Interesting what-if scenario...

[the TRUTH]

Let me preface this post by saying Danny clearly made the right moves in the summer of 2007, as the results speak for themselves.

That being said, I was just thinking about TA's departure, and it led me on a trip down memory lane. Right before he got hurt on that freakish post-whistle dunk attempt in January 2007, TA was clearly at the peak of his career. I wouldn't call him unstoppable at that point, but he was MUCH better offensively than he's been since. He had a great first step, could drive on just about anyone, and was finishing at the hoop (unlike now, where he seemingly misses most of his layups). He even had a solid jumper up to about 18 feet that he was making consistently (speaking of, I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player regress so much as a shooter over the years). Defensively, he was playing like he did for us at times this past season, making him one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.

So here we go with what I think is an interesting 2-pronged what-if scenario.

1. What if TA doesn't tear his knee apart against the Pacers, and plays the rest of the season like he showed during that 15-20 game stretch?

AND...

2. What if we got the #2 pick in the draft, and Portland still took Oden (meaning we obviously selected Durant)?

Does Pierce demand a trade, seeing that we're "going young?" Or does he like the potential our team has, and decide to stay. Personally, I think he still would have demanded a trade. And in that case, what could we have gotten for him?

I think a starting lineup in 07-08 of Rondo, TA, Durant, Al Jeff, and Perk would be pretty tough. Say we kept Delonte, kept Gomes, kept Powe (as we actually did), and drafted Big Baby. Add to that whatever we got back in the Pierce trade, which hopefully would have been a great deal.

Am I crazy to think that team could have made some noise in the playoffs, with only more to come as they matured together? Sure, that team is young, and probably not great defensively. But they would be very tough to stop offensively. I'm assuming Rondo and Perk both progressed exactly how they actually did in 07-08, Al stayed healthy, and TA continued to play how he did in 06-07. And that starting backcourt would be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. That lineup could run some teams out of the gym.

Of course, we'll never know what we would have gotten in return for Pierce, or which players Ainge could have acquired to fill out the bench. Also, in this scenario, we didn't even use Theo or Wally's expiring deals, which both were very valuable.

Or what if Pierce decided he liked where Danny was taking us, and wanted to stay? If we got a player of Ray Allen's caliber for Delonte, Wally's contract, and the 5th pick, couldn't TA (at that point), Wally's contract, and our 2008 first round pick get us someone of similar caliber, if not better? Now you have a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, and Perk, plus the aforementioned role players, plus the 2nd-tier star that you got in the hypothetical TA trade.

Or to take it a step further, we probably still could have gotten Garnett for the same deal that actually took place (provided we convinced him to sign an extension). Imagine a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Garnett, and Perk, plus the 2nd-tier star we got in the hypothetical TA trade. 

There's a lot more I could write, but I realize this is getting long. Bottom line, if these two things had happened, we'd have a potential dynasty on our hands, with the soon-to-be best player in the league paired with Rondo for years to come. Thoughts?

[mmbaby]

Interesting post, OP
I always liked TA and thought with more playing time he would have posted better numbers. Had forgotten about the injuries.
It will be interesting to see how he does this season, but I just don't think I would want to predict so far ahead.
I think he made a good decision to go with another team for an opportunity to get more playing time while he's still young and improving. 

[pearljammer10]

I wouldn't trade the unanswered if's for 1) the Championship we have already won 2) the two trips to the finals we've taken and 3) the roster we have going into the season, anyday of the week.






However, stil a good post.

[Andy Jick]

we could play this game all day and get nowhere.  there are too many variables in play, but though it's interesting to consider, in the end it's like a dog chasing his tail.  who knows if all those things would have played out precisely as noted...

i truly believe the most decisive thing that created the direction danny went was not winning one of the top two picks in the lottery:

had we taken durant, pierce would have been moved in a deal and this team would have changed immensely.

had we taken oden, we'd be beating our heads on a wall day after day...

[Birdbrain]

The best thing that happened to the C's organization in the past 20 years was losing that lottery.

[GreenEnvy]

The best thing that happened to the C's organization in the past 20 years was losing that lottery.

