Waiting For The Next Tsunami

 

Knowing that Danny Ainge is wheeling and dealing to save the Celtics is like watching a mongoloid play with the fuse box... something spectacular is about to happen, and it probably won't be pretty. The damage may be extensive and slow to heal, as well.

Having been robbed by the ping pong balls of the draft lottery, we can't take the easy way (Oden) out. The team sucks, and looks to suck for a while... unless Ainge can pull something off.

Unfortunately, that involves Ainge making some sort of trade. Nothing good happens when Danny picks up the phone... he even f***s up Domino's when he tries it. Unfortunately, we're the ones who have to eat the pizza he comes up with.

Here's the trade scenarios careening about them thar Internets:

A) Kevin Garnett for Jefferson, Green, Ratliff, Bassy, and the #5. There is also a secondary Jefferson/Sczerbiak(I'm from Europe, and I can't spell Wally's last name)/#5 pick one working for KG as well. Pierce for KG could work, with the right herbs and spices.

B) Pierce and the #5 to LA, Tyrus Thomas/Ben Gordon/PJ Brown to Boston, and Kobe to Chicago

C) Jefferson, the pick, and change for Shawn Marion

Now... I like KG, but Jefferson can give us 20/10 for the next dozen years. Only a fool trades that for 5 years of KG. the Chicago trade looks like 3 nickels for a quarter, and Marion is a 6'7" power forward who I wouldn't touch with your unit. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't take KG if I could get him without losing Jefferson (a descendant of Thomas?). I'd trade Pierce and change for KG like thisquick.

KG doesn't make the playoffs in the more competitive West, but he and Pierce would be a top 4 team in the East. Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami... and the new Celts would have a shot at any of them. Moving from the West to the East is sort of like spending US dollars in the Sudan... 1=1.5, and so forth. You become a more valuable player in the East. Lebron James and no one else at all made it to the finals this year... Pierce and KG could beat the Cavaliers, easily.

The fun guy in all this is Kobe. He recently did an interview where he shat on his coach, as well as fellow Laker Andrew Bynum. When fans asked him if he was going to stay with the Lakers, he said "Buy a Bulls jersey, boys." If Pierce, Green and the #5 could get Kobe (who most likely would use his no-trade clasue to get out of playing for the weak Celtics)... well, that probably isn't going to happen.

Ratliff's value is in his mammoth, expiring contract. Trading Bassy is addition by subtraction. Green has frightening talent, but he's a year or two away. I couldn't trade Wally fast enough. The #5 pick could be Dwayne Wade great or Samaki Walker awful. Pierce is a prime 'o' career star, and Jefferson could rule the low post until my kids graduate.

It's a difficult decision, and one I wish wasn't being made by Danny Ainge. Teams generally get better... Ainge's team has gotten steadily worse. I have liked maybe 3 of his trade/draft picks out of a dozen. He had to blow a pick last year (Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy) to get rid of the Raef contract. He's beaten this this franchise like a lazy cotton slave, and not just Stacey Franchise.

The draft is next Thursday, and God only knows what will go on between now and then. The Lord does work in many a strange and wonderful way.