Bleacher Report - Boston Celtics

Should Boston Celtics Trade Into 2013 NBA Draft Lottery Using Paul Pierce?

Grant Rindner — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:34:04 -0400

With news of the potential Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett deal with the Los Angeles Clippers falling through, according to ESPN Los Angeles' Ramona Shelburne, the collective eyes of the Boston Celtics faithful are beginning to shift to the future of Paul Pierce.

While Pierce was not a direct part of the Clippers rumor, there is still widespread speculation that the 10-time All-Star, who was nearly dealt to the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline, could be moved imminently.

Pierce is coming off of another solid season in which he averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 38 percent from three-point range, and is sure to garner interest in the offseason from title contenders who feel they need an added scoring punch. However, another option for Boston is to look to move him to a lottery team and move itself up in the draft.

The Celts currently hold the 16th pick in the draft, and while there is always the small chance of finding a star in the mid-first round. Players like Kelly Olynyk, Shane Larkin, Gorgui Dieng and Mason Plumlee are all good, experienced players, but none of them are going to emerge as the kind of building block that Boston needs.

Although it's unlikely that one of the teams in the top five of the lottery is going to look to absorb Pierce and his substantial salary for the 2013-14 campaign, there are teams that are close to breaking into the playoffs that might consider adding the former finals MVP.

One possibility is to pursue a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were viewed by many as a dark-horse playoff squad before a slew of injuries resulted in a disappointing 31-51 finish.

Though Minnesota has Andrei Kirilenko and Derrick Williams at the wings currently, it is woefully thin at the shooting guard spot and could use a player capable of stretching the floor and creating offense for himself and his teammates. With Kevin Love sidelined for all but 18 games, the Timberwolves averaged just 95.7 points per game, good for 20th in the league.

The teams could swing a deal that would center on Pierce and the 16th overall pick for Williams and the ninth pick. Williams averaged a respectable 12 points and 5.5 rebounds as a sophomore, and the C's could use the ninth pick to draft a player like Cody Zeller or Alex Len who could help plug Boston's hole down low.

Another similar move would be to ship Pierce to Detroit along with the 16th pick for Rodney Stuckey and the eighth pick. Moving up to eighth would give them an opportunity to possibly snag Shabazz Muhammad, a gifted wing scorer who could give the team some much-needed perimeter offense.

Stuckey is only under contract for one more season at $8.5 million, and bringing Pierce to the Motor City would give the Pistons a veteran presence in the locker room to help mentor Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight and Andre Drummond while potentially making them a playoff threat in the Eastern Conference.

If Boston desperately wants to vault itself into the upper part of the lottery, it could consider engaging the New Orleans Pelicans in talks for Pierce. The Pelicans are thin at the center position and might be interested in acquiring Jared Sullinger.

A deal of Pierce, Sully, Jordan Crawford and the 16th pick for a package of role players like Jason Smith and Lance Thomas in addition to the sixth pick would give Boston the chance to grab one of the few impact players available in the 2013 draft.

Should a player like Otto Porter or Anthony Bennett slip a bit, the Celtics would have the chance to snatch him up and add a strong piece to their young core. Both Porter and Bennett provide unique skill sets offensively: Bennett with his rebounding and outside shooting, and Porter with his mid-range game and playmaking. Having one of them could potentially expedite the C's' rebuilding process and give Rajon Rondo another youthful running mate.

Beyond those three moves, though, it is tough to envision what Boston could do to make a meaningful leap upwards in the draft. Dealing Pierce to a team like Philadelphia, Dallas or Oklahoma City is a possibility, but is it worth losing Pierce just to move up a few spots in a relatively weak draft class.

Even the moves suggested here are far from guarantees given the lack of any "sure thing" player in this group of prospects. It would be one thing if this draft had the kind of top-shelf talent that many expect from the 2014 draft, but this is a year where even potential top-three picks like Nerlens Noel and Trey Burke may not be able to make a significant impact at the NBA level.

There is also the matter of what sending Pierce to a lottery team would do for a fanbase that has watched him mature and grow for 15 seasons. Given that Pierce does not have much time left playing at a high level, to see him languish on a team years away from a playoff run would be undoubtedly saddening.

Though he struggled somewhat against New York's stingy defense, averaging 5.3 turnovers per game, Pierce still managed to throw up 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists while playing more of a point-forward role with Rondo down.

Pierce's shooting at the rim is down slightly (64.8 percent in 2011-12, 62 percent in 2012-13), and he is hoisting more threes than he has since the 2006-07 season. But his ability to play strong defense and hit big-time shots is undeniable. His PER has also basically stayed the same over the past six years, hovering around 19.

For a team that has a rebuild looming on the horizon, trading up in the draft is never a bad idea. However, because of the uncertain nature of this crop of prospects and the mysteries surrounding the future of the Boston Celtics franchise, it would simply be too risky for Danny Ainge and the front office to gamble on moving Pierce just to move up in the draft.

A major move may soon be coming for Boston, but it should not come in the form of a Paul Pierce-based attempt to squeeze into the draft lottery.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Celtics Trade Rumors: Clippers Negotiations Will Lead to End of 'Big 3' Era

Tyler Conway — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:54:40 -0400

The Boston Celtics' "Big Three" era is dead.

No matter how the team's oft-discussed trade talks with the Los Angeles Clippers turn out, the 2013 offseason will be forever known as the final nail in the era that reinvigorated basketball in Boston, introduced Ubuntu to the NBA lexicon and hoisted a record 17th banner to the TD Garden.

Yes, I know what the reports say. ESPN Los Angeles' Ramona Shelburne and multiple others broke the story early Tuesday, stating the Clippers pulled out of negotiations that would have sent Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to Los Angeles in exchange for center DeAndre Jordan and two first-round picks.

The negotiations, which have been taking place over the past week, reportedly started falling apart on Monday before Los Angeles walked away from the table altogether. The Clippers had cold feet not only over giving up two first-rounders to allow Rivers out of his five-year, $35 million contract, but also had reservations about taking on the coach's exorbitant salary.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed the talks were "dead," to Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe:

All indications are that neither side is posturing. The Clippers have pulled out and are planning to hire their next head coach soon—likely Brian Shaw or Lionel Hollins. The Celtics, while confused as to why Los Angeles pulled out of negotiations, per USA Today's Sam Amick, are also moving on.

But here's the thing: NBA teams are fickle. Until Shaw, Hollins or whoever takes the Clippers job, this deal is not completely dead. This deal was and still is one relenting phone call away from getting done for either side. Los Angeles could realize it's a bit insane (which it is) to give Boston a hard-line stance on a deal that doesn't involve Eric Bledsoe, while the Celtics could merely give up and just move on from the whole thing.

It doesn't really matter—at least from the Celtics' future perspective.

Whether Los Angeles and Boston reinvigorate these talks and get a deal done is irrelevant. The cliche "point of no return" exists for a reason—especially in a city as prideful as Boston—and Rivers puppeteering in this deal places him firmly within that overwrought statement.

It's been Rivers spearheading the move to Los Angeles throughout the process, mainly because he was unwilling to buy into the Celtics' desire to rebuild the franchise. That's despite Rivers knowing when he signed an extension that would keep him with the franchise through 2016 that a rebuild was almost guaranteed.

While Rivers is plenty within his rights to change his mind about buying in—an understandable stance considering the special relationship he has with Garnett and Paul Pierce—the Celtics have just as much right to feel scorned by their beloved coach.

For people within both Rivers' camp and the Celtics organization, the writing is on the wall. As a source said to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, "You don't just move on from this and act like nothing happened."

