Chad Ford Fixes The Celtics

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Atlantic Fixer-Uppers: Are the Celtics bleeding green?
by Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

Note: Over the past two months, Insider has broken down what last 
season's NBA lottery teams need to do to get to the playoffs. ESPN.com's 
"Fixer-Upper" series continues on Insider this week with the playoff 
teams. Today we tackle the Atlantic Division playoff teams. Tomorrow 
we'll do the Central.

Boston Celtics
The Celtics haven't just been affected by the looming luxury tax. 
They've been gagged, beaten, bound to the mast and left for dead. Unable 
to re-sign any of their prominent free agents, the Celtics watched 
Rodney Rogers (who they basically gave two No. 1 picks for) slip away to 
a divisional rival. They're also on the verge of losing backup guard 
Erick Strickland, unable to offer him anything more than the veteran's 
minimum. They did trade for Vin Baker, adding depth to their frontcourt, 
but had to give up starting point guard Kenny Anderson in return. Can GM 
Chris Wallace help repair his team while wearing owner Paul Gaston's 
financial handcuffs?

Step 1: Find a real point guard
Shammond Williams and Tony Delk are both great scorers but neither of 
them can come close to filling Anderson's shoes. The Celtics think that 
Antoine Walker can be their point forward at times. . . right.

The team needs a distributor in the worst way and there aren't a lot of 
big names left out there. Travis Best would be a nice fit, but he'll 
cost too much. Rod Strickland would give the Celtics a solid veteran, 
but he's looking for a multi-year deal, something the Celtics aren't 
keen on at the moment. Damon Jones would give them some size, but he, 
like Williams and Delk, is a scorer at heart. Strickland would like to 
come back, but again it doesn't look like the Celtics can match what 
other teams are willing to pay.

I think the answer to their point guard woes may be Rafer Alston. He's a 
bit flashy and unproven, but he's the best pure point guard for the 
price. He'll likely agree to a one-year deal just to get the chance to 
show what he's got. If he pans out, the Celtics have a steal. If he 
doesn't, it wasn't like anyone else willing to play for the minimum 
would do much better.

Step 2: Give the ball to Kedrick Brown
If the Celtics are going to return to the Eastern Conference Finals, 
they need a big year out of the second year swingman. Brown is their 
most athletic player and may be their top on-the-ball defender. The team 
could try to keep the status quo behind Eric Williams, but Brown has 
star potential and needs the minutes to prove it. If the Celtics can get 
him the experience early, he could be a dangerous weapon down the road. 
He was the only player at the Shaw Pro Summer League to put the clamps 
on Richard Jefferson. He could be very, very good.

Those moves would give the Celtics this opening-day roster:

Point guard: Rafer Alston, Shammond Williams, J.R. Bremer

Shooting guard: Paul Pierce, Tony Delk

Small forward: Kedrick Brown, Eric Williams

Power forward: Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty

Center: Vin Baker, Tony Battie, Bruno Sundov.