Has the Cs championship window already closed?

[Fan from VT]

The 'KG's Celts' championship window closes this year.  However, 'Rondo's Celts' championship window is already starting to open.  

Seriously, during the next 5 years we're going to have the best pg in the East surrounded by veteran sharp-shooter role players such as Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.  Those two will re-sign for modest figures no doubt, and after Ray this year and Paul next, we'll have cap room to add another Max deal player to the core.  

Even if KG spends the rest of his contract in street clothes, our window stays open for the next 5 years due mostly to Rondo's upcoming prime and partly to Ainge's contract structure of Ray, Paul, and KG expiring in successive years.  If both Ray and Paul resign for around 9 million, we'll have at least $15m to throw at someone prior to the 11'-12' season.

Can you imagine Perk, Rondo, and another Max-contract starter having a supporting cast of guys like Paul and Ray playing the Michael Finley/Reggie Miller role?  We could be good for a long time, thanks to our re-signing Rajon Rondo to 5y/$50m this year.  Rajon is that good.

If the Celtics re-sign Perkins, they won't be under the cap enough to sign that "15 million" player. However, I suppose I like your optimism.

If Perkins has value and, if the Celtics are going to blow the candles out on the cake, I'd like to ship him out next year for a wing.

interesting point. but for me this raises another question tha1t will take this thread in a different direction.


where will the celtics be in 3 years? will they belotto bound? or will they have  rebuilt the team? or will they be simply "another team"?

specifically, i would like to read a dialogue of ideas of how to rebuild the celtics over the next 5 years.

let us assume ray is gone  after next year, or resigns for very little money, that would be step towards signing/trading for a very good player.

but that is onlly a start.

where to from there? what is the best way to go?

FA?

draft?

trades?

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=34106.msg649732#msg649732

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=33584.msg648374#msg648374

[Fafnir]

Pierce's knee also likely was swollen and had a little fluid built up because he's been playing professional basketball so much. That likely left him more vulnerable to such an infection. Also the particular bacteria can propagate at vastly different rates.

I don't think its fair to fault Pierce for not getting his knee checked early, he says himself that the pain only hit suddenly at night.

I hope no one thinks I was faulting Paul.  He just called the doc and the doc came to his home via the reports.  It was after examination at his home that they decided to go to the hospital for x-rays and further examination.  I was simply pointing out that every minute he didn't get anti-biotics may have caused the fluid problem.

I was around the corner from the hospital when my issue arose and was treated within an hour of the pain really becoming an issue.  Still, my knee had time to become hot to the touch and was bad when they finally gave me an anti-biotic shot to see if the swelling and heat would subside.

It happens pretty fast and my bet is Paul was not as close to a hospital as I was.  I was never meaning to imply that Paul wasn't taking it seriously if that's the way it came off.  I was merely pointing out that it's pure paranoia to assume that Paul was hiding a medical procedure just because of a knee infection.

Didn't mean to say you were, just that a few people have said "if only he'd gotten it checked sooner".

TP

[GreenFaith1819]

Nope...the Boston Celtics Championship window is open this year and Next Year. Wide Open.

We need to stay healthy, though...and even when missing key players the Celtics are a tough out.

We would have beat the Magic last year IF Powe was healthy, much less Garnett.

[GreenFaith1819]

History at times has a way of repeating itself and this is not the first time the Celtics have had an aging team that was beat up and plagued with injuries

http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/numbers/164532.html

From the article

Boston Celtics, 1968-69

You may be wondering how a Boston Celtics championship team could be considered a surprise, but the 1969 champions defied the odds. Although Boston entered the season as the defending NBA champions, all signs pointed toward the end of their dynasty. They were battered, bruised and getting old. Besides, the Los Angeles Lakers, who were defeated by the Celtics in the 1968 Finals, had acquired Wilt Chamberlain during the offseason and seemed poised to win the NBA title.

The Celtics dropped to a 48-34 record during the regular season -- 10 fewer wins than the previous season -- and finished fourth in the Eastern Division to barely qualify for the playoffs (back then, the NBA still had only two divisions and only four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs).