Rivers is expected to meet with Ainge on Wednesday to discuss his future. It's unclear whether anything will be decided in that meeting, but it seems almost unfathomable that Rivers would be on Boston's sideline next year. Per Grantland's Bill Simmons, who has quite the connection to the city of Boston, we might be seeing a return of Doc Rivers, TV analyst:

In a separate tweet—before talks broke down—Simmons said that Rivers would probably need a flux capacitor to come back to the Celtics in 2013-14:

The biggest domino effect of Rivers leaving—whether to Los Angeles or to a TV booth—would obviously come from Garnett. The Big Ticket was willing to waive his no-trade clause for a move to the Clippers, so long as Rivers came along for the ride. That's a marked (albeit unsurprising) change in stance from a man who said he "bleed[s] green" in February, per A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via ProBasketballTalk).

Garnett shouldn't and won't get the same flak Rivers is receiving. His loyalties lie partially to the city of Boston, but his heart is with playing under Doc and playing with Pierce. Multiple reports have suggested that Rivers is the only coach Garnett wants to play for at this point in his career.

Should Rivers leave, what comes next? Does Garnett retire and walk away from the $18-plus million (2013-14 salary plus $6 million in partial guarantees for 2014-15)? And if Garnett doesn't walk away, the Celtics sure seem keen on moving forward with their rebuilding project. Does the Clippers trade wind up happening, only with Rivers not being a part of the package?

That's all without mentioning Pierce, whose status has gotten almost completely lost in the shuffle here. Per Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, the Celtics captain's name has been tangentially linked to the Ubuntu West dream, but only as a secondary figure. It's a bit amazing, though, considering how great Pierce was down the stretch that he's essentially become known as the albatross in the room.

Boston has until June 30 to make a decision on whether to decline Pierce's option and take a $5 million hit or take on his $15.3 million salary for 2013-14. That decision has probably been made at a front-office level. It's been reported by Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that Pierce's family is already expecting to move on from Boston, where the All-Star forward has spent his entire career.

This whole situation is a mess. It's gotten far uglier, far more public than anyone expected. When Garnett and Rivers shared a private moment as the Celtics were eliminated by the New York Knicks from this year's playoffs, it felt like a perfect end. Each man said their "I love yous" and the era seemed to be ending copacetically.

And then everything went to hell. Whether it's only Rivers who leaves, or Rivers and Garnett, or all three, the "Big Three" era's final nail in the coffin will be one gigantic black mark.

Granted, if you want to get technical, it's fair to say Ray Allen's departure for the Miami Heat last summer would mark the "end" in a traditional sense. But it's become clear that the greatest three-point shooter who ever lived was the third or even the fourth wheel by the time he left Boston. Allen feuded with Rajon Rondo throughout his time with the franchise, and left feeling like he was overlooked by Rivers for the remaining trio of stars.

Ray Allen was an integral linking piece at the peak of the "Big Three" era. By the time he left, though, it had become clear that Garnett, Pierce and Rivers were the "real" Big Three in both the organization's and city's eyes. They embodied Ubuntu, they embraced and bled green and white, they fought down to the very last wire despite all odds and embodied everything the city of Boston saw in itself.

And now it's about to be over. Things end in sports and in life. You deal with it and move on. It's a shame that such a relationship is about to end with such an ugly divorce.

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter:

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Will Kevin Garnett Spurn Rebuilding Boston Celtics, Retire Before Next Season?

Dan Favale — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:05:49 -0400

Kevin Garnett tried to flee the Boston Celtics to no avail, so he now has a decision to make. Does he endure the next year or two of an extensive rebuild or walk away from the NBA entirely?

Once Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe reported that trades talks between the Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers were dead, Garnett was instantly (and finally) thrust head-first into the transactional mayhem that was being waged from coast-to-coast.

Never mind believing that Garnett was innocent in all this. He's guilty as charged, the charge being passive, yet not-so-passive compliance.

Notice how he hasn't publicly come out and said anything. Absolutely nothing. No matter though, he doesn't need to. His silence is deafening.

Like Doc Rivers, Garnett wants out of Boston.

Memories from the last half-decade plus will be experiences he holds dear to his heart for the rest of his life. The championship in 2008, the NBA Finals loss in 2010 and the near upset of the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals one year ago, he'll remember it all.

The problem is those experiences with the Celtics are now mementos of Garnett's past, remnants of a team that was. Those Celtics no longer exist; their goals are no longer attainable.

Some maimed version of the team could have still been fielded next season, the operative word here being "could." Boston was always one Danny-Ainge-change-of-heart away from giving it another go with Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Rivers.

Had Ainge not made it clear he would rather rebuild, things would have been different. Those Los Angeles rumors wouldn't have surfaced and Boston would have gone about business as usual.

Instead, Ainge decided it was time to do what he should have probably done earlier and begin a complex reclamation project. At the very least, he was more than open to starting from scratch. We have to believe that much. Rivers wouldn't have attempted to escape a city that became family over the last nine years if Ainge was hell-bent or even slightly amenable to giving this group another year, another chance.

So Garnett tried to leave via Rivers, suggesting that he still has plenty of basketball left in those veins of his, precious energy he would prefer not to expend with the Celtics.

That's where we're at: Garnett wants to return. He would have either been sipping mai-tais by the beach or taken the Jason Kidd route by lobbying to become the next head coach of the Clippers if he didn't. Had he wanted to retire, he would have retired.

He wants to continue to playing—with strings attached.

Simply playing just to play isn't on the 37-year-old's bucket list. Contention is what he's after 18 years into his professional career. Consenting to remain in Boston entails sacrificing his body and ambitions for a team that is unfit to take him where he wants to go.

Our carousel of thinking brings us back to retirement, the ultimate exit.

Walking away from the Celtics in conjunction with the league permits Garnett to leave with dignity. That was the whole point of this Clippers ordeal, was it not?

If the trigger had been pulled, Garnett would have left Boston involuntarily. Waiving his no-trade clause would have been explained as him submitting to the will of the Celtics.

Doc wanted him in Los Angeles, the Clippers wanted him in Los Angeles and the Celtics wanted him out of Boston for financial reasons. The NBA is a business. Sometimes it gets ugly and concessions need to be made.

That's how Garnett's decision would have been slung. Like he was was collateral damage or a victim of too many moving parts.

Some would have known better, understanding that his current lack of transparency couldn't be easier to see through if he were wrapped in cellophane. Others would be blinded by the things he had done, arguing that he deserved to play for a championship-caliber outfit.

Either lens you see it through is fine, so long as you know Garnett indeed wanted out. And for awhile, Doc, the Celtics and the Clippers seemed prepared to give him that out.

Then kaboom. Everything blew up once Donald Sterling realized money would be coming out of his pocket and Ainge got too greedy for Hollywood's taste.

Now there's only one immediate way out—retirement.

Forget about Garnett finishing out his contract or coming back for one more year with the Celtics. It's doubtful he can return to Boston after this, even if Rivers does.

If he did, all wouldn't be forgotten. Though he specifically wasn't portrayed as someone who was trying to leave, he tried to leave. Barring a blockbuster trade that suddenly makes the Celtics overwhelming contenders, there's no coming back from here.

There's no use believing Garnett is prepared to force his hand any further either. He wouldn't go near the mess that comes with a publicly coerced escape at this stage of his career with a 50-foot pole.

Recovering from the Minnesota Timberwolves debacle was possible; it was easy. Garnett was in his prime, capable of having an impact on a team that would culminate in a title. People tend to forget about an impure past when championships are being contended for and a title is being won.

