It might not have been a blockbuster summer, but Christopher Gasper at the Boston Globe makes a solid case for the Boston Celtics developing on the schedule set forth by Danny Ainge after the "Big 3" were jettisoned.
The seemingly plodding pace isn't necessarily just by choice, however. One of the center points of the article is that there isn't an option for a Kevin-Garnett-like trade on the market right now.
Some diehard Celtics fans — and members of ownership — will point out that the Celtics made the franchise-altering trade for Garnett on July 31, 2007. This is true, but no player of KG's status is likely to land in green between now and opening night.
The pre-New Big Three Celtics already had a perennial All-Star and franchise cornerstone in Pierce. They had swung a draft deal for Allen. They weren't sifting through their roster like a miner panning for gold, praying for something of value to slip out of the soil.
(With the signing of second-round pick and Summer League sensation Jordan Mickey on Monday the Celtics have 16 players on their roster, one more than the league limit.)
The primary reason the Garnett trade came later in the summer was the fiercely loyal Garnett's hesitation about leaving Minnesota and his trepidation about playing in Boston.
These Celtics have to bide their time and hope to get a franchise player using their hope chest of draft picks and roster redundancy or see him sprout from their roster.
I recommend checking out the full article. It'll give you a nice boost in confidence for the upcoming season.