I was just reflecting on how, as a fan, I'm in an odd position right now. Depending mostly on KG's decision and what Danny does tonight, the Celtics will be on one of two tracks: bringing back the band (or most of it, anyway) for one more run, or going nuclear and starting over.
It seems like a long time that we've been saying "one more run" with this group, and it keeps happening. Like many of you probably, I don't want this run to end—KG, Pierce, Ray, they're all big-time talents, and in many ways one-of-a-kind guys. Who would want to lose that? Yet it's going to happen sometime, if not now than pretty soon.
And when it does end, it could get kind of ugly for a while. Yeah, we'd (presumably) still have Rondo, but beyond that would be a TON of question marks: Will Danny ever again be able to pull off something similar to what he did in '07 with Ray and KG? How long will it take him to accumulate the assets to even attempt that? And even though there are always good players in the league, will any of them be available to us? And even if they are, will they be great, like KG, Ray, and Paul, or merely good—All-Star level, get us to the playoffs every year, but never bring us close to contention? Sure, watching a winning team ("winning" meaning above .500) is better than watching a lottery team, but the goal is not to be good; the goal is to win titles. I'm interested in having Josh Smith on the Celtics, but he's not on the KG-Ray-Paul level, and he may never be. How soon will it be before we again have that type of squad?
As I sit here typing this, I fully realize that as soon as a mere 12 hours from now—perhaps a little longer, but surely not long—we could have already been witness to the abrupt end of one Celtics era and the beginning of another: KG retired, Ray in Miami, Pierce traded. OR, we could be looking at "one more run": KG back for at least one more year, Pierce still in town, maybe even Ray still on the team—heck, maybe even Ray back in the starting lineup.
Either way, there will be at least a few young guys around, at least some of whom will hopefully turn into part of the next great Celtics generation, and I'm excited at the thought of getting some great young players, whether it's MKG or Drummond, or White or Nicholson.
Before this day is over, Jamal Crawford could be a Celtic, Pierce could be a Warrior (or a King), and KG could be back in Green (or killing a bunch of truly old guys at shuffleboard). Maybe all those things will happen. Maybe none of 'em. But I'm excited at the possibilities, the prospects; I'm eager to see what Danny will do, what KG will do; I'm anxious to discover who'll be wearing a Celtics jersey 24 hours from now, and two weeks from now, and two months from now. We could be in a for a bumpy ride in the immediate future, or we could be celebrating a title a year from now. Either way, though, I'm excited for the possibilities.
Topic: Dear Danny, Where Will You Take Us? (Read 2299 times)