Wherever Garnett goes next, there would still be a championship to be won. He wouldn't leave Boston if there wasn't. His window in which to win one won't be as wide open as it was when he left Minny, though. He had six years (and counting) left to contend. Now he has like two.

Which made Los Angeles the perfect situation.

Maybe he would have won a title, maybe he wouldn't have (go with wouldn't). With the Clippers it wouldn't have mattered because he would have left under the pretense that he decided to surrender to Boston's desire to rebuild without him. Who cares if the public didn't buy it as long as he could say it?

Similar luxuries aren't available to Garnett now. If he leaves Boston, it will be on his own accord; because he forced his way to another team or, more likely, retired. The latter is easier for his legacy as both a player and a Celtic.

There's always alternatives, of course. Garnett could return to the Celtics and play on, hoping his charismatic fearlessness and Hall of Fame credentials will win over the Boston faithful. That could still happen.

But it just wouldn't be the same.

Never again would he be the unadulterated savior the city believed him to be. Never again would he be beyond reproach. Everything would be different.

Assuming a carbon-copy to that of what almost went down between the Clippers and Celtics doesn't present itself, Garnett may return to Boston in an effort to sort through the chaos help. Or he might retire, going out as a Celtic just like he originally planned before there were any strings attached.

Put in that context, it's easy to understand Garnett has reached the point of no return, and that he's more likely to retire and salvage what's left of a deteriorating union than play another minute for the transitioning Celtics.

Follow @danfavale

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

How Doc Rivers' Exit from Celtics Would Define Boston's Future

Adam Fromal — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:39:14 -0400

We've almost officially reached the point of no return for Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics.

After the mega-trade between the C's and the Los Angeles Clippers failed to come to fruition, Rivers is technically still a member of the Boston organization, but it sure doesn't feel like it. How can he realistically be expected to just step back onto the sidelines of TD Garden and pretend like nothing happened?

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, general manager Danny Ainge reached out to the indecisive head coach after the deal fell through, but they didn't reach any conclusion:

After talks in a blockbuster deal fell apart over draft pick compensation, Doc Rivers is unsure about returning to the Boston Celtics as coach, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge informed Rivers of the failed trade talks on Tuesday morning, and reiterated the Celtics' desire to have him return and fulfill the final three years and $21 million left on his contract, sources said.

The Celtics and Rivers planned to reach a final resolution in the next few days, sources said.

I can't even begin to imagine how that conversation went.

Did Ainge open with, "So...uh...Doc. We were trying to trade you, and it didn't work. So...now we want you back? Yeah, we want you back!"

It's a little late in the process for that kind of backtracking.

There's one more relevant quote from that Wojnarowski article:

Rivers pushed for the Clippers partnership because of his desire to bypass a rebuilding process with Boston. As one source tied to Boston ownership and Rivers said, "You don't just move on from this and act like nothing happened."

Nothing happened, but at the same time, a lot certainly happened. Boston did just about everything in its power to burn the bridge between Rivers and the C's organization. It's tough enough to place a player on the trading block and expect him to return with nothing but a smile after no offers come flowing in. It's tougher still to do the same with a coach who was already considering a potential departure.

Following this saga, Rivers would be well within his rights to respond to Ainge's overture with a simple YouTube link to this song:

The damage is done, so I guess he'll be leaving. The Celtics don't have to say what they did, because Rivers already knows. Now there's just no chance for him and them.

There never will be.

Let's assume that Rivers exits Boston this offseason, leaving the C's scrambling for a new head coach. What does that mean for the future of this organization?

Doc Rivers' Future

Even if Rivers doesn't return to the same sideline he's paced throughout recent memory, he'll be able to take his froggy voice back into the broadcasting booth. That's not a bad backup option, and Rivers was quite good in 2004 when he served as a commentator for NBA on ABC.

Because the head coach has multiple years left on his contract, he can't simply walk away and then join another team in the NBA. He's contractually bound to the Celtics, and he can't break that bond without Ainge's permission.

Whether Rivers desires a managerial role or another coaching job in the Association, Boston will demand that it receive something in return from his new landing spot. Obviously that didn't work out so well with the Clippers, and it's unlikely that many other teams will be willing to match the Celtics' inevitably high asking price.

Now that L.A. has fallen out of the picture, it looks like it's either the booth or the Garden for Rivers. Neither is a bad option, but the former is looking more and more likely as this drama continues to press on.

Remember, we're operating under the assumption that Rivers has exited the organization here. So with only one other choice available, let's go ahead and make another assumption: that he winds up working for a TV station.

Kevin Garnett's Future

Kevin Garnett and Rivers have formed one of the tightest relationships in recent NBA history. Many coaches and players have created unbreakable bonds, especially after winning a championship together, but these two take it to an extreme.

That much was clear when they embraced on the sideline after a defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks ushered in the possibility that they'd worked together for the final time. It was more than a simple hug; it was a tacit declaration of mutual respect and admiration, as made clear by Wojnarowski:

Kevin Garnett changed Doc Rivers' life, changed forever the way people will remember him as a basketball coach. Rivers is a champion now, a paragon of his profession and there's never been a day on the job he hasn't understood that Garnett made it possible. This is the reason the tears welled within his eyes beneath that 17th championship banner in the Garden on Friday night, the reason that he squeezed Garnett on the sideline in the final seconds.

Deep down, Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett understood this was goodbye.

Deep down, they know it is over.

"I love you," Rivers told Garnett.

"I love you," Garnett told Rivers.

Rivers is one of the major reasons that the Big Ticket ever came to Beantown, and now that he's hovering on the brink of retirement, the coach's departure could very well lead to his own. Without a perennially hoarse voice yelling at him from the sideline, Garnett doesn't have much of a reason to stay with the Celtics.

Remember, we're assuming that Rivers is gone here. If that's the case, we can safely bet on KG departing too.

Garnett still has time left on his contract, but he could bypass that in one of two manners: He could either choose to retire and pull the plug on his Hall of Fame career, or he could ask Ainge to buy out his contract and allow him to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Based on his play, the latter seems more likely. Garnett still has some quality basketball left in the tank, as the New York Knicks found out during the postseason. The big man averaged 12.7 points, a playoff-high 13.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game with a 17.3 PER, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

That doesn't sound like a man ready to hang up the sneakers and walk off into the sunset. Not that KG would walk; he'd probably run and protect any baskets along the way.

It's too early to speculate about where he'd end up, but one thing is certain: If Rivers is gone, so too is Garnett.

Paul Pierce's Future

Let's take it one step further.

If Rivers is gone, then Garnett will be washed right out the door by the current. Along with him will go Paul Pierce.

Initially, the process was supposed to happen the other way, with the Pierce decision ushering in the other moves. But now, the flow seems like it may be reversed.

KG and Pierce have been friends for much longer than the six years they've spent in the same jersey, and "The Truth" was one of the main reasons Garnett decided to join the Celtics, as he made clear in an interview with WEEI's Mike Petraglia:

Garnett made it very clear that his decision about next year will hinge greatly on whether Ainge brings back Pierce.

“One of the big reasons I came [to Celtics] was because of Paul,” said Garnett. “Obviously, you want to be in a situation where it’s better. I want to make sure that I’m able to always help a team. I want to be in positions to where I’m giving something. I demand a lot of myself, both physically and from a skill level. But I’d be lying to y’all if I said Paul didn’t play into that factor. Like I said, it’s too soon of a conversation for me right now.”