While I agree wholeheartedly, even if we landed a top-2 pick, we could have still landed Garnett. I would assume no Ray, but if we got Oden, we may have had the pieces to do it. Delonte/TA, Perk, future picks, etc. may have been enough.

Of course what actually happened (I still remember that lottery night seeing our logo on the card at the 5th spot and how demoralized I was) not only for the Celtics but for Oden (unfortunately, to this point) worked out in our favor.


But enough about TA. Seriously. He is gone. He is not coming back. That is all. I'm sure he was talked about more in the past 3 months than in his 6 years with the team.

[KobeGotRondoD]

Let me preface this post by saying Danny clearly made the right moves in the summer of 2007, as the results speak for themselves.

That being said, I was just thinking about TA's departure, and it led me on a trip down memory lane. Right before he got hurt on that freakish post-whistle dunk attempt in January 2007, TA was clearly at the peak of his career. I wouldn't call him unstoppable at that point, but he was MUCH better offensively than he's been since. He had a great first step, could drive on just about anyone, and was finishing at the hoop (unlike now, where he seemingly misses most of his layups). He even had a solid jumper up to about 18 feet that he was making consistently (speaking of, I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player regress so much as a shooter over the years). Defensively, he was playing like he did for us at times this past season, making him one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.

So here we go with what I think is an interesting 2-pronged what-if scenario.

1. What if TA doesn't tear his knee apart against the Pacers, and plays the rest of the season like he showed during that 15-20 game stretch?

AND...

2. What if we got the #2 pick in the draft, and Portland still took Oden (meaning we obviously selected Durant)?

Does Pierce demand a trade, seeing that we're "going young?" Or does he like the potential our team has, and decide to stay. Personally, I think he still would have demanded a trade. And in that case, what could we have gotten for him?

I think a starting lineup in 07-08 of Rondo, TA, Durant, Al Jeff, and Perk would be pretty tough. Say we kept Delonte, kept Gomes, kept Powe (as we actually did), and drafted Big Baby. Add to that whatever we got back in the Pierce trade, which hopefully would have been a great deal.

Am I crazy to think that team could have made some noise in the playoffs, with only more to come as they matured together? Sure, that team is young, and probably not great defensively. But they would be very tough to stop offensively. I'm assuming Rondo and Perk both progressed exactly how they actually did in 07-08, Al stayed healthy, and TA continued to play how he did in 06-07. And that starting backcourt would be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. That lineup could run some teams out of the gym.

Of course, we'll never know what we would have gotten in return for Pierce, or which players Ainge could have acquired to fill out the bench. Also, in this scenario, we didn't even use Theo or Wally's expiring deals, which both were very valuable.

Or what if Pierce decided he liked where Danny was taking us, and wanted to stay? If we got a player of Ray Allen's caliber for Delonte, Wally's contract, and the 5th pick, couldn't TA (at that point), Wally's contract, and our 2008 first round pick get us someone of similar caliber, if not better? Now you have a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, and Perk, plus the aforementioned role players, plus the 2nd-tier star that you got in the hypothetical TA trade.

Or to take it a step further, we probably still could have gotten Garnett for the same deal that actually took place (provided we convinced him to sign an extension). Imagine a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Garnett, and Perk, plus the 2nd-tier star we got in the hypothetical TA trade. 

There's a lot more I could write, but I realize this is getting long. Bottom line, if these two things had happened, we'd have a potential dynasty on our hands, with the soon-to-be best player in the league paired with Rondo for years to come. Thoughts?

I don't think TA would have ever been a good starting 2 guard on a GOOD team.  He was a good player on a bad team that year, the only reason being there weren't many options to pass the ball to (Pierce was injured).

Given that scenario, I don't see Pierce leaving just because we're going young. He would've stayed because of Durant.

Lineup wouldve looked something like:
1- Delonte West - Rondo
2- Kevin Durant - Wally
3- Paul Pierce-TA - Gomes
4- Al Jefferson - Glen Davis
5- Perkins- (Free Agent Pickup)

Not bad at all. Yet definitely not enough to get us a championship... but a solid core for the future to build around.

[BballTim]

Let me preface this post by saying Danny clearly made the right moves in the summer of 2007, as the results speak for themselves.

