players as mopney can buy, but it will not make a difference if these star players are not hungry veterans like Allen, Garnett, and Pierce. The combination of the Celtic's Big 3 was a perfect storm of veterans who were hungry for a ring, and who did not need any personal accolades at that point in their careers. If we get a bunch of young stars like D12 and Deron Williams they may not have the level of success that our Big 3 had with Doc. We would still need a better coach to get them to the title.

Another Doc problem that is not mentioned is player personnel, why does he sit back and allow his players to be cast away by management. Where was he when Perk was traded, when TA was let go, etc. Perhaps Doc should have been given his wish and allowed to leave a couple of years ago.He just does not seem interested anymore. Danny Ainge of all people should understand that coaching a championship requires tremendous sacrifices, and is rarely achieved by cutting corners. When a coach says he wants to leave because he has confliciting interests, the Celtics should have probably let him go.

There is no need for Doc to get upset with his team in post-game pressers, because the best way to get the veterans' attention is to bench them and put in the bench, but you cant do that unless you have put in the time to coach up the bench.

Promoted FanPost

What is a Rondo worth??? What makes a point guard valuable? Is it his playmaking abilty? Floor leadership? Clutch performance. His shot making skills, passing skills, or performance with the game on the line??? Which of these PG would you not feel as comfortable having them run your team as Rondo, and why??? Would you trade Rondo for any of them, not worrying about salary or age, just based on what makes them a top twenty PG!!!

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Before I begin, I would like people to responde to this with an open mind and not with an ignorant mindset. That being said... I personally cannot grasp the fact that if a coach suffers through a sereies of 18 game loosing streak a few years back, the same coach can lead you to a franchise team and/or set you up for future success. Yes lets not state the obvious that we won a championship in 08, but who really contributed to that championship. I solely give garnett, paul and allan the credit for the championship run. Rivers offensive sets arent tht great because it all consists of jumpshots, and not rebounding. I am not saying he is a bad coach by any means but dont you think an upgrade in the coaching staff will help the team tremoundously? I remember reading an article I think two years back with doc stating how he just sometimes let the players run their own plays and make last minute decisions. I wish I could cite it but I cant find it. Also Tom T. helped us become a stong team the last few years so all the credit should not go to rivers because now that we lack a defensive mind coach, rivers flaws are becoming more obvious. Alot of coaches have done more with far less talent. I am simply suggesting an upgrade to the coaching staff to better our team for the long run... what are your thoughts.

I believe it's simple, we just have to get the 4 or 5 seed to have a great chance in the playoffs. That means knocking out our first round opponent, which I think the Celts can do, and then go against the Bulls. I know the Bulls are a tough team but I can still see us beating them. I just don't think Noah and Boozer in the front court can help Rose win a championship. Deng is the key and stopping him will stop the Bulls, Rose will get his points regardless. If we beat the Bulls, the only thing left for us to do is beat the Heat which I doubt. However, getting to the ECF will bring the team lots of momentum and I just trust that the Cs will fight hard. Assuming we beat the Heat, I think we'll be poised to win the ship.

I know it's improbable, but I still believe and will keep on believing no matter what.