Pierce, much like Garnett, could have his contract bought out, and it's seemed for a while now like that's the most likely scenario. For the hefty sum of $5 million, Ainge could cut ties with the franchise's longtime superstar, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

My guess has been that Pierce will end up on the Clippers, but recent events have caused me to treat anything that involves both the Celtics and the Clippers with a heavy dose of cynicism.

Regardless, Rivers leaving the organization would also cause Pierce to walk out the door. He doesn't want to be left alone, without his coach or his friend and fellow star there beside him. Rajon Rondo, talented point guard that he may be, isn't going to sway him in Boston's favor.

Who Becomes the Next Coach?

There are a number of excellent coaches out on the market, and one of the big names will almost certainly replace Rivers in this hypothetical situation.

George Karl, Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw are the leading candidates, and it's Shaw that should emerge as the front-runner. According to the Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes, this is already happening:

Shaw, the coaching candidate who seems to have been rumored to go to virtually every team in the Association, would be a terrific fit for the Celtics. Originally drafted by Boston, the longtime assistant is ready to step up and take on the top coaching position out there. He's learned under the greats and has a championship pedigree.

More than anything else, though, Shaw is known for his ability to help develop players.

He morphed Andrew Bynum from a potential-filled enigma into a paint-residing anchor on a championship-winning team. Then he helped Paul George blossom into an All-Star who could go toe-to-toe with LeBron James. These aren't coincidences; Shaw is a legitimate developer of talent.

As long as he doesn't try to neutralize Rondo's many talents by running the triangle offense, he'd be the perfect man to help shape Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo and whichever other young players the team brings in.

Without Rivers, Pierce and KG, Boston is inevitably entering into a bit of a rebuilding period. It may be a full rebuild or a mini one, but developing young talent is still absolutely crucial to the organization's long-term success.

Where Does the Team Go from Here?

With three faces of the franchise departed, this squad belongs almost solely to Rajon Rondo. He's the talent the team must build around, so it's a good thing he's an MVP-caliber player when he puts it all together.

The problem is, even without Pierce and Garnett's hefty contracts on the books, Boston doesn't have the financial flexibility to retool this offseason.

Let's say that Ainge chooses to pick up the team options on Shavlik Randolph, D.J. White and Terrence Williams. Then Pierce's contract gets bought out and KG retires, thereby completely wiping his salary off the books. Additionally, the C's use their No. 16 draft pick and owe that rookie $1,348,200.

All together, Boston would be paying out $59,600,829. Even after using the stretch provision, Ainge would inevitably be left filling up the roster with players signed via the mid-level exception and minimum deals. Sign-and-trades could also work, but the general manager still couldn't bring in any big players.

There just isn't enough money to reel in the marquee names, so it appears likely that the C's will enter the season featuring Rondo, Jeff Green, Sullinger, Bradley and Brandon Bass as their primary players.

It would make for a rough season—by Boston standards—but it also open things up down the road. Ainge will have money to spend in 2014 if he's patient and doesn't blow the cap space on this season; it's far more beneficial for him to just bide his time.

Things don't look pretty in Boston if Pierce, KG and Rivers all leave, but it wouldn't stay that way for long.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Do Celtics Owe it to Paul Pierce to Let The Truth Finish His Career in Boston?

Michael Walsh — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:37:37 -0400

The Boston Celtics and Paul Pierce are at the crossroads of a serious long-term relationship.

Which way they go depends on a host of outside factors that, based on a report by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, are currently bubbling out of control. The Celtics have put Pierce on the back burner for now, which is fine since they have until June 30 to make a decision on his non-guaranteed, $15.3 million contract.

The more pressing issue right now involves the potential departure of head coach Doc Rivers and starting center Kevin Garnett. Whether Pierce is tied in with them in some way will be revealed later this month.

One benefit of all this trade posturing with Rivers and Garnett is that Pierce seems to be remaining silent. He has done nothing to fracture his relationship with the organization or his fans. What happens by June 30 will be purely a business decision.

One of the most fascinating questions to discuss at this point is what the Celtics should feel they owe Pierce.

With any long-term relationship, there is give and take. Pierce has given his entire basketball career to the city, but it hasn't always been smooth. There have been bad times and good, coming from each side of the relationship.

Obviously, $15.3 million appears on the high end of what a player of Pierce's age and caliber should be worth. The alternative of buying him out for $5 million just doesn't seem palatable, though. That high price tag may simply be the cost of allowing Pierce to retire as a Celtic, something he has stated repeatedly that he would appreciate being able to do.

With a lot of relationships, it is tough to separate the distant past from what has occurred recently. With Pierce and the Celtics, that means allowing the 2013 playoffs to cloud what came before.

Pierce struggled through that series against the New York Knicks.

He was at times stymied by Iman Shumpert, a player 13 years his junior. Pierce shot just 36.8 percent and surrendered 5.3 turnovers per game. There was a lot on his plate with Rajon Rondo out, but excuses in relationships rarely pan out.

Those playoff struggles shouldn't come as any wild surprise. Pierce will turn 36 before next season begins. His age has undoubtedly started catching up with him, as his fourth-quarter performances in that series were even more abysmal.

Pierce clearly can't do what he once could, and it could be a major cause in the fracturing of this relationship.

On the front page of The Boston Globe's June 16 edition, Shira Springer had a feature on the aging stars of Boston sports. It profiled how Tom Brady, David Ortiz, Zdeno Chara and Paul Pierce are defying Father Time and remaining near the top of their respective sports.

Pierce, for one, often travels with a hyperbaric chamber. He uses the device to speed recovery time of his tired legs. Whether you view this as a brilliant solution or a giant red flag is up to the individual. What it does prove is that Pierce realizes these new deficiencies and is being proactive about them.

There should be little doubt that Pierce can and will average around 17 points, five rebounds and four assists next season, if he is allowed adequate playing time. He has done so his entire career.

His career numbers are staggering for a player who could possibly be paid not to play for this team. Over 15 seasons, he has given the Celtics an average of 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals. Pierce is a career 44.7-percent shooter, with clips of 37.0 percent from beyond the arc and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line.

The Celtics organization has paid Pierce around $175 million over the course of his career. He has been well compensated for his play and durability over his years in Boston. He was by far the highest-paid player on the team last season and more than likely would be again in 2013-14.

The argument can be made that the Celtics don't owe Pierce anything at this point. He has been properly paid for what he has done, and if they choose not to compensate him for his services moving forward, so be it. The NBA is a business, and the Celtics franchise employs a lot of people outside of Pierce.

What is forgotten here is that the relationship we've been talking about isn't just a two-way street. The Celtics brass must realize that this relationship is a triangle that includes one more participant.

The fans are that third piece to the puzzle. Plain and simple, the Celtics owe their fans the privilege of seeing Pierce go out in green.

According to Forbes, Pierce had the No. 13 highest-selling jersey last year. After 15 seasons in the NBA wearing the same jersey, how is that even possible? What Boston fan who wanted one didn't have a No. 34 jersey by the time he started year No. 15?

This is doubly impressive because Pierce doesn't appear to have the large-scale marketability of some of his peers. He has never been in the MVP discussion and makes only rare appearances on All-NBA teams. Kobe Bryant (No. 3), Dwyane Wade (No. 6) and Dirk Nowitzki (No. 7) are all in similar situations with their original teams, but have much more name recognition worldwide.

If fans are still purchasing Pierce memorabilia at a high rate 15 years into the relationship, there is something special there. What he has done spans generations. Parents who own Pierce jerseys are now buying them for their kids, something that is very rare in the NBA.

