For the first time in his career, Paul Pierce has someone to play with. No offense, Antoine Walker.
For the last six years, “The Truth” Pierce has been the backbone of the Boston Celtics. But after an abysmal season that saw the Celtics go 24-58, finishing in last place 29 games back of Detroit, GM Danny Ainge has decided to do something about it.
Normally, when a team finishes last in their respective conference, it at the very least gives them a high pick in the upcoming entry draft. But, the luck of the Irish didn’t work out for Boston and they ended up with the fifth pick, essentially losing their shot at the only two players that really mattered in the draft, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. So Wallace did the best he could with what he had and picked Jeff Green out of Georgetown, and shipped him – along with Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the 35th pick to Seattle (who were sitting comfortably with Kevin Durant locked up) – in exchange for three-point specialist Ray Allen, who owns one of the sweetest jump shots in the league.
With Pierce and Allen now wearing the same jerseys, the Celtics have one of the best one-two punches since Larry Bird and Kevin McHale.
But they’re not quite at Bird/McHale status yet.
Picking up Allen was a big move, but the Celtics still didn’t quite look like a championship team. Ainge knew that and decided it was time to make an even bigger splash in the trade market. He pulled off one of the biggest trades in NBA history, sending Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and a draft pick to Minnesota for 2004 league MVP and 10-time all-star Kevin Garnett, who obviously was getting sick of missing the playoffs on a regular basis.
Garnett, Allen and Pierce can now be called the best three man unit in the NBA and have the potential to reach the status of Bird, McHale and Robert Parrish, if they can put their egos aside and play team basketball, which won’t be easy for three players that have been the “go-to-guy” on their respective teams every year since elementary school.
For this team to become a dynasty, it’s going to take point guard Tony Allen to evenly distribute the ball and make sure he can keep these three elite players happy on their road to an NBA championship.
Filed under: NBA, Scott M | Tagged: Allen, Basketball, Boston Celtics, Garnett, NBA, Pierce |
The Sports Corner 
[…] The Sports Corner Celtic Pride is back in Boston […]
Stuff like this pisses me off to no end. Walker deserves a lot more respect and any credit at all and it is pathetic when people take digs at him.
Walker played hurt and never quit and Pierce has done nothing or merit without him. If Pierce was as great as people claim he was he would have led the team but he didn’t.
Celtics Pride has nothing to do with winning and it has everything to do with the kind of hard working player Walker is and was.
He wasn’t the most talented player on the court but he was the guy playing hurt and diving for balls and the guy almost always coming up with the big basket or defensive rebound when the team needed it the most.
They aren’t even close to being at Mchale, Bird and Roberts level and they won’t be unless they win Championships.
I didn’t say Antoine Walker was horrible, but what i was implying was that Walker obviously wasn’t the guy to do it in Boston, and he’s obviously no where near the talent in Garnett or Allen.
And you basically just repeated what I wrote when i said that they aren’t at the Bird level yet. Obviously they need to win championships to get to that level or else this will be all for not.
You took a dig at him which means like the rest of so called Celtic Nation you now think because you have Garnett who has NEVER proven anything that Walker never did anything to contribute to the Celtics winning and forever should be treated like shit.
It disgusts me that Celtics fans are known for being smart in the art of basketball when you are anything but.
Sorry but a HUGE pet peeve I have are the so called Celtics fans that only showed up when Pierce came from Kansas that now all of a sudden after 3.5 years or mediocrity think they can bash Walker because they have Garnett.
Celtics fans (the real ones anyway) respect the guys that worked their butts off for the team and Walker was one of those people. No he isn’t Garnett but so what? As of this second Antoine has accomplished more in a Celtic uniform then Garnett has and for once it would be nice if one freaking blogger that couldn’t even spell Celtic last year when they sucked would cut the crap and stop the stupid digs.
You will never know what Walker could have done as a Celtic because he never played with a talented enough player to get him anywhere.
Rondo is the PG.
rajon rondo is the pointguard, and fireainge you must be insane
after what Danny has done this year he will win exec of the year and deserves a 10 year extension
i agree with you about ‘toine though, he was a leader and did give his all…. I still got my autographed hat from ‘toine from his rookie year on my bureau and my nephew has the poster autographed still up on the wall.
I was happy as hell to see Antoine doing his dance in the finals and contributing big and earning that ring.
I don’t understand what’s so wrong with praising the moves made by the Celtics. Sure, Walker was good, but this new Celtics team has the potential to be one of the best in the past few years. If any GMs made the move that Ainge made this offseason, their team would be glorified as well.
Maybe it did sound like Walker was being put down, but can you blame him when a cast of Allen and Garnett comes to shadow Walker? I think time will have to tell when we compare the noticeable differences between the same-Celtics, different rosters from the past years. There is NO doubt that on paper, this team has the making of a contender. It is a very dangerous, yet mouth watering lineup with this trio. And I think you have to agree that the chances are better now for Boston, then with Walker.
Walker won, with a better cast, in Miami, and he got the job done. But now Pierce is given the opportunity to do the same, and he’s got a great cast by his side. Simple as that.
Hosea C