Luka’s Corner

Out of all 30 NBA teams, the Boston management was the most active this offseason. They completely changed their roster from the 07 campaign, adding both Ray Allen on draft night and Kevin Garnett later on. To do this, however, the Celtics were forced to give up many young players (many underachievers), most notably Al Jefferson and Gerald Green to the Timberwolves. This does not minimize the upside this trade has for the Celtics, immediately transforming them from a lottery team struggling to win 20 games to a potential NBA champion. Both players (future Hall-of-Famers) bring experience and superstardom to an organization that had anything but over the past couple of seasons.

Allen, the best three-point shooter in the league, will instantly provide Paul Pierce and Garnett more room to operate in the paint by spreading the floor with his shooting. He will also receive many open looks (and mostly makes) from the two other stars because of their uncanny ability to get into the paint and find the open man. I expect Allen to average around 22-23 PPG with raised assist numbers (around 5-5.8 per) because of the possibility that he may switch to PG at times. Since the point guard position is not very deep, he will need to facilitate the offense and provide others with scoring opportunities (as well as himself).

The Big Ticket will also see his assist numbers rise from last season (to around 4.8), with many more options to pass to (Pierce and Allen) than in his days playing for Minnesota. He is one of the best passing and the best rebounding forward in the NBA, and a new team will not change that. The points will dip to around 19 per game because of the fewer looks between the three stars, while the rebounding numbers will rise to about 13-13.5 per because of the Celtics’ lack of rebounding big men. He may even have to play at the C spot for a duration of the season because of Boston’s need for rebounders. If this is the case, expect Leon Powe or Glen Davis to take over at the PF spot. Despite all these changes, KG will still remain the best stat-sheet stuffer in league, with a line of around 19.5-13-5-1.5-1.

While everyone is focusing on the Allen and Garnett deals, the most underestimated move the Celtics made this offseason was the drafting of Glen Davis from LSU. Many people slept on him on draft night because of his weight issues and injury the previous NCAA season. Despite all of this, he remains one of the most talented and powerful forwards in the 07 draft. In my opinion, if he loses around 10-15 pounds prior to the season, he will become the Celtics go-to-guy off the bench. I predict that his stats will shape up to be around 8.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG in his rookie season.

Pros:

-The Celtics now have the most talented trio in the NBA with the Truth, Ray-Ray, and the Big Ticket all wearing Celtic green. Also, all three players are unselfish and play for the betterment of the team.

-The Boston defense will emerge as one of the best in the league. KG is dominant in terms of both blocks and steals (at 1.7 and 1.2 in 07) and Pierce remains at the top of the steal charts every season (1.7 for his career). Allen is also a solid perimeter defender (at 1.5 SPG last season) and Rajon Rondo, the predicted started PG, averaged 1.74 steals-per-48 minutes in his rookie campaign, a second-best for 07 rookies.

-Boston’s core is now one of the most experienced in the NBA, with Pierce entering his 9th season, Garnett his 12th, and Allen his 11th.

Cons:

-The Celtics are not very deep in general. Their list of subs (as of 8/12) includes Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Eddie House, Michael Olowokandi, Scot Pollard, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt, Brian Scalabrine, and Brandon Wallace.

-The point guard and center positions (the two most important in the game) are incredibly thin. The PGs include Rondo, House, and Pruitt, while the C position includes Kendrick Perkins (predicted starter), Michael Olowokandi, and Scot Pollard.

-The Boston trio is still unproven in terms of winning, with no conference or league titles between them.

Predicted lineup:

C-Kendrick Perkins, PF-Kevin Garnett, SF-Paul Pierce, SG-Ray Allen, PG- Rajon Rondo

6th man-Tony Allen, 7th man-Glen Davis, 8th man-Leon Powe

Predicted stat leaders:

Points-Paul Pierce (24.6 PPG)

Rebounds-Kevin Garnett (13.4 RPG)

Assists-Paul Pierce (5.8 APG)

Blocks-Kevin Garnett (1.8 BPG)

Steals-Ray Allen (1.3 SPG)

Final Prediction: The Celtics will make it to the postseason with a 48-34 record.