It was a freezing-cold Sunday in December, a typically raw, 35-degree Boston day, when Pierce was scheduled to make a brief appearance outside Faneuil Hall. It was another in a long strand of charitable holiday events to which Pierce would lend a hand. This particular event was put on by American Express to aid Toys for Tots.

Pierce showed up on time, rolling onto the cobblestone in a big, black SUV. After a brief interview with Bleacher Report, Pierce was set to take photos with a few diehards. However, upon turning to face the front, he witnessed a line with hundreds of fans wrapping around a good length of Quincy Market.

There were young kids and elderly grandmothers, all decked out for the cold and waiting to meet their basketball-playing hero. They all braved the elements to catch a moment with Pierce, the man they have watched make big shot after big shot on television for the last 15 years.

Midway through the meet-and-greet, Pierce, a true New Englander by now, peeled away his coat to reveal a New England Patriots shirt.

Those fans that lined up that day deserve to see Pierce finish with the Celtics. As do those who continue to buy the same jersey 15 years in. The franchise owes them the opportunity to watch No. 34 making the same rounds during the holiday season and shooting at the same baskets of the TD Garden.

They'll be watching from the same couches and on the same TVs. At this point, it just seems right.

Follow @3rdStringWalsh

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Cost Effective Moves the Boston Celtics Could Make in Free Agency

Sebastian Lena — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:10:24 -0400

Don’t expect the Boston Celtics to do too much splurging during free agency.

With a payroll that is cutting it close to the cap, the team doesn’t have sufficient space to draw in the big names. Instead, the Celtics will most likely settle for far less expensive options to address their needs.

However, it would be foolish to mistake low cost as also meaning ineffective.

Boston is currently working with a guaranteed payroll total of $62,604,091 in a projected $58.5 million cap. Throw in the impending decision on Paul Pierce and the team is looking at an additional $5 million at the very least. That would leave the Celtics with $67.60 million on the books, just under the estimated luxury tax threshold of $71.6 million.

Since the team went over the luxury tax last season, Boston is limited to just a mini-mid-level exception (around $3.2 million) along with the veteran minimum to offer free agents.

But that shouldn’t discourage the team. There are still plenty of options the Celtics can look into.

C.J. Miles

With Avery Bradley, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Jordan Crawford all on the roster, Boston couldn’t possibly need another shooting guard, right?

Well, when none proved to be effective on the offensive end, it’s time for a change. In fact, only Terry surpassed double-digits in scoring (10.1 PPG) and had to rely on 43.4 percent shooting to do so.

The 26-year-old Miles can provide a solution for that.

In 65 contests for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year, Miles averaged 11.2 points and 2.7 rebounds over 21 minutes per game. He also shot 41.5 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Those numbers only increased when Miles was thrown into the starting lineup.

In 13 starts, he averaged 15.2 points and 3.2 rebounds over 30.2 minutes per game. That includes three performances with 28 points or more.

Miles is a good outside shooter that could provide the Celtics with a great asset off the bench.

The only question is whether or not the Cavaliers will guarantee his contract for next season. Miles is set to make $2.2 million next year.

If he does become available, Miles is someone that Boston could target with the mini-MLE.

Eric Maynor

In the absence of Rajon Rondo, the team struggled mightily to find a replacement.

Bradley, Lee and Terry all auditioned for the part. However, the role of distributor fell squarely on the shoulders of the 35-year-old Pierce. One problem: The 6’7” Celtics captain plays small forward.

Maynor would be a perfect fit to step in behind Rondo.

After bouncing around the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder, the 26-year-old found a home with the Portland Trailblazers this season. He appeared in 27 contests, averaging 6.9 points and 4.1 assists over 21.2 minutes per game. He also shot 42.2 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three-point range.

Unlike any other option that Boston possesses behind Rondo on the depth chart, Maynor is a true point guard.

One of his strengths is his ability to run the pick-and-roll well. Not to mention, Maynor’s outside shooting would be a much-welcomed improvement over Rondo’s shortcomings in that area.

He only received $2.3 million in salary for the 2012-13 season. That would make Maynor a prime recipient of the mini-MLE.

Samuel Dalembert

The area where the Celtics need the most help is in the frontcourt. Especially with the uncertainty surrounding the future of Kevin Garnett.

Dalembert is a legitimate option.

During 47 contests for the Milwaukee Bucks, the 32-year-old was rather unimpressive. He averaged just 6.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over 16.3 minutes per game—the least amount of playing time Dalembert has seen since his rookie season (2002).

However, there were still some positives to take away from this year.

Finishing at the rim proved to be a strength for Dalembert, as he converted on 65.9 percent of his looks at the basket. The 6’11” center also ranked eighth in the league with a total rebounding rate of 19.4—higher than Zach Randolph, Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan.

In the final year of his contract, Dalembert brought in $6.7 million. But following a disappointing campaign, Boston should be able to snag Dalembert for considerably less.

Leandro Barbosa

If it worked once, why not try it again?

It’s a mantra the Celtics could put into play by bringing back Barbosa over the summer.

In 41 contests with the team this season, the 30-year-old averaged 5.2 points, 1.4 assists and 1.1 rebounds over 12.5 minutes per game. He also shot 43 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from distance.

But Barbosa saved his best for when Rondo went down with an injury.

During eight contests in Rondo’s absence, Barbosa averaged 8.1 points, 2.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds over 20.8 minutes per game. That included a stretch of three-straight games with 12 or more points.

Unfortunately, Barbosa tore his ACL on Feb. 11 and was traded to the Washington Wizards shortly after.

Having been paid just $854,389 during the season, Barbosa makes a lot of sense for Boston to bring back on the veteran’s minimum. He would especially be a solid pickup if the team was able to dump the contracts of Terry and Lee.

Summing It All Up

No, these players might not be the most well-known or productive players in the league. But that doesn’t take away from their worth.

After all, even the biggest of skyscrapers wouldn’t stand tall without a solid foundation.

The Celtics are in a tough situation salary-cap wise as it stands. However, with plenty of roster decisions being made by the end of the month, the team might find itself with a little more money to spend.

But right now, Boston should be more focused on players who will address needs instead of those who will draw fans into seats. That’s because if the team completes the former, the latter will come without saying.

At the end of the day, winning solves everything.

For complete team coverage and everything Celtics, you can follow Sebastian on Facebook and on Twitter

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Rajon Rondo and Cousin Sal Mess with a Fan on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Tristan Thornburgh — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:03:27 -0400

Rajon Rondo has made hilarious videos with Jimmy Kimmel before, but this time it's Rondo doing the punking.

The Celtics point guard and Jimmy Kimmel's cousin Sal made a fan jump through a lot of hoops before he could meet Rondo due to his "germaphobia." No matter if he's doing the pranking or getting pranked, Rondo seems like a fun guy.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Why Danny Ainge Deserves All of the Blame for Boston Celtics Halfhearted Rebuild

Adam Fromal — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:58:58 -0400

Here's some breaking news for Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge: In the NBA, you either commit to rebuilding or you plan on contending for a title. There is no middle ground.

And yet, as Ainge continues to pursue a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that would ship off Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers, he refuses to recognize that fact. The latest on the deal comes from Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:

Discussions over a blockbuster deal reached an impasse on Saturday when Boston general manager Danny Ainge held firm that Bledsoe had to be a part of package that included DeAndre Jordan and a first-round pick, but sources say that Boston has shown a willingness to find another asset to supplant Bledsoe and complete the complicated deal, sources said.

Ainge is correct in his decision to pursue Bledsoe or an asset of similar value, but this whole nonsensical trade serves as a microcosm for his mentality when it comes to building a team. Commit one way or the other instead of treading water.

