Expectations for the 06-07 Celtics going into the season were tepid at best, due mostly to the fact that Pierce’s increasingly inept supporting cast consisted of the unproven Al Jefferson, an undersized and physically lacking Ryan Gomes, an average player in Tony Allen, Wally Szczerbiak (Ricky Davis before he was traded for “Wally World”), and an overweight and seemingly uninterested Kendrick Perkins.

The Celtics were clearly rebuilding and had no designs of even pretending to contend in the east, and it showed when Gang Green stumbled its way to a horrendous 24-58 record, which was the second worst mark in the NBA behind Memphis’s 22-60 disgrace of a season. Pierce had another great statistical season in 06-07, averaging 25 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.

However, he only managed to play in 47 games that season due to his constant struggle with injuries. Tony Allen and Al Jefferson played well in Pierce’s stead, but when Allen got hurt, the wheels really began to fall off for Boston.

Without Pierce and Allen, the Celtics and their fans suffered through a franchise record 18 game losing streak. During that stretch and even after Pierce returned to the team, Boston looked uninterested and out of sorts, as if they were merely going through the motions day in and day out, waiting for the season’s merciful end.

Thankfully enough for the Celtics and their fans, Boston’s sudden descent to the cellar of the NBA was not without its advantages. After all, Greg Oden, who had drawn numerous comparisons to former Celtic great Bill Russell due to his tenacity on defense, and Kevin Durant, who was one of the most athletic prospects of the decade, headlined an otherwise weak 2007 draft class.

Due to their lowly 24-58 record, which gave them the second worst mark in the NBA and therefore the second best chance of procuring the draft’s #1 selection through the lottery, Boston had a 40% chance of landing one of those blue chip prospects. But unfortunately for the Celtics, that was not to be. They ended up with the #5 pick in the draft, which was used on Georgetownswingman Jeff Green.

Embattled Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, who was in jeopardy of losing his job on the heels of two poor seasons, took advantage of his team’s seemingly hopeless situation by dealing the draft rights to Green, along with the expiring $9.4 million contract of Wally Szczerbiak and unproven point guard Delonte West for veteran shooting guard Ray Allen, who had averaged 26.4 points per game for the hapless Seattle Sonics during the previous season.

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