After the Nets loss, its clear this team can't win a championship. So what do we do going forward?

Enjoy what we can of this team and plan for the POST BIG 3 ERA! 

1) We can't resign Ray, unless he signs for the veteran minimum.  This championship run is over. So we shouldn't be adding talent to win now, we should be building the new team, around the core of Rondo and Perkins. 

2) Trade Pierce this summer. Pierce is an expiring contract this summer. He also has value to a team trying to win now. With luck trading Pierce brings us some good assets, either good, young players, or high draft picks. 

3) Trade Wallace. If we aren't going for it now there is no point keeping Wallace. 

4) Trade KG if we can. It depends how KG looks the rest of this year vs. his huge contract. But we should try to trade him this summer. At this point, I'd trade him for expirings just so we could make a fresh start before the summer of 2012. 

As of 3PM today, if Ray is still a Celtic, we have morphed into the LATE 1980's Celtics. 

>>>>>>>>>>  NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP.

>>>>>>>>>> BUT TOO COMMITTED TO THE STARS ON THE TEAM TO GET BETTER IN A SERIOUS WAY

How does losing Ray with no compensation this summer, help the team?

Or worse why resign an aging shooter, who can no longer shoot well?

If Ainge doesn't pull off a big trade by 3PM today, I for one will question the sanity of a man who TOLD RED TO TRADE THE ORIGINAL BIG 3 BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE! 

We can't beat the Hawks 0 wins and 4 loses this season

We can't beat the Magic 1 win and 3 losses this year

And do we honestly think we can beat the CAV's after they add Jamison?

We are lucky if we get to the Eastern Conference finals let alone win a championship. 

Get something for Ray Danny, or BE REMEMBERED AS THE GUY WHO WOULDN'T FOLLOW HIS OWN ADVICE, TRADE RAY WHILE WE CAN STILL GET VALUE FOR HIM!

Some high or low lights - listed in order of Grade by Herald

RAJON RONDO - A

(14.3 PPG, 9.7 APG, 4.4 RPG, 2.5 SPG)

No one doubts his All-Star credentials. If anything, Rondo has proven that theCeltics [team stats] got an incredible bargain when both sides agreed to a five-year, $55 million deal last September. There hasn’t been a better point guard in the Eastern Conference this season. As vital as Kevin Garnett is to this team’s shelf life, the same now applies to Rondo. They are going nowhere without his “A” game.

KENDRICK PERKINS - A-minus

(11.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG, .614 FG)

Just ask Dwight Howard: Perkins is probably the best one-on-one post defender in the game. His offense is gravy, and with Kevin Garnett back, those open looks should return. Rebounding has taken a dip. But he has to lose that post-foul scowl and the arm flapping. That action only fans the flames for officials everywhere.

PAUL PIERCE - B

(18.6 PPG, .471 FG, .448 3-FG)

He remains the premier scorer on this team, but his bread-and-butter drive move hasn’t been as effective. Pierce isn’t getting the same calls in the paint as before, which makes you wonder if referees have picked up on something. Has the Celtics [team stats] captain finally lost a step? A pair of leg injuries (knee infection, strained foot) haven’t helped, but Pierce’s “and-1” opportunities are on the downswing. Like Ray Allen, better offensive flow is his best friend.

TONY ALLEN - B

(7.2 PPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG)

He is flat out playing his best basketball since that glorious month-long stretch in early 2006, prior to his cataclysmic knee injury. This time, though, it’s not his scoring. It’s his energy, attention to the little things, and, above all, his emergence as one of the best stoppers on this team that is shining through. His decisions with the ball still can be numbing, but at long last, he appears to have turned the corner as an important role player. As always with him, though, cross your fingers.

KEVIN GARNETT - C

(14.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG)

It’s difficult to grade someone who, on the mend from knee surgery, sank into a 10-game absence with a hyper-extension of the same knee. As a result, KG’s entire season has been one of painfully attempting to get back up to speed. The question is whether he can return even close to form by the playoffs, or whether the limited player on the floor right now is an accurate indication of who Garnett has become. For now, KG isn’t that Hall of Fame defender so pivotal to this team’s future.