Boston's leader for so many years, Bill Russell, struggled with leg injuries all season, as did their high scoring guard, Sam Jones. Boston now relied on John Havlicek (21.6 ppg), and Baily Howell (19.7 ppg) to get them through most of their games. The aging Russell, meanwhile, played 77 games and averaged 9.9 points.

The Celtics' age especially began to show over the last half of the regular season in which they lost more than half of their games. To make matters seem worse, a week before the season ended, the Lakers humiliated Boston, 108-73, on national television.

When the playoffs started, the Celtics began to rekindle some of their old magic. They defeated the top seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, and then eliminated the upstart New York Knicks in six games to win the Eastern Division. The Lakers, who were still led by legendary point guard Jerry West, had rolled through their Western Division opponents and were salivating at the chance to finally conquer their weakened, long-time nemesis. Now with Chamberlain added to the mix, they were ready to dethrone the champions.

The Finals began as many experts had predicted. The Lakers won the first two games with West leading the way. West had 53 points and 10 assists in Game 1 and 41 points in Game 2. As the series shifted back to Boston, the Lakers privately entertained thoughts of a series sweep. Game 3 would be the ultimate test of the Celtics' resolve and will to win.

Havlicek, who would score 34 points in the game, began Game 3 on a tear and helped the Celtics establish an early lead. Los Angeles, however, would roar back to tie the score in the third quarter when Havlicek was taken out of the game with a severely poked eye.

The final quarter was a see-saw battle in which neither team could pull away. Somehow, Havlicek returned midway through the quarter and helped lead a final offensive surge for the Celtics. With time winding down and the Celtics holding on to a slim lead, Havlicek, with his left eye shut because of the pain, drained two free throws to preserve Boston's 111-105 victory. Havlicek's one-eyed free throws may have been the defining image of the 1969 Finals, for it showed despite injuries and old age, the Celtics were still willing to endure anything to keep their championship.

In so many ways, Game 3 was a turning point in the series. If the Lakers thought that the Celtics' victory was a fluke, Boston had something else in store for them. The Celtics would take two of the next three games to tie up the series at three games apiece.

Going into Game 7, however, it was still evident that no one really believed the Celtics had a realistic chance of winning their 11th championship in 13 years. In fact, Lakers' owner Jack Kent Cooke even planned out a victory celebration after the game in which thousands of balloons were to be released from the Forum's rafters to the beat of "Happy Days are Here Again". All this accomplished, however, was to fuel the Celitcs' fire even more.

Just like in Game 3, the Celtics began to assert themselves early in Game 7. They jumped out to an early 24-12 lead by hitting eight of their first 10 shots. The Lakers, however, charged back to make the score 28-25 by the end of the first quarter. Boston would hold onto their slim lead until midway through the third quarter when the Lakers went cold for five minutes and failed to score a basket, enabling the Celtics to go up, 91-76, entering the final period.

Once the fourth quarter was underway, the Lakers, led by West again, began to slowly mount a comeback. Eventually, with a little over a minute left to play and the score now at 103-102, West was able to knock the ball loose on defense for an apparent steal. Fortunately for the Celtics, the ball bounced right to Don Nelson, who then heaved up a shot from the free-throw line. The ball hit the back of the rim, rose up a few feet, and just dropped through the net. That basket seemed to drain the life out of the Lakers, who by this time must have realized that they would again fall victim to the Celtic mystique. Boston hung on to win the game and their 11th championship, 108-106.

Winning your 11th title in 13 years hardly qualifies as a surprise, but the 1969 Celitcs overcame a great deal to win the championship. Russell still maintains to this day that the 1969 title was his favorite. It was the greatest victory for perhaps the greatest dynasty in sports history.

TP. Outstanding Post. Just goes to show you - you cannot count out this Celtics Team. Our window for Championships is definitely open this year and next.

It is becoming apparent that this year's Celtics Team may very well mirror that team from 68-69 somewhat, due to our injuries and to a lesser extent our age. But we still cannot count them out.


Again great post PLamb.

[xmuscularghandix]

It's over. I'm not even watching them anymore. See ya later CB 

[mgent]

While I'm confident the Celtics could win if healthy, I'm not sure I like our chances.  In '08, we owned everybody all year long.  I just don't have that same feeling of being nearly unbeatable, even healthy.

