Rondo/Deron Williams?/Pierce/Big Al/Perkins - Should we have stood pat?

[nora gretz]

There are times when you look back on the past--whether recent or in the distant--& you wonder how things might have turned out. Sure, we won a title during one of our greatest seasons to date, made a few runs, but you can't help but wonder what if...

It's a proven fact that players take time to mature i.e. Oklahoma Thunder. & also a fact that if we stood pat, we could have made a splash for a decent guard in the backcourt. Who's to say Deron would have chose NJ over Bos. Or if Stephen Jackson wouldn't have been intrigued to sign before going to Charlotte.

The Clippers have shown us that 2 PG's in the backcourt can work. & with Deron Williams, who doesn't need the ball in his hand, being a better scorer than Chauncey Billups, with practically the same frame, who's to say it wouldn't have worked in our favor?

(Pierce trade talk has driven me off the deep end---reason i became a celtic fan)
 

[gpap]

No. We should not have stood pat. I wouldn't take the Al Jeff or KG trade back for anything. Winning one championship is something that any team would dream of and the ultimate goal.

As for the Deron Williams aspect, I am not really sure I am following you.

And finally regarding Paul Pierce, if there's a deal that makes sense, no one is untouchable.

Sports are a business and the business of sports is winning.

[PosImpos]

We won a championship.  No regrets.  Even if we had stuck with the young guys and that team had turned out to be very competitive, there's no guarantee they would have won anything of significance.

[indeedproceed]

Yep 2008 is worth it in my mind.

[Roy H.]

We were never going to win anything with a core of Rondo/Pierce/Big Al, and we wouldn't have signed or traded for Deron.

[tyrone biggums]

There are times when you look back on the past--whether recent or in the distant--& you wonder how things might have turned out. Sure, we won a title during one of our greatest seasons to date, made a few runs, but you can't help but wonder what if...

It's a proven fact that players take time to mature i.e. Oklahoma Thunder. & also a fact that if we stood pat, we could have made a splash for a decent guard in the backcourt. Who's to say Deron would have chose NJ over Bos. Or if Stephen Jackson wouldn't have been intrigued to sign before going to Charlotte.

The Clippers have shown us that 2 PG's in the backcourt can work. & with Deron Williams, who doesn't need the ball in his hand, being a better scorer than Chauncey Billups, with practically the same frame, who's to say it wouldn't have worked in our favor?

(Pierce trade talk has driven me off the deep end---reason i became a celtic fan)
 

No No No No and No...we won a freaking title!!! This is insane! Big Al was never going to win anything for us and Paul Pierce never would have stayed, Perkins only became Perk because KG was here to teach him. Rondo would have been a solid if unspectacular option at PG without scoring options. Unless of course the goal isn't to win titles and just compete.

[pearljammer10]

I hate these threads. Won a title man. With Rondo Pierce Al we have no banner in 2008, certainly no Deron and would be a borderline lottery team.

[tyrone biggums]

I hate these threads. Won a title man. With Rondo Pierce Al we have no banner in 2008, certainly no Deron and would be a borderline lottery team.

Tommy Point for you, I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion though...

[wdleehi]

You have to take Pierce off.


He would have demanded a trade if the Celtics had not made the trades. 




Take the title and smile. 


There are teams that have never even been to the finals. 

[StartOrien]

2008 was probably top 5 happiest moment for me, in my relatively young life.

Wouldn't trade it for much.

[TripleOT]

In the first three years of this Big 3 era, the Cs were one of the best teams in NBA history over a three year period, with the title team being one of the best 10-12 teams of all time.  I wouldn't trade that for anything.

However, watching Durant in person this week, I did wonder what it would have been like if the Cs snared the second pick in the draft and went with KD.  Durant, Rondo, Pierce, Big Al and Perk would probably be at the top of the league right now, battling Miami and Chicago to get to the Finals.  That would be a fun team to watch in Pierce's golden years as an NBA player. 

[miraclejohan]

I have always ask myself what that 2007 roster would have ended up looking like if we had actually gotten the #2 pick instead of the #5 and got Durant.  Pierce would have wanted out and we could have traded him for another top 10 pick...maybe J Noah, maybe Marc Gasol (though that would be taking TOTAL advantage of hindsight being 20-20 as no one thought he'd be the player he's become).  We could have had:

PG: Rondo/DWest/Telfair
SG: Tony Allen/DWest/Gerald Green
SF: Durant/Ryan Gomes
PF: BigAl/Leon Powe/Scalabrine
C: Perkins/Noah or M Gasol/Leon Powe

How would that look now?  Granted, we'd still have needed Thibodeau to come in and pteach/plan/scheme defense and the youngsters would have needed to buy in (esp Al Jefferson).  That roster is a youth movement I got have stayed behind for the long haul.

[Kane3387]

2008 was probably top 5 happiest moment for me, in my relatively young life.

Wouldn't trade it for much.

Co-sign. That season was a dream.

[nyceltsfan]

I have always ask myself what that 2007 roster would have ended up looking like if we had actually gotten the #2 pick instead of the #5 and got Durant.  Pierce would have wanted out and we could have traded him for another top 10 pick...maybe J Noah, maybe Marc Gasol (though that would be taking TOTAL advantage of hindsight being 20-20 as no one thought he'd be the player he's become).  We could have had:

PG: Rondo/DWest/Telfair
SG: Tony Allen/DWest/Gerald Green
SF: Durant/Ryan Gomes
PF: BigAl/Leon Powe/Scalabrine
C: Perkins/Noah or M Gasol/Leon Powe

How would that look now?  Granted, we'd still have needed Thibodeau to come in and pteach/plan/scheme defense and the youngsters would have needed to buy in (esp Al Jefferson).  That roster is a youth movement I got have stayed behind for the long haul.

Interestingly, no one is mentioning that many of us were hoping for the #1 pick, which could have very well been Greg Oden.  Getting that #5 pick was one of the best things that ever happened to this franchise.  Getting Jeff Green in the draft essentially netted us Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.  I would not trade that for anything.

[miraclejohan]

Interestingly, no one is mentioning that many of us were hoping for the #1 pick, which could have very well been Greg Oden.  Getting that #5 pick was one of the best things that ever happened to this franchise.  Getting Jeff Green in the draft essentially netted us Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.  I would not trade that for anything.

I would not trade the 2008 title or being relevant in all subsequent playoffs either.  This is all a big "what if" game for me, not a pining or regretting.  Although there is a piece of me that remembers all those trades and the assembling of the big 3 being described as "a 3 year window" of which we are currently in the 5th year with no real exit strategy.  I enjoy weighing the what ifs...

Also, If I remember right, Danny was one of the GMs that stated he was a Durant guy and could have easily picked KD over Oden.  Just saying.