RAY ALLEN - C

(16.0 PPG, .450 FG, .338 3-FG)

He is struggling through his worst statistical season since his rookie year, but he remains the Celtic you want with the ball and an open shot if the game is on the line at the buzzer. The problem is that good looks haven’t come as easily this season. Part of that stems from a puzzlingly stagnant offense. But another part of that dilemma has to be pinned on Allen. Has he ever missed this many layups?

RASHEED WALLACE - C-minus

(10 PPG, .408 FG, .296 3-FG)

He’s fine when playing the reserve role he was signed to play. When he hits that 3-pointer, swings into the post and covers the paint defensively, he looks great. On a cold night he can be frightening, and the probability of that multiplies when his minutes start drifting north of 20. As far as the technical fouls go, Sheed came as advertised. No one should be surprised as he approaches the league’s 16-tech mark, and suspensions will begin to accrue. It seems he can’t help himself.

COACHING C 

In recent weeks, Doc Rivers has pointed a finger at himself when discussing what has gone wrong with the C’s, and rightly so. When Rajon Rondo [stats]stepped up and criticized what he considered a growing culture of individualism on the team, the comments were partly an indictment of the coach. The architect of umbuntu has to reintroduce the concept. In Rivers’ defense, he is coaching an aging, brittle team that requires frequent adjustments. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce[stats], in particular, have shouldered too much of the minutes load as a result. His reluctance to give even small roles to Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens has run counter to that need.

MANAGEMENT - C

Shelden Williams initially looked like an uncanny signing, though he has since slipped off the radar. Rasheed Wallace, identified by most teams as the best free agent on the market last summer, is who he is at this stage of his career - a talented mixed bag. Marquis Daniels, back from injury, should prove to be the most consistent of the lot. But right now Danny Ainge’s best move, hands down, was locking up Rajon Rondo for another five seasons.

GLEN DAVIS - D

(5.8 PPG, 4 RPG)

Davis’ amount of time missed to thumb surgery (28 games) should warrant an incomplete, but the player formerly known as Big Baby was the architect of his own misery. He returned, and in another case of baffling judgment, told a Pistons fan to perform a task not fit for print within full earshot of TV and radio broadcasts. Maturity is his greatest challenge. He’s starting to play well, with a relentless energy the bench sorely needs. But he also has to guard against an emotional relapse.

EDDIE HOUSE - D

(7.1 PPG, .398 FG, .373 3-FG)

At this time last year he was on one of the hottest stretches of his career from downtown. But save for some big fourth quarters in early February, House has been a man of low impact, with all of the usual defensive and ballhandling shortcomings. As evidenced by those numbers, his jumper isn’t falling. But House is also a streak shooter. An eruption could be on the way. He was playing well, off the ball, with Marquis Daniels when the latter went down.

MARQUIS DANIELS - Incomplete

(6.2 PPG, 2 APG)

Just as he was starting to blend in as the heart of the second unit, Daniels tore the tendons in his left thumb. Now he has to re-learn an offense that has been updated since his departure. But he is only going to help at both ends, and also give Paul Pierce and Ray Allen some desperately needed relief.

http://bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?&articleid=1233177&format=&page=3&listingType=celt#articleFull

Do you agree with the grades?

The Cav's are rumored to be close to a deal for Amare, giving up Hickson and  Ilgauskas - or not much! They might even be able to get Ilgauskas back if Phoenix as expected buys him out. 

The Celtics have been playing badly since Christmas with only 9 wins against 13 losses. KG looks like a shell of the player from 2008, let alone from his prime. Pierce also looks like a player who is showing his age. Ray is shooting 34% from 3 point range for the season. The reason we got Ray was for 3 point shooting. 

Can the Celtics realistically beat the Cav's if they add Amare to their current team?

[Thats ignoring the Celtics 0 wins and 4 losses to Atlanta, and 1 win and 3 losses to Orlando.] 

* Ray Allen sits for the first time this season.  He has played through everything previously to prove himself in his contract year.  This often happens when a team has a big trade cooking away and doesn't want a twisted ankle or something worse to prevent the trade from happening. 

* Before the game, Doc said this was a very important game for the team to. He then proceeded to play the 2nd unit almost as much as the first unit. Was he SHOWCASING players on the 2nd unit?  I can't remember another game with playing time this skewed toward the bench in the "big 3 era" except in the last game or two of the season after playoff seeding was finalized. 

