Boston Rumors: Are the Celtics Done Yet?

Now that Wyc Grousbeck and partners have shown a willingness to go into luxury tax territory to build a winner, the only remaining question is how far "in" they will go.

After acquiring two of the league's elite players in  Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Wyc seems to have put away the charge card with the high interest rate and told Danny to use the change purse from here on out.

Attention Kmart Shoppers: Danny Ainge has entered the building. 

And it seems he's found two good bargains to surround his three centerpieces.

That figure doesn't include the signings of Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt. Those two plus Jackie Manuel make 14 roster slots occupied, if Jackie stays with the team.

The Celtics' thinking is quite obvious: House is supposed to replace Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes on the perimeter, keeping opposing defenses from crashing on Boston's new tri-headed attack, and spell Rajon Rondo at PG.

Pollard, on the other hand, brings much-needed interior defense, shot-blocking, and rebounding from the bench.

(Groucho Marx voice: "How you rebound from the bench? I have no idea.")

Besides, the Celtics needed someone new from outer space now that Delonte has gone West. Mission accomplished. We'll now have "close encounters of a second kind" with a tall, unlikely Elvis impersonator who sometimes looks like Jesus (with bad hair) and can dunk the ball.

The rumors are totally untrue that Kansas got Scot Pollard for Dorothy in a trade with Oz.

Pollard is already providing great material...and we just got him. This season just keeps getting better.

(Scot, I'm just playing with you... you know that, right?  I'm hoping the rest of the stuff I write about you has to do with basketball contributions on the court, mostly, anyway.)

The question now for Boston is...is this it? Has the music stopped, and are the guys left sitting in chairs our team for the season?

The Celtics have roster room for one more player... maybe two, if they release Manuel. Another trade isn't out of the question, though it seems less likely now.

The C's reportedly made an offer to Dikembe Mutombo. Is that still alive? He'll work cheaply and is more solid than Pollard, even at his mature age.

What else is out there?

Sarunas Jasikevicius' agent says he wants to come to Boston. Would Danny pay him $4 million per? Ainge was interested just a very short while ago. Jasikevicius is bigger than House (joke suppression inserted here),  though I'm not sure what more he could contribute. His NBA adventure so far must be characterized as disappointing.

The Ryan Gomes rumors won't go away. That would be just too good to believe. Ryan dismissed them publicly today.

P.J. Brown is unsigned, though unsure if he'll play this year.

Would Danny be willing to trade Leon Powe or Glen Davis, plus Kendrick Perkins and/or Brian Scalabrine, to acquire another top-notch player? 

My guess is in two parts, but both end in "yes."

Because the C's are "all-in" for this trip, it would be foolish not to add another solid piece if it helps them compete for the title.

Is Danny looking? I think he may be.

It's not a question of if Wyc would do it anymore, it's a question of when, and who.

Two options:

1) Do it now and get the team playing together as quickly as possible;

or 2) Wait until you see exactly how things are going and do something before the February deadline.

The Pollard signing plugs a hole in the post. But is he enough? 

Etan Thomas would be helpful... but I'm not sure Washington would trade him to an Eastern Conference competitor.

And is House really Rondo's backup this year? It would be hard to believe that Danny thinks rookie PG Gabe Pruitt could be part of a "run for the gold." All the good free agent PGs are gone. The only other answer would be a trade.

Did Danny miss some opportunities?

It's hard to tell. How serious of a run did Danny make at Brevin Knight? Even if Ainge was willing to give up a future number-one for Juan Carlos Navarro, as Chris Wallace did to get him to Memphis, Washington most likely said "no way" to an Eastern Conference team, especially the newly energized Celtics.

So Eddie House is Danny's PG move...so far.

Until Tony Allen comes back, Brandon Wallace and Jackie Manuel are the backups at the 3. Not too scary is it? Both are defensive specialists. Both are untried.

Can Glen Davis play some 3 in the NBA? He would find it difficult to defend many opponents...but he'd present them with the same problem at the other end.

It's to be expected, but an area of abundance prior to the trade has become one of uncertainty afterward. The identity of Paul Pierce's sub is up in the air at the moment. We're talking about 13-15 minutes per game. With Ray Allen and KG expected to remain on the court in Paul's absence, the issue won't be earth-shaking during the season, but could be pivotal come playoff time.

Hopefully the answer morphs into Tony Allen.

The Celtics as-is could probably do battle with most teams once they get some chemistry going. But these final pieces are important. Playoff substitutions are critical. Will Eddie House and Scott Pollard be enough?

With the move towards veterans and a playoff mentality, it's not clear that Doc and Danny would trust the rookie Davis to log productive minutes. Even talented lottery pick Tyrus Thomas experienced difficulty in the playoffs for the Bulls this year.

Here's what I'm hoping:

1) Dikembe Mutombo is signed to shore up our interior defense.

2) Ryan Gomes does indeed get released and returns to the C's. Having him stabilizes and enhances a number of things.

3) Rajon Rondo is given the chance to run the show, and continues to grow as he goes.

BTW...The team is going to Europe and will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in an exhibition game on October 10th, in England, I believe. That should be fun to watch. I hope it's televised here.

Thought for the Day:

"It is the dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull." - H.L. Mencken