Ugh...2010 is over.  Doc's strategy for sqeaking this team into the Finals worked, but required tight minutes limits on the aging [fading?] stars to keep their health and legs.  That's exhibit A.  Exhibit B is that, even on the playoff stage, we don't have a go-to scorer or closer anymore.  PP was "that guy" at one time, but he isn't the offensive powerhouse that he was, though still very good.  Ditto for Ray.  KG, through his career, was probably always best as a #2-3 option.

I love these players on our roster, but this isn't a team of superstars like it was in 08, and until Rondo gets that jumper down from 18 feet, he'll be a very good, perhaps star, but not closer-superstar level.  Ever. 

So we have a team of very good players.  There is a clear case to bring the team back, pay PP and Ray, give the MLE, and toss a few mil around to Nate and TA for another run.

But I think somewhere deep down we know that this team looks more like those matron of honor Pistons teams after the 04 title:  good talent all around, play well together, but no closer, and no more titles.  Nice runs, but always bowing to a team with the horses to close out.

This is where the business comes in.  It's probably a good business decision to pay the tax on big salaries for PP and Ray next year because they're likely to keep filling the Garden and to make some level of playoff run as well.  There'll be talk of bringing back that old magic by having the boys make another go for #18, but here's how to tell if they believe it themselves:

They'll pay Ray and give PP one more year (if he opts out), but that's it.  They might try for someone at the MLE, but only for 2 years (Harrington?).  Starting 5 intact, Sheed and BBD under contract, plus the MLE guy.  But they cheap out at every other spot, filling the roster with rookies from the draft or D-League, minimum deals, non-guaranteed deals, &c.  We'll hear that they're trying to develop young players and all that, which will be true, but they won't pay as many of those $3 million role players that do some key thing, like what Nate and TA do now.

So that's my prediction:  Keep paying Ray, overpaying even, for 2 more years to keep the smiley face on-to keep on marketing the big-whatever as a contender, as something to see, to pay to see.  But the odds are getting longer every year, and we can't pick up what we need with the MLE.  We need a new go-to player, the superstar scorer that can carry a team at the key moments.

Personally, the safe bet, business-decision is what I just wrote.  But perhaps it would be better to start the reload now, since we do have talent, other teams want it, and we could get pieces in return.  The sort of sad thing is that all of our stars are aging-out at the same time, so we need to replace too many pieces at once with star-level talent.  It was a near-miracle for Danny to have pulled that off once, I don't think we'll be trading in two superstars at once very soon...

I dunno...I guess I'm just sad today.