Acquiring DeAndre Jordan is the last thing the C's should be interested in doing right now. The big man is only 24 years old and has plenty of potential, but he's not the most valuable player at this stage of his career and is already making eight figures.

According to Spotrac.com, Jordan is set to make $10,986,550 during the 2013-14 season and $11,440,123 in 2014-15 before becoming an unrestricted free agent. If that doesn't sound bad enough, his contract also includes a 15 percent trade kicker that pushes the salary even higher.

This would be fine if Jordan's first name were Michael, but not when it's DeAndre.

DeAndre can jump high and complete alley-oops, but he's an end-of-the-game liability due to his ineptitude from the charity stripe. He also has major weaknesses on both ends of the court. For all his perceived shot-blocking strengths, Jordan made the Clippers significantly worse on defense when he played.

During the 2012-13 season, L.A. allowed 6.3 more points per 100 possessions with the big man on the court, according to NBA.com's statistical databases.

Jordan is not the type of player you want to be paying eight figures to during a rebuilding process, and acquiring both him and Bledsoe wouldn't exactly push Boston into the realm of contenders. Plus, where exactly would the dynamic floor general play? How would the rotation work with him, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley all competing for minutes at the 1?

That said, I digress. The purpose here isn't to analyze the merits of this potential trade, but rather to shine a light on the flawed mentality of Ainge.

In the NBA, there are few workable shortcuts. Most tend to punish you once you go down that route, forcing you further behind the competition while displaying a mirage of success. The general manager seems blissfully unaware of that, possibly because he managed to sign Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in a single offseason and then immediately watched as his team transitioned from bottom-feeders into champions.

But there are no players like that available to him right now. The most he can do is replace his former superstars with spare parts that can keep Boston hovering around the lower seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Nothing is going to push this team over the top and past the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls for conference supremacy.

Being right in the middle is the NBA's version of purgatory.

You can't compete for a championship—not realistically at least—and your odds at winning the draft lottery are so bad that you can't add many major players. You're stuck trying to do so in free agency.

The problem with Ainge's plan is that he's not leaving the C's much money to spend in free agency. That's why he must bite the bullet and accept that it's best not to trade Garnett away, but rather just buy out his contract.

It would be different if he were receiving a cheaper player, but Jordan cripples the financial flexibility of the team and prevents it from making too many splashes. It's the prototypical halfhearted rebuild, one that attempts to skirt past the inevitability of a year or two in the NBA's basement.

Ainge is attempting to rebuild and simultaneously contend, and that's a plan that leads to a more prolonged rebuilding process.

Bringing Jordan and Bledsoe aboard means that going into the offseason before the 2014-15 season, Boston would already have around $54 million committed (assuming it brings back Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, both of whom have team options). That already limits the damage the C's can do in free agency, and just look at the players who would be on the roster:

Point guard: Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley (Eric Bledsoe is a restricted free agent, so retaining him would push the expenditures up even more)
Shooting guard: Courtney Lee, Jason Terry (unless one of the two is included in the trade)
Small forward: Jeff Green
Power forward: Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass
Center: DeAndre Jordan, Fab Melo

This is most assuredly not what you want your roster to look like with only a few million remaining before you hit the salary cap. That's not the ideal way to rebuild.

Sometimes you just have to pull the plug and commit to starting over. Such is the case for this version of the Celtics. And when you pull a plug, you can't pull it out halfway or else you seriously risk electrocuting yourself.

Ainge deserved a lot of credit a few years back when he skirted the process and completed the quick rebuild. But if he got credit then, he deserves all the blame now for refusing to commit one way or the other.

The Celtics have the ability to tank for a season or two, stockpiling cheap assets and young players before making a splash. As historically excellent as the franchise has been, players are sure to come flowing in once Boston has the funds. This is quite the attractive destination.

However, Ainge is preventing that from happening, so don't be surprised when the team just flounders away for the foreseeable future. After all, when you play around with pulling the plug, you may get shocked.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Best Potential Replacements for Doc Rivers If He Bolts Boston Celtics

Michael Pina — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:00:05 -0400

If the Boston Celtics and Doc Rivers part ways over the next few days, with both sides getting what they want from the breakup, the team will have an important question hanging over its head: Who's the Celtics' next head coach?

Replacing someone whose nine season tenure was wildly successful is nearly impossible. What the Celtics need to do is pick someone who matches up nicely with the team's adjusted expectations and renovated roster.

Big-name retreads, even ones that are otherwise fantastic such as George Karl, shouldn't be on Boston's radar. Their dream candidate should be young, forward-thinking and able to grow from the ground up in a tough process that will have more downs than ups at first.

Here are five coaching options, ranked in order of how well they fit in with where Boston is right now and where the Celtics are headed.

Begin Slideshow

Making the Call on Boston Celtics' 5 Toughest Offseason Decisions

Grant Rindner — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:11:44 -0400

With uncertainty looming around every corner, no NBA team is facing as many tough decisions as the Boston Celtics. With the exception of perhaps the Los Angeles Clippers, no team is realistically facing the prospect of losing its coach and veteran stars in one fell swoop.

As wild rumors swirl around the sports world, the mysterious picture of what the 2013-14 Celtics will look like has become no clearer than it was after Boston's disheartening loss in Game 6 against the New York Knicks.

None of these decisions are even remotely easy. Intelligent, rational arguments could be made for a number of different answers to how the Celtics should approach the draft, free agency and, of course, the future of the three people who were so instrumental in the overhaul that led to Boston's resurgence back in 2007.

The Finals are drawing to a close and, as Boston fans pass the time gritting their teeth and trying to figure out what Danny Ainge and company will do come the official offseason, let's look at some potential answers to the five most difficult questions facing the Celtics.

Begin Slideshow

Paul Pierce Rumors: Potential Trade Would Be Good for Celtics and Clippers

Brian Mazique — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:37:03 -0400

If the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics come to an agreement on the most recently-rumored swap of players and coach, the deal would help both teams.

Per Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Clippers are interested in a deal that could land Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and C's head coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers in Los Angeles. According to Stein and Shelburne's report, the Clippers "believe they have the trade assets to reunite" the trio in LA, per sources close to the process.

Reportedly, the Celtics would be receiving point guard Eric Bledsoe, center DeAndre Jordan, future draft picks and the $8 million expiring contract of Caron Butler in the rumored deal.

It may appear as though the Celtics would be getting the short end of the stick, but ultimately the team would likely be getting good value for three members of the organization that represent dead-end situations.

Here is a look at how both the Clippers and Celtics could benefit from this rumored deal.

How This Deal Would Help the Celtics

The Celtics have gone as far as they can go with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The organization has to turn the page, but Pierce's popularity with the franchise and KG's no-trade clause complicate matters.

Rivers seems to be yearning for a fresh start in another city. That said, do the Celtics really want to retain a coach who doesn't want to be a part of their current initiative?

Ultimately, the answer is no. The Celtics know Rivers could just elect to walk away from coaching and return to broadcasting. If that happens, the team would still be searching for another coach, but they would be doing so without any compensation.

Celtics' GM Danny Ainge can't just ship Pierce off to the highest bidder without some backlash, and KG won't approve a trade under most circumstances. The best way to satisfy all three situations is to find an opportunity like this rumored deal that KG, Pierce and Rivers would sign off on.

If the C's don't move Pierce now, he and KG will play another year together, but they won't be serious contenders. They will be good enough to make the playoffs, but that is a fail for the organization at this point.

