Trade Rumors
After being swept by the Hawks, losing the season series to the Magic and coming up empty handed in the first match-up of the first season against the Lakers, I have come to the realization that I’ve been just as delusional as some of the Celtics. It doesn’t matter if the Celtics are capable of beating the Magic, or any other team in the NBA, if they played a full game. They have yet to play to their full potential and right now, the Celtics are not better than the Hawks, Magic or Lakers… Or Cavs, for that matter, but the Celtics haven’t played them recently. The key part of that statement is “right now.” Doc said it best: the Celtics COULD be better than the aforementioned teams- but there’s no point in arguing otherwise, they’re not right now. Sure, a bunch of the games against the elite have come down to the wire and have been heartbreakers, whether it be that the Celtics lost it at the buzzer or there were a couple of tough calls down the wire that went against them, but at the end of the day, none of that matters because nothing negates the fact that the Celtics lost those games.
This has been the worst month of the Big Three era, so it is only natural that sentiments of unease and distaste surrounding the Celtics are on the rise. I remain steadfast in my belief that this team can turn it around- the question is, will they? In acting on the rising feelings of unease and distaste, lots of people have been calling on Danny Ainge to pull the trigger and make a move, and all of the rumors swirling around include Ray Allen. I’m not for or against a move including Ray, but it just doesn’t seem like an especially plausible option. Believe it or not, the Celtics are not the only team who don’t want to pay Ray and his declining statistics the 19 million dollars he’s on the books for. The trade rumors are stupid and are probably just the result of bored journalists that want something to write about, but a couple weeks ago the Celtics were going to swap Ray for Monta Ellis; now it’s Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala or Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Heinrich.
Even though Kevin Martin is a great scorer, there are negatives to take in to consideration: namely, he is injury prone and has missed 80 games in the last two seasons. In his career, Ray Allen has missed 92 games. Further, some of Kevin Martin’s injuries have been in his wrists. It’s virtually impossible to replace the outside threat that even a slumping Ray Allen brings, but if I’m looking to replace that, I’m not looking to replace him with someone who admits that their shot has suffered as a result of their injuries. Furthermore, I read that the Kings are in no hurry to break up the backcourt duo of Tyreke Evans and Martin, and if they did deal him, they would want a “prolific and young” big man included in the package. To me, that is sufficient enough to dead that rumor.
Andre Iguodala? Send him over. That would be great, but is also extremely unlikely to happen. In order for it to work money wise, the deal would have to include multiple players. The only thing less likely than the Sixers giving up Iguodala to an Eastern Conference foe is the Sixers giving up Iguodala and Lou Williams, a great backup for Rondo, to an Eastern conference foe. Iguodala is not an especially great shooter, but he is a good scorer. More importantly, he’s tough as nails, athletic, an able passer, a moderately big body and a slasher. I’ve always liked him, it’s just not happening.
The most realistic option might be Ray for Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Heinrich, and it seems most realistic to me because the Bulls are itching to unload Thomas. They’ve become disenchanted with him because he hasn’t played to his potential and apparently, he’s a big jerk. It doesn’t make that much sense to trade Ray for Thomas, but throwing in Kirk Heinrich, a pretty good guard and excellent backup for Rondo, makes it a little more sensible. In the face of having to rely on Rasheed too much, a freakishly athletic 6’10” guy who can score, play defense when he feels like it and rebounds the ball well is appealing. It depends on how big of a jerk Tyrus Thomas really is- could he leave the Bulls and become a functional player right away? Could he be disciplined enough to learn the Celtics system? Would he accept a role coming off of the bench and playing limited minutes? There’s no room for immaturity on this team, and that’s something that has become commonplace with him. It’s probably to risky to be a good idea for the Celtics.
At the end of the day, I don’t think the Celtics will move Ray this year. The best and most realistic way for this team to get better is to work with all of the great pieces that they already have. As always, much is contingent on KG’s health, but Paul Pierce also needs to rest up and get better, and Marquis Daniels needs to be re-integrated back in to the swing of things. There have been two positives recently: Glen Davis has looked better in the past couple of games than he has since he came back, which is great, and Eddie House has got it going a little bit. Hopefully Eddie will get even more of a boost with Marquis’ return. Rasheed needs to hit the treadmill, stop jacking up threes, start rebounding and settle down, because he can be more of a contributor to this team than he has been. Admittedly, it is harder to get in to shape at 35, but it is not impossible. It’s also February, so its past overdue, but I won’t get in to all that again.
** This just in: the latest rumor is Glen Davis for DJ Augustin. NOOOO!!!! Trading Glen would make the Celtics even more reliant on Rasheed and that’s not a good thing at all. Plus, Glen has been making huge strides these last couple of games, so why trade away a young, big guy for a back up point guard? Bad idea.