Rondo 25, KG 26, Perkins 23, Tony (a starter tonight) 24, those are minutes played not points. 

Bench minutes - wallace 25, Daniels 24, House 24, Davis 21. 

We'll know in a little over a week, but I think (hope) a big trade is brewing. 

I want #18 so badly I dream about it.  I see Red lighting up his cigar in cloud formations. Big shots from KG, Paul and Ray. Rondo running circles around opponents. Perk holding down the fort. 

But I'm not there anymore. This season reminds of the Red Sox in july and august and the Patriots in the fall. In both of the latter two cases, the home teams played at a high level, but in the "big games" they found a way to lose and that set the tone for the post season. Late losses to the Colts and Broncos. The blowout to the Saints. The Red Sox could NOT hit against teams with elite pitching like the Yankees. They were very good, just not "good enough". 

I started the year hopeful, that KG's injuries were behind him. We added Rashid and Marquis.  Rondo was resigned which eliminated a locker room issue. 

The Celtics are currently projected to win 52 games vs. 66 in their championship season. Their average margin of victory is now 5 points vs 10 pts in 2008.  Even last season with KG injured the Celtics continued to win in February, March, and April. They didn't win as easily, but they won, at a high rate. We ended up with 62 wins last season.  We looked like a team that  was a player away. 

We now look the Celtics of the late 80's. In '87 we won 59 games, in '88 we won 57, in '90 we won 52, in '91 we won 56 and as late as '92 we won 51. But the dominance was gone. We rooted for them knowing that Bird or McHale would have one ailment or another that would prevent another championship. 

So where does that leave us now? 

I look at the season before game 28 [the Magic game on Christmas day]  and after game 28. Our record up to and including game 28 was 23 wins and 5 losses. 

In that span, we beat the Cav's, the Jazz, the Spurs, and  the magic in game 28. NOTE: not many good teams were played at their best. The cav's hadn't integrated Shaq, the Jazz, spurs and magic were all facing early season chemistry problems. Our starters were on their third year playing together. 

Since game 28 our record is  8 wins and 11 losses.  

We have lost all 4 games to the Hawks, both games to the Suns, 2 out of 3 to the Magic, we lost to the Lakers & Mavericks on our home floor. 

We have mostly lost to the good teams especially after game 28 on Christmas day. 

So are we the Celtics of the late 80's? Are we hoping for another championship, when in our heart of hearts we know its unlikely? 

We have big decisions to make. Ray is a free agent this summer. If we don't resign him, he walks away with no compensation.  Even with Ray off the payroll, we are over the salary cap, so no major free agents this summer. Pierce will also have only one more season after this one as does Perkins. KG has two more years. 

From what I'm seeing now, I don't think we are likely to get through 4 rounds of the playoffs for another championship. 

1) KG is no longer KG. He has no lift and limited lateral mobility. The rebounds are not there.  We also can't rule out more injuries. Once veteran players start breaking down, it happens more frequently as we saw with Bird and McHale. 

2) Ray is no longer Ray. His shooting percentages are down across the board. Doc should be playing him no more than 31 minutes a night. He now averages 37 minutes a night. This is the worst 3 point shooting of Ray's career, even when fighting those ankle injuries he shot better. At 33.8% his is far below is career 40% and 41% last season. 

3) Pierce is no longer Pierce. This is a guy, who like KG played through anything for most of his career. He again has been played too many minutes by Doc.  Its one injury after another. 

If we listen to Rondo, the team chemistry also isn't there compared to 2008. Players have their own agendas. 

I hate to say this, but if don't want another "lost decade" we need to make tough decisions. 

1) In my heart, I think we should trade Ray for the best talent we can get at the trading deadline. This helps us for the future and should add some "young legs" for a championship run this season - a last hurrah for Pierce and KG. 

2) Next season, we should trade Paul to a contender to give him one more shot and get us young players, draft picks or at least cap space for 2011. [Hate to say it, but I'm assuming we don't win.] 

3) I'd also trade KG next summer for anything I could get for him, since he is no longer worth, the $19 million and  $21 million (in 2012) he will be getting paid in the next two seasons. Even expirings for a team going for it would be enough if necessary. 

Then we rebuild. 

I'm trying to be realistic. No blind hope and no lost decade. 

Tell me why I'm wrong or if you agree.