Nirvana, Shakespeare, Fireworks

I asked you to give me 3 words, all your responses were so great but I could only pick one for the title.  Hope you enjoy this creative writing exercise.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

"We know what we are, but we know not what we may be." - from Hamlet

The kids are going to be alright.  We don't know if they'll be stars or merely rotation players, but there's talent there.  Marcus Smart hasn't played a single minute yet and he happens to share a position with our best player, but he also might have the highest upside of the bunch.  In last year's weak draft he might have been number one overall.  He'll get playing time because he plays defense, which coaches crave like a pregnant woman craves pickles at 2:00 AM.

Then there's the two headed monster I like to call Jelly Sullynyk (or if you insist, Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger). Neither one has a supertalent (though Sully's rebounding is nice) but they know how to score and make basketball plays.  Throw Tyler Zeller into the mix and we've got big guys that know their way around the court.  Together they may yet prove to be greater than the sum of their parts.  In particular now that mad scientist Stevens and brainiac point guard Rondo have a whole training camp to experiment with rotations and plays.

(Bonus random factoid: James Young was born in August of 1995, more than a year after Kurt Cobain died in April of 1994.)

I'm on a plain, I can't complain

"This above all; to thine own self be true" - from Hamlet

For the kids, the sky is the limit.  For a few of the vets, well, they are what they are and that's not such a bad thing.  Brandon Bass is a solid pick-n-pop power forward who knows his job and does it well.  Jeff Green burns hot and cold but when things average out he's above average.  When he's hot he can win you a game (sometimes in dramatic fashion).  When he's not, ...well, (silver lining alert) someone else has to step up and that gives the kids a chance to step up. It isn't ideal but it isn't tanksville either.

In Bloom

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." - from Twelfth Night

This is (finally) Rajon Rondo's chance to be a franchise player.  To make the trade talks disappear, to shut the mouths of his detractors, and to establish himself among the greats in Boston history.  Or he could be traded tomorrow, I don't really know.  But he's got so much undeniable talent and he's finally healthy again.  I don't know what's going to happen but I can't wait till he gets back out on the court so we can simply watch him do his thing.

Dare I put Avery Bradley into this category?  Sure, why not?  Tis the season for getting our hopes up and dreaming of players "making the leap."  He's got the defensive chops.  He expanded his offensive game and even showed signs of expanding his range.  What if he puts it all together this season and makes his contract look like a bargain?  Here's hoping.

Drain You

"Slanders, sir. For the satirical rogue says here that old men have gray beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging thick amber and plum-tree gum, and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams-all which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down; for yourself, sir, should be old as I am, if like a crab you could go backward." - from Hamlet

Gerald Wallace is 34 and Joel Anthony is 32.  Their glory days are gone but both are still collecting checks and showing up for game day.  They will play occasionally, if only to show the kids how to set a proper screen or box out.  Still, it is nice to have guys that have been there and done that and can impart their wisdom on the impressionable young minds in practice and on the bench.

Lithium

"Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving." - from Othello

I really have no idea what to make of Evan Turner.  He's either a supremely talented bargain find by Danny Ainge or a supreme waste of talent.  Does the truth lie somewhere between?  Can Brad Stevens figure out how to tap into that talent and focus him on a specific role that allows him to finally flourish?  I have no idea but I'm actually starting to enjoy the idea of this experiment.

Something In The Way

"Nothing can come of nothing." - from King Lear

We all want FIREWORKS and for good reason.  This team is a walking pile of assets that are waiting to be cashed in to form the next mega-team (or at least a more talented team).  But we couldn't land Kevin Love and there simply aren't any other game-changers on the market at the moment.  So there's no sense in making moves just to rearrange deck chairs.  Patience will be preached and development will be practiced and practiced and practiced.  Still, with that said...

Swap Meet

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." - from Julius Ceasar

Say what you want about Danny Ainge, but the man is not afraid.  He will leave no stone un-turned and he will not hesitate to do what is best for the team.  Sometimes that means trading away Antoine Walker (twice).  Sometimes that means trading for Ray Allen without yet having a commitment from Kevin Garnett.  Sometimes it means dealing KG and Pierce before they lost too much of their market value.  It may yet mean trading Rajon Rondo.  Or it may also mean going against the conventional wisdom and holding onto him to retool in the summer of 2015.  We don't know what Ainge is going to do, but we do know that he will not be afraid of making a bold move.

All in all is all we are

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages." - from As You Like It

When will the Celtics be title contenders again? Will they tank or try?  What will Danny do?  I don't have the foggiest idea but I sure have a lot of fun writing about it and discussing it with all of you.  The Celtics are a passion for each of us here and it is wonderful to have a platform to share this passion and join in the community.   We have a wide variety of opinions and styles but those endless shapes and colors are what make the mosaic so beautiful. So remember to "be excellent to one another" and show each other love and respect.

Come as you are

"Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing." from Troilus and Cressida

Win, lose, or lottery, I'm gonna have fun this year.  Hope you'll join us and stick around for the whole play.  Here's to a great year ahead!