Those old enough must remember what happened after Larry Bird retired in 1992.
Celts refused to rebuild after Bird retired.
They kept Parish and McHale then added Xavier McDaniel.
Celts still made the playoffs as a 4th seed, but they exited in the 1st round.
In 1994-95, Celts signed a 34-year old Dominique Wilkins to bolster a Celtic team composed of Dee Brown, Dino Radja, Sherman Douglas, Eric Montross, Davis Wesley, and Xavier McDaniel.
And again the Celts exited in the 1st round.
Being a middle of the pack team having no shot at a championship is not fun.
It's just not worth the heartache.
C'mon dude. That team had recently lost its best player to a tragedy. Not really comparable IMO
Even if the Celts didn't lose Reggie Lewis, would a Reggie Lewis led Celtics team would've come close to reaching the Finals?
Reggie Lewis was already the Celts leading scorer in 1992, when Bird was still playing.
It was a 51-win season with Bird, Lewis, Parish, and McHale.
But the Celts still couldn't get past the 2nd round.
They were beaten by the Cavs in Game 7.
The point is when the championship window is closed, there' s no point in prolonging the agony.
Right now Ainge's master plan has backfired.
The sooner the Celts realize it's time to start from scratch, the faster the Celts will return to the Finals again.