Nightmare

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@nyc.rr.com>]

Not to be a Cassandra or anything.

11-18, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnovers.

Put this down with "Paul Pierce stabbed in bar"
and "ML Carr to name himself as coach" among
my favorite Celtic memories of recent years.

I never come out and say Celtics news is a disaster,
but this is a disaster for the franchise.  Worse than
the Potapenko pick, which at least supplied a scarce
long-term asset in a semi-skilled, fundamentally sound,
powerful young big man.  Far worse the Billups trade,
which at least was made in good faith.  (Boston thought
they were getting a top-ten point guard.)  I don't know
if it's ever happened in Boston history -- a young player
as obviously talented and selfless as Johnson traded away
this early in his career.  I can hardly believe it has happened.
This guy was as pass-first as a point guard, could pass and
shoot off the dribble, had great size and the handle of a six-footer,
and was completely cerebral in his approach to the game.  He
couldn't flourish in a freakishly stagnant, ill-formed offense that
would have stymied Magic Johnson, so we traded him away.
To some salary cap space.  How could this have happened.
Each day that goes by makes me more incredulous, more
overhelmed and depressed.