The sad truth is that Boston is badly geographically handicapped and that is a major obstacle with many free agents. There is no way this Celtics team is in contention the next few years unless somehow another major star is added.The Bucks will still be brutally good and Philly has improved with the addition of Horford. The Nets add Durant next year which only makes the East that much tougher.
This is why I was really, really hoping Michael Carter-Williams, Noah Vonleh, or Nerlens Noel would become superstars. It's already extremely difficult to compete for free agents, any edge helps.
Boston not having as large a black population as other cities probably doesn't help in producing hometown superstars. The weather also isn't optimal because it's not as convenient to play sports outside year-round. I mean, with baseball it sometimes seems like Texas and California produce half of the American-born players. The greater Boston area also doesn't seem to value high school sports at the same level as other places, which means less resources and lower athlete development.
Oh yeah, I forgot Arlington's own Pat Connaughton! We got the inside edge on him!