An opinion that carries some weight

[John Lyell]

A good summary Michael.

I think the one key is Boston has went from a place no one wanted to go, to now being a desirable location for free agents. I wish we could land Navarro but I doubt Washington would deal with us now!



----- Original Message ----
From: Michael Gooen <callmebogie at yahoo.com>
To: Celtics List <celtics at igtc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 12:21:12 PM
Subject: An opinion that carries some weight


A few years ago I had an opportunity to meet Bill Russell at a book
signing.  The person in front of me asked Bill to name his favorite
current NBA player.  Without hesitating an instant, Bill said "Kevin
Garnett."

As much as I like Al Jefferson as a player, I think his ceiling is Elton
Brand-ish - I think he's an All-Star, not a Hall of Famer.  As much as I
like Ryan Gomes as a role player (and wish they'd been able to put
Scalabrine into the deal instead) - he's a role player.  I'm not worried
about losing Green or Telfair, and Ratliff's contract was made for a deal
like this.  I believe that due to a quirk in NBA rules, the Minnesota pick
is worthless to anyone but Minnesota (I think the Cs would have had to use
the pick no sooner than 2 years after Minnesota conveys its
lottery-protected pick to the Clippers and no later than 4 or 5 years from
now - i.e., if Minnesota were not to make the playoffs for several years,
the Cs wouldn't be able to use the pick at all).  I would have preferred
to see the Cs keep their own #1, but it's hard to believe that that'll
have much value for the next few years.  

All in all, I'd say these were risks worth taking.  Apart from the obvious
concerns about injuries to 30+ year old max players, I'd say the keys to
the Cs' success now boil down to:

-- finding a capable veteran backup for Rondo
-- having TA and Perk healthy
-- seeing whether the Cs can do better than Olowokandi
-- seeing whether Davis and/or Powe can blossom under KG's tutelage (I am
optimstic as to Davis).

Michael Gooen


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