Chris Forsberg over at ESPNBoston.com gives us a snippet of John Hollinger's look at how the Eastern Conference is shaping up:

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Further down, we have defensive-minded veteran teams in Boston and Milwaukee that are trying to figure out whether they're kicking or sticking. The Bucks are out of the money right now but hope Andrew Bogut's return in March can fuel a run to the playoffs; certainly the Celtics' struggles are also fueling that enthusiasm, because it's kept the 13-20 Bucks just 2½ games out of the playoffs. Either team could be something of a threat if they get their older players healthy, especially if the trade deadline brings in some new blood -- and both teams are expected to be active on that front. But it won't matter much if they limp into a No. 8 seed and a first-round beatdown against Miami or Chicago.

I find it interesting that Hollinger is expecting Boston to be active leading up to the deadline, since some folks think Danny will stand pat, and he also makes a good point about getting the eighth seed: what good will it do if it just means a first-round beatdown?

I think Hollinger, like most in the media, is just recognizing that the Celtics are in a position where it would make a lot of sense for them to be active at the trade deadline, if they can possibly make a deal that either allows them to be relevant again, or set them off early on the rebuilding path.  It seems to be almost universally agreed, at least among observers outside of New England, that it's unlikely that the Celtics are going to gain anything from standing pat.

The issue, of course, that those outside observers always conveniently ignore, is that it's far more difficult to come up with realistic options that the Celtics have for either reloading or "blowing it up."  It's very easy to say that the Celtics as currently constituted are not contenders, that they're too old, that they're past their prime, that they're not a very good team. 

It's much more difficult to say what should be done about it, other than just play out the season and make big moves in the summer when the team suddenly has a ton of cap space (and two first round draft picks) to work with.

Considering that the Bulls' best player has struggled with back problems recently, I would hardly book a first-round matchup vs. Chicago as a likely "beatdown".