The superstar model may be irrelevant for the Celtics

[Celtics18]

I think we can all agree that it's extremely difficult to win an NBA title without a super-mega-star.  The fact of the matter right now, though, is that there are only two players still in their respective primes in the game today who I would consider to fit that mold: Lebron James and Kevin Durant.

After that, you start looking at stars who are close, but whose flaws and/or lack of winning put them just outside that category.

Included in that list are:

Chris Paul
Dwight Howard
Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Love
Russell Westbrook

Add whoever you want to that second list, but I would still contend that the first two players are the only two in the league who will automatically make a team a contender just by virtue of being on the team.

I point this out to illustrate how rare the "transcendent superstar" actually is.  There are lots of very, very good players out there, but that kind of superstar is hard to come by.

Based on that rarity, I don't think that waiting for that guy to come around is a very palatable strategy.  We could end up just really sucking for a really long time and never finding that right guy.

I'd much rather see Danny attempt to use the pieces he has to build as competitive a team as he can as soon as possible.

Of course, there's a good chance that without that bona fide superstar, we won't see the Boston Celtics compete for another title in the near future.  Titles are certainly the ultimate goal, but I've never been in the "title or bust" camp as a fan. 

If Danny can build a team that can get to the playoffs, maybe win a round or two, and with a lot of luck advance even further, I'll be a happy Celtics fan.  You've got to give yourself a chance to have a chance.

I've never been an advocate of sucking as a strategy for long-term improvement.  My goal for the 2014-2015 Celtics is to see them be better than the 2013-2014 Celtics.  For now, I'm going to keep my expectations relatively low and settle for that.