A Harsh Assessment of 2009-10: The Window is Closed

[CoachBo]

This thread is not about minutae; no silly insinuations that Bill Walker should have played tonight, no love whatsoever, frankly, for the Celtics' youth.

This is a bottom line thread: There is ONE player on the Celtics roster playing at a championship level - Paul Pierce. No one else is even close, and this club is NOWHERE NEAR championship level.

Perhaps the reality is that the great shakeup of a couple of years ago delivered all it could: One title. Because there won't be another one coming this year.

Garnett's legs aren't there. Wallace is a soft 6-11 2 guard. Allen's not getting enough touches.

And tonight is a reminder, quite frankly, of the mega-hyperbole heaped by this board on young Celtics who aren't yet at championship level. Rondo was atrocious tonight - refusing to shoot, an absolute rally-killer with his "fiddlin' and diddlin'" as Johnny Most used to put it, totally dominated on both ends of the floor by Crawford. Perkins was totally MIA. Davis=nothing. Again, WAY too many minutes for Tony Allen.

One trade isn't going to help a team with old legs and erratic youth. It'll be another playoff run like last year - no easy wins and an early exit.

This club has played without energy and without intelligence for far too long to be dismissed as a slump. The window looks closed right now.

[PosImpos]

Sigh.  I find myself with nothing to say to disagree with you.

[Andy Jick]

well, i just learned i made a silly insinuation at the game thread forum...

[PLamb]

Most thought the window was open for three years

This is the third

Without a serious turnaround in the way the team plays and some changes to bolster a bad bench, yes I said it, this bench has been a colossal disappointment, a second championship in that three year Big Three window is gone

But, that said, I was only expecting one anyway and was surprised when it came in the first year of the window

[vinnie]

TP for the OP. The window is shut, but at least we got one out of the new big three!

[dlpin]

I think it depends on the definition of "window closed." We are clearly not in the same situation as the lakers and the cavs, but I think our chances are pretty much on par with the magic, hawks, and nuggets. I.e., we are not favorites, but we are not prohibitive long shots either.

[CoachBo]

That certainly appears to be the reality: We cashed in in year one, and the decline is under way.

The bench has indeed been a colossal disappointment, but I continue to be amazed by the lack of basketball smarts on this team, starting with the point guard and extending into some of the veterans who brought this team the title. It's shocking, frankly, to see an alleged title contender struggle to move the basketball, take intelligent shots and execute rudimentary defensive concepts, such as keeping feet on the floor or your man in front of you.

This team isn't close, frankly, to contending for a title. One trade's not going to change that, and the grass is almost never greener on the side of inexperience. In the NBA, there's a reason why people don't play. It's called talent.

[celticinorlando]

it does appear to be creeping toward the end...which hurts

[CoachBo]

I'm not sure how much it hurts, frankly.

The alternative to the past two seasons was another year of a group that was never going to win - Internet rhapsody and hyperbole aside.

No regrets, really. We cashed a title. I would have hoped for another with this group, but it is becoming increasingly clear that will not happen.

[celticinorlando]

imagine if they hadnt won the title in 08...man then this would suck

[jdpapa3]

I don't think it's definitely closed. If the team weren't playing so well before KG was strategically shut down, I might agree with you.

[PosImpos]

I'm not sure how much it hurts, frankly.

The alternative to the past two seasons was another year of a group that was never going to win - Internet rhapsody and hyperbole aside.

No regrets, really. We cashed a title. I would have hoped for another with this group, but it is becoming increasingly clear that will not happen.

I'm thankful we won that title, no doubt.

I'm just worried we won't see a good young team with the potential to grow into a contender in Boston for a long time...at least 4 or 5 years if not much longer.

It's up to Danny Ainge to find a way to either turn this team into a contender now (this year somehow or the next couple of years), or else set us up to build the team back up again in the near future with young talent.

[CoachBo]

This is one of those perspective debates that isn't resolvable.

I found - and continue to find - the idea that Danny traded value for Garnett and Allen laughable.

What Danny found were two teams ready to unload superstars for pocket change on the dollar, and he had enough dimes and nickels in his pocket to pull it off. Great drafting? Not really. Timely drafting would be more accurate.

Which is why I believe now is the essential time to land a bridge to the future - before the Celtics officially land in the middle of the NBA pack, a day which is coming sooner than I expected. If you make a move in-season this year, you do it to land a younger star or near-star that will help you bridge the inevitable dropoff that's looming, and give you a foundation to rebuild. I'll acknowledge in advance that many of you feel Rondo is that player; I most assuredly am not ready to annoint an erratic, scoring-challenged player with that role.

Some here treat it as a fait accompli that Danny will just go out and reload the franchise with great young talent. I would assert that he has yet to do so.

Sorry in advance for the pessimism. It's one old coach's opinion, and should be taken as such.

[More Banners]

The C's certainly are much different than 2006-7.  That team had players that we could expect (dream) to get better, and a high pick.  We have none of that now, unless BBD has some huge upside that I'm missing, though he may get a bit better.

This team isn't going to get better from within, and has only the MLE, which is probably better for acquiring complementary pieces.

We're very good, but my hunch is that Danny will take risks to build a champion, and would break up a playoff team in a second toward that end.  It's all about banners...  That '80's team he is often quoted as thinking should have been broken up won 50+ games each of the next 2 years, and made the playoffs that year...

That said, if the deal isn't out there, I think Danny/Wyc stand pat and wait until it is.  We're a playoff team, this year and probably next, too, but I agree in principle with the OP.  

I don't think that Ray and KG are as bad as the OP, though, just that they're looking more like very, very good role players than a "big 3" of superstars.  We went from great to very good.  Perhaps a bench scorer and backup PG can be acqired by tinkering, and we make a run, but I think it is almost a lock that we will not go into the playoffs with the current roster.

[jadams5214]

Wholeheartedly agree that it was worth possibly mortgaging the future to assemble the "Big Three" and try to win championships.

Winning the title in 2008 was worth it without question.  To end a 22 year title drought and reestablish the Celtics as a premier NBA franchise was worth the cost.  Another title was quite possible with a healthy KG last year but that never came to fruition.

The harsh reality though is that the title window is closing more every day.  Is it worth seeing if this team can pull things together and make another run without making drastic changes?  Or is it time to break up the Big 3 now and build for the future?  I guess Doc and Danny will make those decisions and we can only hope it turns out for the best.

No matter the outcome the title of 2008 was worth the risk without question!!!