That being said, I was just thinking about TA's departure, and it led me on a trip down memory lane. Right before he got hurt on that freakish post-whistle dunk attempt in January 2007, TA was clearly at the peak of his career. I wouldn't call him unstoppable at that point, but he was MUCH better offensively than he's been since. He had a great first step, could drive on just about anyone, and was finishing at the hoop (unlike now, where he seemingly misses most of his layups). He even had a solid jumper up to about 18 feet that he was making consistently (speaking of, I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player regress so much as a shooter over the years). Defensively, he was playing like he did for us at times this past season, making him one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.

So here we go with what I think is an interesting 2-pronged what-if scenario.

1. What if TA doesn't tear his knee apart against the Pacers, and plays the rest of the season like he showed during that 15-20 game stretch?

AND...

2. What if we got the #2 pick in the draft, and Portland still took Oden (meaning we obviously selected Durant)?

Does Pierce demand a trade, seeing that we're "going young?" Or does he like the potential our team has, and decide to stay. Personally, I think he still would have demanded a trade. And in that case, what could we have gotten for him?

I think a starting lineup in 07-08 of Rondo, TA, Durant, Al Jeff, and Perk would be pretty tough. Say we kept Delonte, kept Gomes, kept Powe (as we actually did), and drafted Big Baby. Add to that whatever we got back in the Pierce trade, which hopefully would have been a great deal.

Am I crazy to think that team could have made some noise in the playoffs, with only more to come as they matured together? Sure, that team is young, and probably not great defensively. But they would be very tough to stop offensively. I'm assuming Rondo and Perk both progressed exactly how they actually did in 07-08, Al stayed healthy, and TA continued to play how he did in 06-07. And that starting backcourt would be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. That lineup could run some teams out of the gym.

Of course, we'll never know what we would have gotten in return for Pierce, or which players Ainge could have acquired to fill out the bench. Also, in this scenario, we didn't even use Theo or Wally's expiring deals, which both were very valuable.

Or what if Pierce decided he liked where Danny was taking us, and wanted to stay? If we got a player of Ray Allen's caliber for Delonte, Wally's contract, and the 5th pick, couldn't TA (at that point), Wally's contract, and our 2008 first round pick get us someone of similar caliber, if not better? Now you have a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, and Perk, plus the aforementioned role players, plus the 2nd-tier star that you got in the hypothetical TA trade.

Or to take it a step further, we probably still could have gotten Garnett for the same deal that actually took place (provided we convinced him to sign an extension). Imagine a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Garnett, and Perk, plus the 2nd-tier star we got in the hypothetical TA trade. 

There's a lot more I could write, but I realize this is getting long. Bottom line, if these two things had happened, we'd have a potential dynasty on our hands, with the soon-to-be best player in the league paired with Rondo for years to come. Thoughts?

I don't think TA would have ever been a good starting 2 guard on a GOOD team.  He was a good player on a bad team that year, the only reason being there weren't many options to pass the ball to (Pierce was injured).

Given that scenario, I don't see Pierce leaving just because we're going young. He would've stayed because of Durant.

Lineup wouldve looked something like:
1- Delonte West - Rondo
2- Kevin Durant - Wally
3- Paul Pierce-TA - Gomes
4- Al Jefferson - Glen Davis
5- Perkins- (Free Agent Pickup)

Not bad at all. Yet definitely not enough to get us a championship... but a solid core for the future to build around.

  Switch Rondo and West and you get better. That team would be hard to stop in the half court with Al down low and PP and KD on the outside. It's also worth noting that we still could have done the KG deal and trotted out RR/KD/PP/KG/KP for a few years.

[KG Fan]

Let me preface this post by saying Danny clearly made the right moves in the summer of 2007, as the results speak for themselves.

That being said, I was just thinking about TA's departure, and it led me on a trip down memory lane. Right before he got hurt on that freakish post-whistle dunk attempt in January 2007, TA was clearly at the peak of his career. I wouldn't call him unstoppable at that point, but he was MUCH better offensively than he's been since. He had a great first step, could drive on just about anyone, and was finishing at the hoop (unlike now, where he seemingly misses most of his layups). He even had a solid jumper up to about 18 feet that he was making consistently (speaking of, I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player regress so much as a shooter over the years). Defensively, he was playing like he did for us at times this past season, making him one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.

