Teams on the Rise Trilogy - Part 2: Boston Celtics (NBA)

Congratulations to Miami Heat fans on a second straight NBA Championship. Wow, that was painful to type. But how can we ignore their magnificence? The Heat enticed other cities’ stars with the excitement of South Beach and the idea of an all-star team within an actual franchise--and it worked. If you’re like me, though, those means aren’t what you want to see organizations pursue to achieve their ultimate goals. Throwing random stars together may have proven successful for Miami, but there is a purer, more respectable, and longer lasting method of becoming an NBA powerhouse. To see what that will look like, please direct your attention towards the recently great, currently atrocious Boston Celtics.

For basketball fans, this is an ironic team to set in contrast of the Heat. Just as the Heat had Wade before they emptied their pockets, the Celtics had Paul Pierce as the face of their franchise in the early 2000s. Before the 2007-2008 season came along, however, they went out and signed All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They became a force for the next five seasons, winning an NBA Championship in 2008. Sound familiar? Building on a star and creating a “Big Three” is exactly what the Heat would do four years later.

Interestingly enough, the Celtics’ success was short-lived. Ray Allen left in 2012, and they were left with two veteran players with their careers on the decline in Garnett and Pierce. It was then that Boston made the greatest basketball transaction of the young millennium.

Knowing that they were far from being elite, and with players that were only getting worse, the Celtics were able to trade Garnett and Pierce (along with also-aging Jason Terry and irrelevant D.J. White) to the Brooklyn Nets for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Marshon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans--and wait, I’m not done--THREE first round draft picks (2014, 2016, 2018). Also, they have the right to swap first round picks in 2017, which is brilliant for the Celtics because they realize that by that time they will be the better team and have a pick later in the draft, while the Nets will probably have an earlier slot.

Let’s analyze this deal. The Nets got 37-year-old Garnett, who just missed his fifth straight game with a back injury (he’s already missed twelve this season). He’s averaging a career-low 6.7 points per game (his only single digit point average of his career), while averaging the fewest amount of rebounds (6.7) per game since his rookie year. Keep in mind, he was listed as a Small Forward his rookie year, and now he’s a Center. Only .4 more rebounds as a Center is not good, and Pierce’s numbers aren’t much prettier.

36-year-old Pierce (shoulder) is also dealing with an injury as this article is being written. He is averaging a career-low 13.2 points per game, with his worst shooting percentage (43.1%) since the 2003-2004 season. Jason Terry, the third and final big name the Nets received, enjoyed his worst statistical career in almost every major category, before being traded to the Kings, where he is now sitting out the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Now, to the Celtics. With all of what was just said, the fact that Boston got three first round picks out of the Nets for what was given should already be enough to convince you that the Celtics robbed the Nets. If you walk away remembering anything from this article, remember this: the Celtics will have TWELVE first round picks in the next five drafts. That’s absurd. They have three each in the next two drafts, making their ceiling in the next decade miles above what we could even imagine.

Admittedly, the players the Celtics got weren’t all-stars, but that wasn’t their intention or expectation with this deal. Kris Humphries is actually averaging 8.1 points per game, which is above his career average. In fact, he’s besting his career average in every major statistical category. Marshon Brooks was traded around but is now playing really good ball with the Lakers (averaging 10 PPG), Gerald Wallace is still with Boston but is struggling to keep up with career averages, and the other two athletes aren’t really relevant in any sense of the word.

Saying that, before we move to look forward at the Celtics’ future, let’s look at the present. Boston knew that they were giving up this season, and probably the next, by doing this trade. Still, the Celtics are playing above expectations, and are still in the playoff hunt with five games separating them from the eighth-seeded Hawks. The Nets are currently sitting at .500, and don’t seem to be competing with the superpowers of the East--the Pacers and Heat--anytime soon. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, with an old squad and few draft picks, “soon” is the only option they have. And finally, to wrap up the hindsight bias I am spewing at you to prove Boston’s superiority in their deal with Brooklyn, the Celtics just beat the Nets on March 7th.

Now, an overview. The Celtics are playing pretty solid basketball given the lack of talent of their squad with the exception of PG Rajon Rondo. They have twelve first round picks in the next five drafts, with three in each of the next two. As long as they don’t assign a chimp to make the draft selections for them, they are going to be able to field an entire team with talented first round-draft picks that mature in their own system. The Celtics made the greatest NBA transaction that I’ve ever witnessed, and because of it, will soon become an NBA force that is not going to lose that status for a LONG time.