My thoughts on the bench remain the same.  We should replace Scal and Tony with an actual SF.  One that is a good defender and can bring some offense (or at least a 3pt shot).

As for next year, our window should still be open.  Re-sign Ray, let House and Daniels walk, and then use the MLE on a true backup PG for Rondo.

[PLamb]

GreenFaith1819: TP. Outstanding Post. Just goes to show you - you cannot count out this Celtics Team. Our window for Championships is definitely open this year and next.

It is becoming apparent that this year's Celtics Team may very well mirror that team from 68-69 somewhat, due to our injuries and to a lesser extent our age. But we still cannot count them out.


Again great post PLamb.

Why thank you GreenFaith, that's very kind of you

[Brickowski]

Closed.  The Celtics, on 3 days rest playing at home, are getting blown out by the Mavs, not a young team either, playing the 2nd night of a back to back. I'm going to watch 2 more minutes, and if the Celtic s continue to play like lethargic crap, I'm going to watch a movie.

Disgusting.

[LarBrd33]

kevin garnett is the boston celtics.  If KG isn't playing, the Celtics have about as much of a chance as the Spurs without Tim Duncan.

[dlpin]

Closed.  The Celtics, on 3 days rest playing at home, are getting blown out by the Mavs, not a young team either, playing the 2nd night of a back to back. I'm going to watch 2 more minutes, and if the Celtic s continue to play like lethargic crap, I'm going to watch a movie.

Disgusting.

You've yet to respond to my question:
if the celtics' window is closed, which team isn't?

[GreenFaith1819]

kevin garnett is the boston celtics.  If KG isn't playing, the Celtics have about as much of a chance as the Spurs without Tim Duncan.

Well, I don't know about that. After all, this Celtics Team was just a Leon Powe away from beating the Magic in the playoffs last year.

Kevin is a Huge part of us, but not The only part. Celtics just didn't bring it tonight.

It's not just us...CLE's losing (and they are at full strength)..LA's in front of us by only a few games...ORL's losing...ATL lost tonight to OKC (In ATL)....

[ManUp]

I'm sitting on the fence. It all depends on KG if he doesn't figure it out and come back to something close to pre injury form we're done. Unless KG rediscovers his inner top 5-10 player, Yes the window is closed. I was feeling good until this recent injury which seems to be pretty serious. I definitely feel what Brick is saying. Unless your wearing the green tinted glasses it's hard to say that the window is still open.

[GreenFaith1819]

I'm sitting on the fence. It all depends on KG if he doesn't figure it out and come back to something close to pre injury form we're done. Unless KG rediscovers his inner top 5-10 player, Yes the window is closed. I was feeling good until this recent injury which seems to be pretty serious. I definitely feel what Brick is saying. Unless your wearing the green tinted glasses it's hard to say that the window is still open.

Well, let me help push you back over to the Green Side of the fence...

KG will be back, no question. Remember the stretch he had in Nov-Dec when he won Player of the Week? Guy absolutely could not miss...remember the Spurs game? The man out-played Tim Duncan.

Remember the Christmas game? Man had 14 pts and locked up R Lewis for most of the game.

Yes the Celtics Championship window is Fully Open this year and next.


And yes I am wearing Green-Tinted glasses...what color am I supposed to be wearing? Purple and Gold ?

[vinnie]

Nope...the Boston Celtics Championship window is open this year and Next Year. Wide Open.

We need to stay healthy, though...and even when missing key players the Celtics are a tough out.

We would have beat the Magic last year IF Powe was healthy, much less Garnett.

Unfortunately, most old teams don't stay healthy, which is the problem of being an old team.

[dlpin]

I'm sitting on the fence. It all depends on KG if he doesn't figure it out and come back to something close to pre injury form we're done. Unless KG rediscovers his inner top 5-10 player, Yes the window is closed. I was feeling good until this recent injury which seems to be pretty serious. I definitely feel what Brick is saying. Unless your wearing the green tinted glasses it's hard to say that the window is still open.

Again, if it is green tinted glasses to say that the window is still opened, who are the real contenders?

The cavs, who'll need Lebron to play out of his mind because the rest of their front court sucks?

The magic, who are 2-6 over the last 8?

The lakers, who are having to play an ailing Kobe 39 minutes a game?