So here we go with what I think is an interesting 2-pronged what-if scenario.

1. What if TA doesn't tear his knee apart against the Pacers, and plays the rest of the season like he showed during that 15-20 game stretch?

AND...

2. What if we got the #2 pick in the draft, and Portland still took Oden (meaning we obviously selected Durant)?

Does Pierce demand a trade, seeing that we're "going young?" Or does he like the potential our team has, and decide to stay. Personally, I think he still would have demanded a trade. And in that case, what could we have gotten for him?

I think a starting lineup in 07-08 of Rondo, TA, Durant, Al Jeff, and Perk would be pretty tough. Say we kept Delonte, kept Gomes, kept Powe (as we actually did), and drafted Big Baby. Add to that whatever we got back in the Pierce trade, which hopefully would have been a great deal.

Am I crazy to think that team could have made some noise in the playoffs, with only more to come as they matured together? Sure, that team is young, and probably not great defensively. But they would be very tough to stop offensively. I'm assuming Rondo and Perk both progressed exactly how they actually did in 07-08, Al stayed healthy, and TA continued to play how he did in 06-07. And that starting backcourt would be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. That lineup could run some teams out of the gym.

Of course, we'll never know what we would have gotten in return for Pierce, or which players Ainge could have acquired to fill out the bench. Also, in this scenario, we didn't even use Theo or Wally's expiring deals, which both were very valuable.

Or what if Pierce decided he liked where Danny was taking us, and wanted to stay? If we got a player of Ray Allen's caliber for Delonte, Wally's contract, and the 5th pick, couldn't TA (at that point), Wally's contract, and our 2008 first round pick get us someone of similar caliber, if not better? Now you have a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, and Perk, plus the aforementioned role players, plus the 2nd-tier star that you got in the hypothetical TA trade.

Or to take it a step further, we probably still could have gotten Garnett for the same deal that actually took place (provided we convinced him to sign an extension). Imagine a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Garnett, and Perk, plus the 2nd-tier star we got in the hypothetical TA trade. 

There's a lot more I could write, but I realize this is getting long. Bottom line, if these two things had happened, we'd have a potential dynasty on our hands, with the soon-to-be best player in the league paired with Rondo for years to come. Thoughts?

I don't think TA would have ever been a good starting 2 guard on a GOOD team.  He was a good player on a bad team that year, the only reason being there weren't many options to pass the ball to (Pierce was injured).

Given that scenario, I don't see Pierce leaving just because we're going young. He would've stayed because of Durant.

Lineup wouldve looked something like:
1- Delonte West - Rondo
2- Kevin Durant - Wally
3- Paul Pierce-TA - Gomes
4- Al Jefferson - Glen Davis
5- Perkins- (Free Agent Pickup)

Not bad at all. Yet definitely not enough to get us a championship... but a solid core for the future to build around.

I believe Glen Davis was picked up with the 2nd rounder we got in the Ray Allen trade, if I'm not mistaken, so I don't think he'd be in there.

[slamtheking]

Let me preface this post by saying Danny clearly made the right moves in the summer of 2007, as the results speak for themselves.

That being said, I was just thinking about TA's departure, and it led me on a trip down memory lane. Right before he got hurt on that freakish post-whistle dunk attempt in January 2007, TA was clearly at the peak of his career. I wouldn't call him unstoppable at that point, but he was MUCH better offensively than he's been since. He had a great first step, could drive on just about anyone, and was finishing at the hoop (unlike now, where he seemingly misses most of his layups). He even had a solid jumper up to about 18 feet that he was making consistently (speaking of, I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player regress so much as a shooter over the years). Defensively, he was playing like he did for us at times this past season, making him one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.

So here we go with what I think is an interesting 2-pronged what-if scenario.

1. What if TA doesn't tear his knee apart against the Pacers, and plays the rest of the season like he showed during that 15-20 game stretch?

AND...

