Boston Celtics Top Five Trade and Draft Blunders

The Boston Celtics have never had a No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, yet they are the most storied franchise in the NBA. The Lakers may have been to the Finals more times, but the it is the Celtics who edge them in championships.

The Celtics have made their share of draft-day blunders as well as some fortunate decisions on their way to championship gold.

We all know of the original "Big Three" and the new version. Both came to be from shrewd draft and trade transactions by upper management.

But there are a few decisions that sometimes leave you scratching your head or saying, "Wow, I didn't see that one coming."

Here are my top five draft or trade blunders the Celtics have made.

Acie Earl: Drafted 1993, First Round, 19th Pick

Acie Earl was a defensive force in the Big Ten. By the time he left college in 1992, he was voted Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

That year, the Celtics were beginning to show their age. The Big Three had been in the league 12, 11, and 15 years.

The Celtics' core was aging, and management had decided they would take Earl in the 1993 draft. That year's draft included Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, and Jamal Mashburn.

Acie would be the defensive anchor for them in the future. Earl had a rather non-descript career. In fact, by 1995, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors.

The highlight of his career was when he posted a double-double 40 points and 12 rebounds in a loss against the Celtics. He ended his career in Europe.

Eric Montross: 1994 Draft First Round, Pick Nine

The 1994 Draft headlined Jason Kidd, Glenn Robinson and Grant Hill. Montross was the next experiment at center for the Celtics. Montross had won an NCAA championship and was named to the All- American team his junior and senior year.

The Celtics came under fire for picking Montross over such notables as Eddie Jones and Jalen Rose. Boston seemed to have had the last laugh when Montross averaged 10 points per game as a rookie and was named to the 1995 All-Rookie team.

That was Montross' last hurrah he was never able to match that production again. He went on to average 4.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.4 assists per game for his career. He retired in 2003 becasue of a foot injury.

Jerome Moiso: 2000 Draft, First Round, 11th Pick

This wasn't a particularly deep draft, but it had some hidden talent. The 2000 draft saw Kenyon Martin as the consensus No. 1 pick, but this draft also featured Hedo Turkoglu, and he slid all the way down to Sacramento at the 15th spot.

Moiso didn't stay in Celtic Green very long. I couldn't even find a picture of him in a Celtic uniform. He ended up playing in the euro-leagues.

Joe Johnson: 2001 Draft, First Round, 10th Pick

The Celtics once again got lucky picking in the No. 10 spot when they selected Joe Johnson. Johson was a smooth shooting two-guard from the University of Arkansas.

Notables out of that draft class were Pau Gasol, Richard Jefferson, Shane Battier, Gerald Wallace, and Tony Parker. The Celtics had promised Parker they would pick him but selected Joseph Forte with the 21st pick instead.

Johnson looked like the real deal from the start, but for some inexplicable reason, Pitino traded him to the Suns for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. Rogers is currently dealing with a severe spinal injury and will most likely never walk again. Delk is out of the league, and I have no further info on him.

Johnson is a two-time All-Star and is the resident star of the Atlanta Hawks.

Johnson will also be a free agent in 2010, and there is no talk of an extension in the near future. At 6'6'', Joe is an inch taller than Ray Allen and is only 27 years old.

Could the Celtic's be targeting Johnson as their key free agent signing of 2010? Would Johnson welcome a reunion with the Green and an opportunity to win a championship? Stay tuned, Celtic fans, 2010 will be here soon.

Gerald Green: 2005 Draft, First Round, 18th Pick

Notables from this draft were: Andruw Bogut, Deron Wiliams, Chris Paul and David Lee.
Gerald was the toast of the town with his Youtube video's being all the rage before he even played an NBA game.

He has a sweet stroke, and his vertical leap inspired some jaw-dropping, rim-rattling dunks. G-Money won the Sprite Slam Dunk contest, and that was the beginning of the end of his Celtic Career.

Green's penchant for eating hotdogs and sodas prior to games were well known. He spurned Pierce's efforts to help him develop his game, thinking that he had arrived.

He had trouble understanding NBA defensive concepts, and he didn't listen.

Green was included in the trade that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston. Since then, he was traded to Houston, who released him immediately. The 2008 season saw the Dallas Mavericks give him a free-agent contract. He stayed buried on the bench.