So, folks around here have been quick to bury Paul Pierce because he's had a bad month from the field. Last night, I should think, has served as a reminder to those people that Pierce still has it, even if he rarely looks very quick or athletic. This just in: Pierce has never been a particularly athletic player. His schtick has for a long time been that he plays slow just long enough to fake out the defender and then can make a move just quick enough to score.
Anyhow, last night when Paul blew up for 40 I couldn't help thinking of how, according to a number of reports, Danny Ainge almost traded Paul Pierce to the New Jersey Nets at the trade deadline for a top two protected pick and cap filler. Of course, that deal didn't happen, and the Nets traded for Gerald Wallace instead. But imagine how much better the Nets would be if they had traded for two or three years of Paul playing like a top scorer instead of however many years Crash remains healthy enough to give them 12 points and some top shelf defense every night.
But how about this -- what would the Celtics look like right now if Paul had been traded?
1. That Ray Allen for O.J. Mayo + pick trade that supposedly came really close to happening -- you know, the one we recently heard the Celtics players helped stop from actually going through? The almost-trade that was a major factor in Ray deciding to take his talents to south beach? My guess is if Paul was traded, Ray would have been, too. That means O.J. Mayo would have finished the season in Boston, and the Cs would have gotten first crack at signing him in the off-season. That late first round pick would have been an asset too.
2. Kevin Garnett would have retired, or at least signed somewhere else. No Pierce means no contending for titles, and no contending for titles mean KG would have hung 'em up -- or maybe signed with another team for close to the max, if somebody was willing to pony up.
3. No Jason Terry. JET came here to win, not rebuild. No Pierce or KG means a rebuild.
4. The Celtics probably would have signed O.J. Mayo -- like I said, they would have had first crack at him, and could offer a starting spot, at least until Avery Bradley returned. With or without a guaranteed starting spot, the Cs could have guaranteed Mayo a large role in an offense suddenly devoid of its top three options. Not to mention they would have had plenty of cap space they needed to use.
5. Green still would have signed, for about the same money. Most of the same important factors apply: the Celtics stuck with Green during his surgery and rehab, and they were thus first to the negotiating table. Green would basically be guaranteed the starting small forward spot, too. In this scenario I'm guessing he'd be on board.
6. Bass would probably have re-signed, too. Same principle as Green. He likes it here and there would have been a large role available for him. Money to spend.
7. The Celtics would have had the #6 pick, along with a pick in the late teens (their own, higher than it ended up being because they would have lost more games to end the season), and another in the early twenties (the Clips' pick), and the late twenties (the Grizz pick). Based on what we heard during the draft, I'm sure Danny would have tried like heck to move up in the draft, but ultimately would have stayed put and drafted the player he supposedly liked a lot: Harrison Barnes.
8. Ainge apparently liked Jared Sullinger, so even picking a few spots higher, I think he still would have taken Sully. Same with Fab Melo -- a project like Fab makes even more sense during a rebuild.
9. The Grizz pick might have gotten traded for a future pick, or a couple of second rounders, or something else. I'm not sure. But let's just assume they took the guy the Grizz took, who the Celtics supposedly also gave some consideration -- Tony Wroten. Kris Joseph probably would have been picked too. Or not. Who cares? Unlikely to get a rotation guy back there in the draft.
10. For many of the same reasons as Green coming back, I think Wilcox probably would have signed on. Collins and Barbosa -- probably not. They signed here for low money to win, it seems to me.
11. The Courtney Lee trade probably wouldn't have happened. Lee agreed to be signed and traded here to play for Doc on a winning team. Especially with Mayo already on board, I doubt that happens. That means that E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan would probably still be on the roster.
Where does that leave us so far?
Rondo / Moore / Wroten
Bradley / Mayo
Green / Barnes / Joseph
Bass / Sullinger / Johnson
Wilcox / Melo
Looks like the Celtics are still missing a starting center, and they probably would still have some money to spend, having only given significant deals to Bass, Green, and Mayo.
12. A name batted around close to the trade deadline last year was J.J. Hickson; he may still have signed with Portland, but it wouldn't surprise me if Ainge had exceeded the Blazers' offer of $4 million for a year. He could have afforded to give Hickson $10-12 over 2 years without losing much flexibility. Hickson would have the starting job without any competition from guys like LaMarcus Aldridge or lottery pick Meyers Leonard.
13. In this scenario I wouldn't be surprised to see Dooling stick around instead of retiring, seeing as the Celtics could pay him well and he'd pretty much just be a coach on the bench (or on the floor for short stretches) anyway. Dooling seemed to relish his role as a mentor and enjoys player development, so he wouldn't be turned off by a rebuild.
So that leaves us, in this INCREDIBLY hypothetical scenario, with the following roster:
Rondo / Dooling / Wroten
Bradley / Mayo / Moore
Green / Barnes / Joseph
Bass / Sullinger / Johnson
Hickson / Wilcox / Melo
Bottom line:
You think the Celtics have underperformed so far this season? You think they've been disappointing? Played bad basketball? Well, imagine how many games that team would be losing.
Topic: Hey, Remember How Pierce Almost Got Traded? (Read 1621 times)