2. What if we got the #2 pick in the draft, and Portland still took Oden (meaning we obviously selected Durant)?

Does Pierce demand a trade, seeing that we're "going young?" Or does he like the potential our team has, and decide to stay. Personally, I think he still would have demanded a trade. And in that case, what could we have gotten for him?

I think a starting lineup in 07-08 of Rondo, TA, Durant, Al Jeff, and Perk would be pretty tough. Say we kept Delonte, kept Gomes, kept Powe (as we actually did), and drafted Big Baby. Add to that whatever we got back in the Pierce trade, which hopefully would have been a great deal.

Am I crazy to think that team could have made some noise in the playoffs, with only more to come as they matured together? Sure, that team is young, and probably not great defensively. But they would be very tough to stop offensively. I'm assuming Rondo and Perk both progressed exactly how they actually did in 07-08, Al stayed healthy, and TA continued to play how he did in 06-07. And that starting backcourt would be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. That lineup could run some teams out of the gym.

Of course, we'll never know what we would have gotten in return for Pierce, or which players Ainge could have acquired to fill out the bench. Also, in this scenario, we didn't even use Theo or Wally's expiring deals, which both were very valuable.

Or what if Pierce decided he liked where Danny was taking us, and wanted to stay? If we got a player of Ray Allen's caliber for Delonte, Wally's contract, and the 5th pick, couldn't TA (at that point), Wally's contract, and our 2008 first round pick get us someone of similar caliber, if not better? Now you have a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, and Perk, plus the aforementioned role players, plus the 2nd-tier star that you got in the hypothetical TA trade.

Or to take it a step further, we probably still could have gotten Garnett for the same deal that actually took place (provided we convinced him to sign an extension). Imagine a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Garnett, and Perk, plus the 2nd-tier star we got in the hypothetical TA trade. 

There's a lot more I could write, but I realize this is getting long. Bottom line, if these two things had happened, we'd have a potential dynasty on our hands, with the soon-to-be best player in the league paired with Rondo for years to come. Thoughts?

I don't think TA would have ever been a good starting 2 guard on a GOOD team.  He was a good player on a bad team that year, the only reason being there weren't many options to pass the ball to (Pierce was injured).

Given that scenario, I don't see Pierce leaving just because we're going young. He would've stayed because of Durant.

Lineup wouldve looked something like:
1- Delonte West - Rondo
2- Kevin Durant - Wally
3- Paul Pierce-TA - Gomes
4- Al Jefferson - Glen Davis
5- Perkins- (Free Agent Pickup)

Not bad at all. Yet definitely not enough to get us a championship... but a solid core for the future to build around.

I believe Glen Davis was picked up with the 2nd rounder we got in the Ray Allen trade, if I'm not mistaken, so I don't think he'd be in there.

beat me to it with the BBD comment but it's quite possible we'd have taken BBD instead of Pruitt since we would have had Rondo and Delonte at that time and less frontcourt depth so Danny very well may have taken BBD with the 32nd pick (ours) instead of the 35th (Seattle's).

[housecall]

If any of your scenerios excluded Ray Allen and included KG,it would never have happened.According to KG in interviews even to this day,when he found out Ray was part of the trades then it made up his mind.From listening to KG he would have gone elsewhere without Ray becoming a Celtics.

[BballTim]

If any of your scenerios excluded Ray Allen and included KG,it would never have happened.According to KG in interviews even to this day,when he found out Ray was part of the trades then it made up his mind.From listening to KG he would have gone elsewhere without Ray becoming a Celtics.

  It's possible he would have changed his mind if we'd have gotten Durant.

[KobeGotRondoD]

Let me preface this post by saying Danny clearly made the right moves in the summer of 2007, as the results speak for themselves.

That being said, I was just thinking about TA's departure, and it led me on a trip down memory lane. Right before he got hurt on that freakish post-whistle dunk attempt in January 2007, TA was clearly at the peak of his career. I wouldn't call him unstoppable at that point, but he was MUCH better offensively than he's been since. He had a great first step, could drive on just about anyone, and was finishing at the hoop (unlike now, where he seemingly misses most of his layups). He even had a solid jumper up to about 18 feet that he was making consistently (speaking of, I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player regress so much as a shooter over the years). Defensively, he was playing like he did for us at times this past season, making him one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.

