I was watching Boston Sports Tonight last night, and the topic of who are the greatest all-around players in Celtics history came up. The topic came up because Cedric Maxwell claimed Kevin Garnett is the best all-around player in Celtics history on a podcast earlier in the day (?).
Here is the list of choices the panel had to choose from on the show:
Bob Cousy
Bill Russell
Sam Jones
John Havlicek
Dave Cowens
Larry Bird
Kevin McHale
Robert Parish
Dennis Johnson
Cedrix Maxwell
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Kyrie Irving
Maxwell's top 5 were (in order): Garnett, Russell, Bird, McHale, Havlicek
Kyle Draper's top 5 were (in order): Russell, Havlicek, Garnett, Bird, Pierce
Cedric's argument for Garnett was he had the perfect blend of offense and defense. Russell was a better defender, but wasn't necessarily a good offensive player. Bird was better offensively, but wasn't necessarily a good defender (but was able to pick his spots).
I haven't seen enough of the Celtics, prior to my birth, to properly determine a top 5. But my list would be Garnett, Bird, Russell, McHale, Havlicek. I understand Garnett didn't play his entire career in green, but he played enough to make an impact that can still be felt today.
I understand the list above is limited, so you can either go by the list or use additional players.