The 2014 NBA draft figures to have one of the deepest classes in years. Potential franchise-changing players like Kansas' Andrew Wiggins, Duke's Jabari Parker, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart and Kentucky's usual assortment of blue-chippers will likely be available.

If a team is not a serious contender in the 2013-14 season, it will want to be in the lottery to have a shot at one of those players. With KG, Pierce, a healthy Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green, the C's aren't a lottery team.

Pierce is originally from Oakland, Calif., Garnett considered playing with the Lakers before he orchestrated his own trade to the C's and Rivers has already expressed interest in coaching the Clips, per another Stein and Shelburne report.

It isn't far-fetched to believe the three men would jump at the chance to team up together in L.A. with Blake Griffin and possibly Chris Paul.

Meanwhile, the Celtics would still receive an athletic, defensive-minded center in Jordan, an athletic highly-coveted point guard in Bledsoe, draft picks—albeit late first-rounders at best—and cash from Butler's deal.

All things considered, it is hard to imagine Boston getting a better offer.

How This Deal Would Help the Clippers

This is easy to see.

The Clippers want to win now. They have a young superstar in Griffin, a veteran superstar and free-agent-to-be in Paul that the team needs to appease. Landing a respected coach like Rivers would likely be enough to help Griffin develop, and possibly enough to convince Paul to re-sign.

Beyond that, adding Garnett would give the team a top-notch team defender, above-average rebounder, another offensive weapon in the post and the tough leader the team has lacked.

It would hurt to lose Jordan, but KG is an upgrade in almost every category—sans highlight-reel dunks. Pierce would give the team another clutch scorer in the half court and a player capable of lighting it up for 20-30 points on a given night.

If the Clippers are able to swing this deal, they could presumably have a starting five of Paul, a veteran 2-guard, Pierce, Griffin and Garnett. No matter who they plug into the shooting guard position, few teams would have a better starting group.

Could This Really Happen?

There are still multiple impediments to overcome for this to happen, but things have gone from a dream to a legitimate possibility very quickly.

Stay tuned.

Follow me, because I watch more basketball than anyone should admit.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

What Would Package Deal of Rivers, Pierce and Garnett Look Like for LA Clippers?

Jesse Dorsey — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:40:43 -0400

As the Boston Celtics enter yet another offseason with rumors flying in every direction, it seems as if the Los Angeles Clippers are a possibility to finally help them tear down the remnants of what they once were.

As it stands, reports continue to arise that the Clippers are interested in a deal that would send Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and even Boston head coach Doc Rivers from the East Coast to the West Coast. Per Marc Stein of ESPN:

There's a rising belief around the NBA that Doc, KG & Pierce all want to carry on as a trio in Clipperland if they can't roll on in Boston
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 15, 2013

According to the Boston Herald, talks between the two teams have begun as mutual interest creeps up. It could be a long road ahead, but it's possible that a deal unfolds over the next few weeks, or even months.

So, what might a deal with the Clippers look like, and would the Celtics' sacrifice be worth the return?

First, let's take a look at the simpler part of the move: getting Pierce and Garnett to Los Angeles.

Pierce and Garnett

Perhaps most important of all, we know that Garnett would waive his no-trade clause if the Clippers and Celtics are able to get a deal down, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

If Celtics and Clippers can finalize a deal that includes Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett will waive his no-trade clause, league sources tell Y!
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 15, 2013

A lot of this supposed deal would depend on how soon the Clippers expect to seriously contend for a title.

Los Angeles has to realize that any team surrounding Garnett and Pierce would be significantly weaker even a year or two into the future.

At the most, it seems L.A. would get two years of high-level play from Garnett and anywhere between two and four from Pierce.

The two could continue to play at a lower level for a few subsequent seasons, but it remains to be seen how the lessened pressure to score would impact their game.

Getting them to Los Angeles would mean the Clippers creating a deal around DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe, at the very least.

Beyond that, Los Angeles is likely going to have to add in Caron Butler and Willie Green in order to get salaries to match, although Jamal Crawford could be a possibility as well.

While it seems like trading either Pierce or Garnett straight up for Jordan, Bledsoe and Green—and then buying out the other player in order to take back fewer contracts—makes sense for Boston, it doesn't work under the current collective bargaining agreement .

A player who has his contract bought out still counts against his original team's salary cap, so they would not only be paying one of the two to become free agents, but they'd also have to endure the cap hit.

Boston using its amnesty provision on Pierce is also an option, but he wouldn't make it past the bidding process to become a free agent.

ESPN's Larry Coon and Arash Markazi detail how a trade would likely go down based on the CBA. Basically, it could be broken down into two separate trades—that way the Clippers could take back a larger percentage of salary, compared to one mega-deal.

The distinction they're making between before and after July 1 is based on the NBA free-agency period, which starts on that date. That means players would be under their 2013-14 season contracts after July 1 rather than 2012-13.

From Markazi:

That means the Clippers would go to the second option, which would be doing two separate trades. In this scenario, according to Coon, they get 150 percent or $5 million rather than just the 125 percent they get by acquiring them together. So they could trade Jordan and Bledsoe for Pierce and then Butler for Garnett. These two separate but parallel trades would work from a numbers standpoint.

If they wait until after July 1, they need to send out $22,133,656 if they wanted to trade for both together. Jordan and Butler add up to $18,986,550, so they'd need another $3,147,106. Bledsoe and Green would add up to enough.

Separately they'd need to send out $7,433,735 for Garnett, and Butler is still enough there, and they'd need to send out $10,155,556 for Pierce, and Jordan is enough but the Clippers would likely be forced to add Bledsoe as well.

Boston is in a strange situation, however, as one of the main pieces of the trade would be a guard.

With Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley at the center of the Celtics' rebuild, they might want to find another player to bring in besides Bledsoe.

That would likely mean a third team getting involved, which is a typical option when there are so many high-level players involved.

Doc Rivers

That brings us to trading the Celtics head coach, which is definitely an unusual situation. Unusual, but not unprecedented.

In 2007, the Miami Heat allowed Stan Van Gundy to leave and coach the Orlando Magic, but they requested two second-round picks in exchange.

Likewise, Miami gave the New York Knicks a first-round pick and a million bucks in order to avoid tampering charges when they signed Pat Riley.

Rivers has a "non-compete clause" in his contract that states he can't coach in the NBA again until his current contract is up, unless the Celtics give him permission to do so.

That gives Celtics president Danny Ainge a bit of leverage with Rivers. If the Clippers specifically want Rivers, Ainge could ask for a few draft picks in return.

In the end, if a deal goes down between the two teams, look for at least a future first-round pick to be included in order to release Rivers from his contract.

While any kind of contract is far from in place, talks between the two teams could definitely heat up over the next few weeks if the trade looks to be mutually beneficial.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Boston Celtics Alternative NBA Draft Prospects Team

Randolph Charlotin — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:29:16 -0400

"The Boston Celtics need a center and should take a sure thing like Gorgui Deing. Or maybe they should gamble on the physical potential of Steve Adams."

"No, it’s obvious Boston needs scoring. Hopefully Shabazz Muhammed slips all the way down to pick 16. He could be the second coming of Paul Pierce, who also slipped to Boston 15 years ago."

"Are you crazy or did you not watch the playoffs? It’s obvious Boston needs a backup point guard. Maybe the Celtics made the promise to Dennis Schroeder, the Rajon Rondo clone."

It’s the same half dozen or so names associated with Boston in the various mock drafts or discussed in forums, which is fine. Everyone does their research and draws their own conclusions.

As do I. This is a team of draft prospects whom aren’t discussed as potential Celtics as frequently as some other prospects, if at all.

