Wow. Talk about homerism. I mean, I'm optimistic about our future, and I'm not sure we won't at least be competitive for a good long while, but your suggestions are just a tiny bit ludicrous:
-Rondo averaging 20 PPG? No way, unless his jump shot gets so good that it's deadly. But he doesn't have to average 20+ PPG to be a great PG. The only two PGs in the league averaging 20 PPG or more (at the moment I'm writing this) are Devin Harris and Tony Parker. John Stockton never averaged 20 in a season; Jason Kidd and Steve Nash haven't either. You don't need to have a lot of scoring from the 1.
-Powe could be a starting PF for other teams like now? Listen, I love Powe's energy and hustle, but I challenge you to name me 5 teams in which he would start at the 4 over their current PF (or, in the case of teams like Utah, over the PF that would have been starting but for the injury.) I don't believe that you can do it. You're going to be the same person who will argue -- assuming Powe leaves the Celtics -- that whatever contract he signs will be too much money for him, and you know it.
-Perk will be "near the top of the league in rebounding"? How near? Because he certainly won't be sniffing the Top 10 as long as KG is here. After KG leaves, I can see him averaging around 10 a game, but he's not going to be challenging the Dwight Howards for the rebounding title.
-"By the time Ray and PP are done we will have found their heir apparent?" Look, assuming you consider Walker to be a PF, the last time we had a solid 2-3 combo before Ray Allen got here was with Reggie Lewis and Bird. We've had some good SGs, and we've had some good SFs, but not generally at the same time. Ray may very well be done in 2 years; are you suggesting that his heir apparent is going to be found picking near the bottom of the draft, given the fact that we're likely going to continue making the playoffs in some form in the East as long as Ray, KG, and Pierce stay healthy?
There's being a fan, and then there's being silly. You're being silly. We're going to ride the tails of the Three Amigos as long as they stay healthy. When they fall, we're going to fall for a bit. But that's the price we pay for having a great time; success is cyclical. There's simply no way to predict what our success will be like beyond when Pierce's current contract expires; there are just far too many variables. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Man, I thought we cleared this up months ago:
1. Rondo isn't necissarily going to average 20ppg, but he is clearly on a All-Star trajectory, so building a winning team around him is a blue-print you can find around the league - Good P&R and P&P PF and quality shooting/slashing wing men. As is, Powe is excellent at P&R and its not too hard projecting P&P into his game in 3 years time. He is mobile, can put the ball on the floor, and has excellent post efficiency - should be Rondo's future partner in crime.
2. Extending off of that - Powe could definately start at PF for 5 teams right now - his game is restricted by the role he plays for the Celtics - Memphis, Minnesota, OKC, NJ, and Charlotte could all use a true low-post PF for their attack.
Powe has played less than 2000 minutes in the NBA to date and averages under 4 shots per game - on a team with more opportunity, his growth would be accelerated because he'd have more chances to explore his game - this is something he's clearly displayed an aptitude for based off the efficiency he has shown. Is he an All-Star, no. But he has clearly shown that when he gets extended minutes and usage he puts up starter-caliber numbers, (16/8 when over 25 mpg)
3. Perkins has been averaging over 10 rpg playing over 30 mpg over the last month and those averages are going up. He's shown an expanded and reliable post game as well as glimpses of a set and turn-around jumper that are sure to increase in volume as the younger players take over for the elder.
A Perkins/Powe frontcourt would of course rely on a wing and PG dominated offense, but they provide defense, rebounding, and quality post play that would complement the right trio of perimeter players - Rondo is piece number one there.
4. Ray and PP aren't likely to be "replaced" in terms of level of talent, but finding 2 high quality wings isn't the worlds toughest feat. It is the most talent-rich position in the league and Boston is in an excellent position to fill one of those holes via free agency or trade.
Boston also has Bill Walker, JR Giddens, and Tony Allen currently on the team - its not hard to imagine any or all of these players developing some role on this team in the future. I personally believe that Bill Walker will be the starting SF for this team in 3 years time and a capable 2nd/3rd option to a Rondo led team. I think SG will likely be filled by a top FA in the future.
There ARE far too many variables to predict which direction this team builds in over the next 3-4 years, but based off the talent we already have in-house its not hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Boston will not be a title contender post GPA based off the current crop of talent, but with the experience all the younger players are getting and based off their current talent and developmental progress, its very easy to see that this group will be a solid playoff team in the mold of Philly from last year.
Perkins/Powe/Walker/TA/Rondo is a starting 5 that has excellent defensive ability and diverse scoring - there is not enough shooting on that team to be a super-effective half-court offense, but as a running team it would be dangerous and adding some bench shooting and a quality 3-point shooting guard would make it a competitive team because of the battle-testing and efficient/intelligent decision-making they are learning with the title team now.
This would be a group of in-their-prime role players who could certainly tread water in the Eastern Conference Playoffs until management added a big fish or two with the salary cap space they'd surely have available to spend. Adding a Joe Johnson or other big-ticket FA would then vault this team back into an echelon where they'd be back to "tweeking" in order to reach title-contention, instead of being in full-blown re-building mode...
So, no...its not hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel...this team needs only to continue to be shrewd with its long-term planning in order to position itself for a nice long run of success post GPA - the team has already shown these tendencies: look no further than the refusal to give Posey a long-term deal...