So here we go with what I think is an interesting 2-pronged what-if scenario.

1. What if TA doesn't tear his knee apart against the Pacers, and plays the rest of the season like he showed during that 15-20 game stretch?

AND...

2. What if we got the #2 pick in the draft, and Portland still took Oden (meaning we obviously selected Durant)?

Does Pierce demand a trade, seeing that we're "going young?" Or does he like the potential our team has, and decide to stay. Personally, I think he still would have demanded a trade. And in that case, what could we have gotten for him?

I think a starting lineup in 07-08 of Rondo, TA, Durant, Al Jeff, and Perk would be pretty tough. Say we kept Delonte, kept Gomes, kept Powe (as we actually did), and drafted Big Baby. Add to that whatever we got back in the Pierce trade, which hopefully would have been a great deal.

Am I crazy to think that team could have made some noise in the playoffs, with only more to come as they matured together? Sure, that team is young, and probably not great defensively. But they would be very tough to stop offensively. I'm assuming Rondo and Perk both progressed exactly how they actually did in 07-08, Al stayed healthy, and TA continued to play how he did in 06-07. And that starting backcourt would be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. That lineup could run some teams out of the gym.

Of course, we'll never know what we would have gotten in return for Pierce, or which players Ainge could have acquired to fill out the bench. Also, in this scenario, we didn't even use Theo or Wally's expiring deals, which both were very valuable.

Or what if Pierce decided he liked where Danny was taking us, and wanted to stay? If we got a player of Ray Allen's caliber for Delonte, Wally's contract, and the 5th pick, couldn't TA (at that point), Wally's contract, and our 2008 first round pick get us someone of similar caliber, if not better? Now you have a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, and Perk, plus the aforementioned role players, plus the 2nd-tier star that you got in the hypothetical TA trade.

Or to take it a step further, we probably still could have gotten Garnett for the same deal that actually took place (provided we convinced him to sign an extension). Imagine a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Garnett, and Perk, plus the 2nd-tier star we got in the hypothetical TA trade. 

There's a lot more I could write, but I realize this is getting long. Bottom line, if these two things had happened, we'd have a potential dynasty on our hands, with the soon-to-be best player in the league paired with Rondo for years to come. Thoughts?

I don't think TA would have ever been a good starting 2 guard on a GOOD team.  He was a good player on a bad team that year, the only reason being there weren't many options to pass the ball to (Pierce was injured).

Given that scenario, I don't see Pierce leaving just because we're going young. He would've stayed because of Durant.

Lineup wouldve looked something like:
1- Delonte West - Rondo
2- Kevin Durant - Wally
3- Paul Pierce-TA - Gomes
4- Al Jefferson - Glen Davis
5- Perkins- (Free Agent Pickup)

Not bad at all. Yet definitely not enough to get us a championship... but a solid core for the future to build around.

  Switch Rondo and West and you get better. That team would be hard to stop in the half court with Al down low and PP and KD on the outside. It's also worth noting that we still could have done the KG deal and trotted out RR/KD/PP/KG/KP for a few years.

Do you think Rondo would have cracked the rotation considering West was already the starting PG before we got the Big 3. At the time, the C's Organization LOVED delonte.. I don't see Rondo getting the same amount of opportunities he did when we shipped half our team out for KG and ray.  Rondo became who he is now because he had so much time to play with the Big 3.. not sure if he would be the same player if that trade didn't happen because he wouldn't have as many chances to prove himself

[BballTim]

Let me preface this post by saying Danny clearly made the right moves in the summer of 2007, as the results speak for themselves.

That being said, I was just thinking about TA's departure, and it led me on a trip down memory lane. Right before he got hurt on that freakish post-whistle dunk attempt in January 2007, TA was clearly at the peak of his career. I wouldn't call him unstoppable at that point, but he was MUCH better offensively than he's been since. He had a great first step, could drive on just about anyone, and was finishing at the hoop (unlike now, where he seemingly misses most of his layups). He even had a solid jumper up to about 18 feet that he was making consistently (speaking of, I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player regress so much as a shooter over the years). Defensively, he was playing like he did for us at times this past season, making him one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.

So here we go with what I think is an interesting 2-pronged what-if scenario.