NBA Preview Three-Pointer

This is Part I in a two-part series previewing the National Basketball Association season on Sports Business Society's Tipoff Week.  Click here to read the conclusion.

1. Can We Expect Anything from This Rookie Class?

No. Well the possibility is highly unlikely. Victor Oladipo would be the obvious answer, but he might not even start on a team that seems to have already booked its return trip to the lottery. Anthony Bennett has the skillset to provide some entertainment but will unlikely find many minutes on a team that wants to make the playoffs and already has a solid frontcourt of Earl Clark, Tristan Thompson and Andrew Bynum.

Almost everywhere you look lottery picks from this summer’s draft are second on the depth chart Otto Porter’s behind Trevor Ariza, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's behind behind Chauncey Billups and what Shabazz Muhammad lacks in commonsense he will also lack in minutes this year as he appears to have fallen to third at his position on Minnesota’s depth chart. At least the Bucks' Greek rookie can provide entertainment simply by people’s vain attempts to correctly pronounce his name. The one rookie who was likely going to get the best chance to put up numbers was Trey Burke, as the starting point guard for the Jazz, but now he’s out for a few months with a hand injury.

The two fleeting glimpses of hope for this rookie class are Cody Zeller and Ben McLemore. Zeller is slotted to start for Charlotte, although not too much should be expected from a production standpoint with The Black Hole (Al Jefferson) and Kemba taking most of the shots. McLemore should be somewhat of a focal point in Sacramento’s offense, the Kings’ unfortunate recent history of ruining players leaves me skeptical towards McLemore’s potential

2. Are There New Rivalries Brewing in the East?

As two of the league’s top teams, playing in the same division, the Bulls and Pacers will cross paths for what should be some hot-blooded affairs. The potential for bad blood between these two teams was escalated when Bulls star Derrick Rose overlooked the Pacers as a potential rival, stating that the Heat were the Bulls’ main concern in the Eastern Conference. The teams square off for the first time with a nationally televised game on November 6. This should set the tone for their next three games. The smart money is one at least one altercation this season. Rose’s comments won’t sit well with Indiana, and with the physical nature of their frontlines (Boozer, Hibbert, Noah, West), emotions could easily spill over.

Since LeBron first took his talents to South Beach, the Celtics and Heat have not liked each other one bit. It appears that KG and The Truth have taken this animosity with them to their new home in the Empire State. Most would assume that Brooklyn and their new starters would naturally most concern themselves with their crosstown rival. Up to this point, however, it appears that the Heat are on Brooklyn’s immediate radar. Heat players called for an apology from Garnett and Pierce over their treatment of Ray Allen, to which KG politely told LeBron to worry about his own team. The teams meet four times this season in games that appear to have a sudden extra meaning. The first of which comes opening week, November 1, on ESPN.            

Lastly, although not new, look for the Detroit-Cleveland rivalry to pick up for the first time since King James use to go at it with Rip Hamilton and the crew. Both teams seem poised for a run to end their postseason droughts and will likely fight each other for seeding at the bottom of the conference. If no extra-curricular activity arises from these two , at least their matchups will pin two of the league’s top up-and-coming PG’s against each other.

3. Sophomore Slump?

Although this rookie class lacks a certain oomph, last year’s showed some tremendous signs of promise. Damian Lillard, last year’s ROY, has all the makings of an NBA star. This year, his Blazers team brought in the help that D Lil. desperately needed. This help, should get Portland more wins, but look for Lillard’s production to drop with more offensive options and increase in viable backups at his position, C.J. McCollum and Mo Williams.

Harrison Barnes (aka The Black Falcon, aka HB-angout), had a coming out party during the Warriors’ playoff run last spring.  Two words will provide all the reason for his inevitable sophomore slump, Iguo Dala. Dub Nation's offseason acquisition will seriously reduce Barnes' minutes. 

The second year trio of Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond and Dion Waiters should carry the weight for 2012 draft class. All of whom are slotted to start and should see a quality amount of minutes based on a lack of depth for their teams at their respective positions. Of these three, look for Beal to have the most productive year, as he should be the secondary offensive option for the Wizards. No one else from this group will be asked to score at the same clip. 

This is Part I in a two-part series previewing the National Basketball Association season on Sports Business Society's Tipoff Week.  Click here to read the conclusion.