While watching the Boston Celtics play the Memphis Grizzlies last night, I could not stop myself from repeatedly wondering why the Celtics were losing. 

Age, free-throw shooting, and coaching came to mind. However, I still cannot figure out that last piece that is missing. 

Last night, my father asked, "At this point in the season, would you trade Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins for Marc Gasol and Hasheem Thabeet?" It took a little while to process the idea since I am a huge Kendrick Perkins supporter, but I suddenly liked the deal.

The youth and height in which the Celtics are lacking is unreal.

First off, let's take a look at the age of this roster, which has an average age of 29 years old. They have Brian Scalabrine (31), Paul Pierce (32), Kevin Garnett (33), Ray Allen (34), Rasheed Wallace (35), and Michael Finley (37). Even the San Antonio Spurs are younger than the Celtics.

Even Tony Allen is 28 years old. Allen is a guy who Celtics fans often think of as young, but he's in his prime right now. That is not a good thing. 

Believe it or not, we are not the oldest team in the league. The Dallas Mavericks average age is 30.2 years. However, the Mavericks have height with two seven-footers and can shoot from every position.

Don't lie, you'd rather be a Mavericks fan then a Celtics fan right now.

The lack of height on the Celtics roster is a significant problem. They only have two guys who are big for their position in Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace. Everyone else is either on average or below average. This causes problems when the Celtics have to face a team like the Memphis Grizzlies with 7'3" Hasheem Thabeet, 7'1" Marc Gasol, and 6'8" Rudy Gay (a mismatch for Paul Pierce).

Now let's get to the point. The Celtics need a plan for the future since a championship is looking less likely every game. 

This is what the Celtics need to do. 

First off, take a look at their salaries. 

Player Option / Early Termination Option / Team Option / Qualifying Offer / Non-guaranteed

Their roster will only have Rajon Rondo, Marquis Daniels, Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, and most likely Paul Pierce.

Their plan for this summer is a six-step process.

Step one: Re-sign Ray Allen to a veteran’s minimum and move him to a sixth man role. We will miss Allen’s shooting badly if we choose to let him go. Putting him in a sixth man position will enable him to last longer with less wear and tear.  Limiting Allen’s minutes will come in handy in the playoffs.

Step two: Sign Chris Douglas Roberts. Douglas-Roberts has proved to be a solid shooting guard for the New Jersey Nets this season. He’s capable of scoring in bunches and providing a spark off of the bench. He can shoot the ball unlike Tony Allen, a guy who the Celtics had visions doing this a couple years ago. Douglas-Roberts would fill the role Danny Ainge imagined Allen would have right now. 

Step three: Sign Rodney Carney. Carney’s athleticism is hard to match for any teams. The Celtics are lacking athletic wings right now and could use Carney. His corner three-pointer would also be useful since he can spread the floor well for guys like Rondo to drive-and-kick often.

Step four: Convince Semih Erden to come over.  The Celtics drafted Erden in 2008 and the 7’1” center has continued to improve greatly every year. Although he has not proven to be a consistent player yet, Erden brings great aggressiveness, something the Celtics have lacked ever since losing Leon Powe. His size would be handy as well when going up against bigger teams such as the Lakers.

Step Five: Trade Rasheed Wallace to the Detroit Pistons for Charlie Villanueva and swap second round picks. This deal would enable to Pistons to rebuild faster since Wallace has less years on his contract than Villanueva. The Celtics would have a great scorer in Villanueva and someone who could eventually replace Kevin Garnett.

Step  Six: Draft Terrico White from Ole Miss. (Round one) and Jarvis Varnado from Mississippi State (Round two). A big combo guard and a shot-blocker is something every team in the NBA should want. White would provide a great change of pace for the Celtics when Rajon Rondo is out. He can use his height (6’5”) and great shot to throw opposing teams off. Varnado would be a project, but with Kevin Garnett as his mentor, he should find his way in the league with no problem. 

In the end, their roster would look like this: 

Point Guard: Rajon Rondo, Terrico White

Shooting Guard: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Ray Allen,

Small Forward: Paul Pierce, Marquis Daniels, Rodney Carney

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett, Charlie Villanueva, Glen Davis, Jarvis Varnado

Center: Kendrick Perkins, Semih Erden

What do you think of this plan? Is it realistic or unrealistic? Could the Celtics go far with this plan? What is your plan for the Celtics? Please comment below and start a great discussion! 

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