1. What if TA doesn't tear his knee apart against the Pacers, and plays the rest of the season like he showed during that 15-20 game stretch?

AND...

2. What if we got the #2 pick in the draft, and Portland still took Oden (meaning we obviously selected Durant)?

Does Pierce demand a trade, seeing that we're "going young?" Or does he like the potential our team has, and decide to stay. Personally, I think he still would have demanded a trade. And in that case, what could we have gotten for him?

I think a starting lineup in 07-08 of Rondo, TA, Durant, Al Jeff, and Perk would be pretty tough. Say we kept Delonte, kept Gomes, kept Powe (as we actually did), and drafted Big Baby. Add to that whatever we got back in the Pierce trade, which hopefully would have been a great deal.

Am I crazy to think that team could have made some noise in the playoffs, with only more to come as they matured together? Sure, that team is young, and probably not great defensively. But they would be very tough to stop offensively. I'm assuming Rondo and Perk both progressed exactly how they actually did in 07-08, Al stayed healthy, and TA continued to play how he did in 06-07. And that starting backcourt would be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. That lineup could run some teams out of the gym.

Of course, we'll never know what we would have gotten in return for Pierce, or which players Ainge could have acquired to fill out the bench. Also, in this scenario, we didn't even use Theo or Wally's expiring deals, which both were very valuable.

Or what if Pierce decided he liked where Danny was taking us, and wanted to stay? If we got a player of Ray Allen's caliber for Delonte, Wally's contract, and the 5th pick, couldn't TA (at that point), Wally's contract, and our 2008 first round pick get us someone of similar caliber, if not better? Now you have a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, and Perk, plus the aforementioned role players, plus the 2nd-tier star that you got in the hypothetical TA trade.

Or to take it a step further, we probably still could have gotten Garnett for the same deal that actually took place (provided we convinced him to sign an extension). Imagine a lineup of Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Garnett, and Perk, plus the 2nd-tier star we got in the hypothetical TA trade. 

There's a lot more I could write, but I realize this is getting long. Bottom line, if these two things had happened, we'd have a potential dynasty on our hands, with the soon-to-be best player in the league paired with Rondo for years to come. Thoughts?

I don't think TA would have ever been a good starting 2 guard on a GOOD team.  He was a good player on a bad team that year, the only reason being there weren't many options to pass the ball to (Pierce was injured).

Given that scenario, I don't see Pierce leaving just because we're going young. He would've stayed because of Durant.

Lineup wouldve looked something like:
1- Delonte West - Rondo
2- Kevin Durant - Wally
3- Paul Pierce-TA - Gomes
4- Al Jefferson - Glen Davis
5- Perkins- (Free Agent Pickup)

Not bad at all. Yet definitely not enough to get us a championship... but a solid core for the future to build around.

  Switch Rondo and West and you get better. That team would be hard to stop in the half court with Al down low and PP and KD on the outside. It's also worth noting that we still could have done the KG deal and trotted out RR/KD/PP/KG/KP for a few years.

Do you think Rondo would have cracked the rotation considering West was already the starting PG before we got the Big 3. At the time, the C's Organization LOVED delonte.. I don't see Rondo getting the same amount of opportunities he did when we shipped half our team out for KG and ray.  Rondo became who he is now because he had so much time to play with the Big 3.. not sure if he would be the same player if that trade didn't happen because he wouldn't have as many chances to prove himself

  Rondo would probably be seen as a better player without the big 3 as he generally defers to them on offense. He moved into the starting lineup ahead of West in the middle of his rookie year.

[ScoobyDoo]

Perkins / Mid Level...( Decent offensive center )
Jefferson / Mid level from another year... ( defensive guy )
Pierce / Gomes
Durant / TAllen
Rondo / DWest

??

That lineup, with Durant posting 30 a night last season in his 3rd year? That team is almost unstoppable.

Rondo with Pierce and Durant on the wings is absolutely sick.

I'd say that team competes for the title last year.

And with Rondo, Durant and Perk you are good to go for the next 10 years as well.

Getting Durant in that draft, which is who Danny said he would've taken, would've been like getting Lebron, Wade or Kobe, only better...