Can Danny?

Whlie I'm not a fan of the instant gratification thinking that many Celtics fans hold, it is still something that needs to be addressed. Is trying to win now a viable option? Can the deals make sense? What way works best? If we had to build a team to win now, here's what I'd look to do.

Hold onto Gerald Green: First and foremost, we do not deal a potential star. The Celtics have enough other options to make deals and moving Green would be another in the long list of regrets that the Celtics have compiled ever since Chris Wallace first came aboard. Unless you can get a bonafide, healthy superstar for Raef and Green, I wouldn't move him.

Forget about: K-Mart, Boozer, KG, Jermaine O'Neal, Baron: We would have to give up too much to get KG and O'Neal (if we even have a chance to get them at all), and the rest of those guys don't help enough for what they are paid. K-Mart's a headcase, Boozer is solid but vastly overpaid and Baron is injury-prone and tends to monopolize the ball which is exactly why we had to deal Ricky. To use him most effectively, we'd have to move Paul to the 3 and bring Delonte as a complement at the two ala David Wesley back in Baron's days in New Orleans. Baron is the most likely of the bunch but I just dont see him being the best option.

Deal Wally, Veal and the #7 for Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and the #26 pick: Wally and #7 for Odom and the #26 are the bast components of this deal and what else goes in is definitely open for debate. In my opinon, Odom would be perfect for the Celtics. He is a guy that can run the offense from the post and free up Paul to focus on scoring. Odom in Boston would be like Odom in Miami where he put up 18/10/4. I think a Lamar/Pierce combination could remind a lot of people of the Antoine/Pierce combo, save for the fact that Lamar isn't in love with the three point line. As for the picks, this draft is so all over the place that, like 2001, the guys who goes at #26 - 30 could be as good or better than the players who go #7 to #10.

Deal Big Al and Delonte West for Josh Smith and Salim Stoudamire: If there is a way to work this without dealing Delonte, I'd be for it. I just don't know if Gomes or a future pick along with Jefferson would be enough to get Josh. I've promoted Josh Smith ad nauseum but I think this move is perfect for the C's. Smith's defense is very good and he would be a perfect complement to Pierce and Odom. He also stepped up his game in the second half of the season (15/7/4 with a steal and 3 blocks per game) showing that he's more than ready to take the third year leap and start contributing in 2006. While Salim is no Delonte, his strength is exactly what we need. With the offense running through Odom, Salim's lack of true point abilities would be covered up and his three point stroke would be deadly to any team trying to double team the first three options of Pierce, Odom, and Smith. West could also work in the point spot with Odom in town but I'd be willing to move him if it meant getting J-Smooth.

Tony Allen for Mo Williams: Mo solidies the point guard position. The Bucks have been looking for a wing defender which is what Tony Allen specializes in. I'd be willing to toss in a future lotto protected pick in this deal but would hold off unless we could agree to a long term, mid-level extension with Williams before we made the deal. He's a free agent at the end of the season. I'd explore other options for PG but I'm not sure what we'd legitimately be able to ask for when offering Raef, Dickau, Tony, Gomes and/or future picks.

Hold onto Raef: While dealing Raef seems like a no-brainer for the Celtics, it's also a no-brainer that other teams shouldn't trade for him. We'd either need to package Raef with Gerald for a questionable veteran or we'd have to deal him for a couple of guys with longer contracts (Richardson/James, Jaric/Hassell, etc.) Either way, the deals don't make sense, especially when Raef can work as a decent complement in the middle to Odom. In a year, his value should be better since his contract is a year shorter. We're not going to get anyone better than him as a big man off the bench so we might as well hold on for another year.

Draft the best player available at 26: Kyle Lowry, Shawne Williams, Marcus Vinicius, PJ Tucker, James White, whoever.

Use the LLE on Aaron Williams: A solid defensive minded big man who can fill the backup four and five spots.

Use the MLE on Matt Harpring: Harpring adds toughness and defense off the bench. I highly doubt we'll be able to lure most of the big names on the market but I think Matt could be someone we'd have a legitimate shot at signing.

Figure out who the next coach will be. : And if that coach isn't available right now, then keep Doc around. In my opinon, the only thing worse than keeping Doc is bringing in another stop-gap coach. I'd even be willing to go two more years of Doc if it meant we could bring in Stan Van Gundy when his contract with the Heat was done in 2008.

The Lineup:
PG: Mo Williams/Salim Stoudamire/Dan Dickau
SG: Paul Pierce/Matt Harpring/Gerald Green
SF: Josh Smith/Luke Walton
PF: Lamar Odom/Ryan Gomes
C: Kendrick Perkins/Raef Lafrentz/Aaron Williams
(add in Dwayne Jones or Orien Greene and whoever we take at #26)

I think this lineup would get us into the playoffs next season. With a number of draft picks owed to us and Raef's and Dickau's more manageable contract, we could add someoen else next offseason to build on the success of 2006.