It’s a small-ball unit that lacks a true center. Doc Rivers would probably love coaching this team.

Begin Slideshow

Top 5 Coaches in Boston Celtics History

David Solomito — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:36:15 -0400

Amid a report from ESPN's Chris Broussard that Doc Rivers is seriously considering stepping down after nine years as the head coach of the Boston Celtics, it seems only appropriate to determine where Rivers ranks amongst the Boston Celtic coaching greats.

There have been a total of 16 coaches in the 67-year history of the Celtics franchise. However, only six were part of the 17 banners that have been raised to the rafters.

Who makes our top five?

Begin Slideshow

Jeff Green's Offseason To-Do List for Maximizing Potential with Boston Celtics

Sloan Piva — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:40:57 -0400

Jeff Green has finally blossomed into the potential superstar Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge always thought he could be. The 6'9”, 235-pound Georgetown product finished the season with a 15.07 player efficiency rating and a slew of highlights.

More importantly, he showcased his ability to take over contests with his inside-outside talents. He can drive to the hole or pull up in a defender's face. He gets to the line one play and knocks down a trey the next.

Indeed, the greatest part of Green's game in 2012-13 was his offensive emergence in the second half. He averaged 16.6 points per game between February and the end of the season (compared to 9.8 over the previous three months).

The Georgetown product and former heart patient also dramatically improved his passing game in the last three months, averaging 2.46 assists per game as opposed to 0.8 from November to January. His rebounds per game also rose from 3.2 to five during those respective stretches.

So what possible complaint could any Celtics fan pose about Green's game? Any player who puts up 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.8 steals after the All-Star break, while shooting 49 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc, surely deserves more praise than criticism.

However, there are ways he can move from emerging star to franchise superstar if he focuses on the right areas. Here are the most important factors for Green to consider if he wants to maximize his potential next season and beyond.

Defense

As previously mentioned, Green's offensive explosion after the All-Star break was masterful. Just look up his rim-rattling slams in the faces of victims like Chris Andersen, or witness the game-winning drives he made against the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Those teams don't doubt his ability.

However, Green's game still leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end, especially in away games. He posted a good defensive rating of 96.3 at home, but a rather shoddy 103.9 mark on the road.

He often lets pressure situations expose him in tight games. Despite his quickness on the other side of the court, and in transition, he often gets crossed up or loses opponents on the first step of their moves.

Green also struggles mightily when it comes to defending in the post. He has learned to stand his ground a little better than in the past, but he still lacks the confidence most stars have on the defensive block.

If coach Doc Rivers gets traded or walks away this offseason, it will be even more vital for Green to stay on track with improving his defense. Matters could be even worse if Kevin Garnett, the defensive anchor of the squad, and captain Paul Pierce departed. That would leave Green, who has always been suspect with help defense, at the forefront of a frontcourt he might not be ready to lead.

Green must push himself to becoming a complete player. All signs point to his dedication in this regard, and that job description includes “consistently good defender.” He has the ability to improve, but must put the work in to truly make it happen.

Rebounding

While Green posted his career-best per-36 points average this season (16.6), he unfortunately finished tied with his all-time worst rebounds per 36: a meager 5.1. The other time he posted 5.1 boards per 36? In 2010-11, his first year as a Celtic.

This is troubling stuff. A guy with his height, size, build and quickness should be grabbing at least six or seven boards per contest, never mind per 36 minutes.

If Paul Pierce gets traded, or Garnett retires (or, brace yourselves, both), it will essentially be Jeff Green's team. But the heir apparent to two of the team's best rebounders cannot get away with averaging under four boards per game.

It's not that he has bad instincts, but rather that he's too tentative in crowds.

His total rebounding percentage (the percentage of available rebounds he grabbed while on the floor) was a putrid 8.3 percent this season. On the offensive glass, it was an abysmal 3.0 percent. Both of those rates are the worst of his five-year career.

Ainge saw these issues coming when he inked Green to a four-year, $36 million deal last summer. That's right, the deal included rebounding incentives. The president of basketball operations spoke with ESPN Boston writer Jackie MacMullan about it this February:

I don't think people fully understand how serious it was. It was life-threatening. That one area was our biggest concern. To me, it's not a lack of effort. It's about bad habits. I don't think Jeff has ever focused on rebounding in his life, from what I can tell.

One assumes that it couldn't possibly get any worse.

But Green absolutely must improve by leaps and bounds if Boston stands any chance next season, with or without Pierce and Garnett. Jared Sullinger will be coming off a rookie season shortened by back surgery, and quality-rebounding guard Rajon Rondo is still nursing his ACL back to health.

The Celtics desperately need Green to body up down low when the ball is in the air. If he doesn't crash the boards next season, Boston could go from the second-worst rebounding squad in the league to the worst rebounding squad in the history of the NBA.

No pressure, Jeff.

Consistent Toughness

When Green is at his best offensively, he consistently drives to the hoop with aggressiveness. For a guy who sports a lankier brand of muscle, he certainly surprises defenders with his toughness.

His dribble-penetration ranks among the elite of the league, because only a few players in the world can stop him when he goes to the hole with power.

However, the only player who can seemingly take him off his game is himself. Oftentimes, he loses the aggressiveness and lulls himself to sleep.

In order for Green to be considered a go-to guy, or an All-Star for that matter, he must consistently play at a high level both inside and outside. He has exhibited impressive field-goal rates when he's in full gear, so he must learn that Boston needs him to score for it to win games.

Green has never been considered an elite athlete, so to speak, but he has the components to become one of the best scorers in the league. But scorers can't pick and choose when they want to go off—that's how you end up on the bench next to Jordan Crawford.

Looking at his statistics in wins and losses, it's evident that he must be confident and productive for this team to succeed. In 41 wins during 2012-13, he shot 48 percent from the floor and 40 percent from deep. In the Celtics' 40 losses, his rates dipped to 45.2 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep.

If Rivers leaves, the reserved (and practically lobotomized at times) Green could take a couple of steps back. Someone needs to ingrain in his head that he is worthy of go-to player status. Without the confidence of a star, he will never play with the consistent aggressiveness of a star.

All statistics compiled using Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com/stats and ESPN.com.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Boston Celtics: 4 Reasons Why They Should Bring the Band Back Together

Sterling Xie — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:34:07 -0400

Watching the Boston Celtics' first-round loss to the New York Knicks was reminiscent of watching an aging champion boxer. The grit and desire still burned strong, as evidenced by their miraculous near-comeback in Game 6, but they simply did not have enough talent or athleticism to keep up with their younger competitors.

Boston's earliest playoff exit since 2005 has many Celtics fans calling for a teardown. The "three-year window" has now dragged out to six full seasons, and it is clear the team no longer has the ingredients of a contender.

But as the sting of defeat wears off, it is time to once again consider the pros and cons of keeping the core together.

However, unlike past years, when the goal was to reload, Danny Ainge is now equipped with the task of transitioning Celtics basketball into a new era.

As painful as it is to concede so early, the Celtics will not come close to hanging banner No. 18 next season. Nonetheless, here are four reasons why keeping the team largely intact will improve the Celtics' championship aspirations in the long run.

Salary Cap Relief

Getting rid of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett is not as easy as it sounds. The two are on the hook for nearly $28 million combined next season, and any trade would likely involve the Celtics taking back long-term salaries.

That's fine, of course, if they can nab a worthy long-term piece. But a player like Harrison Barnes or Paul Millsap (in a sign-and-trade) would likely require Boston to take back an albatross contract like Richard Jefferson or trade away a young asset like Avery Bradley or Jared Sullinger.

Because of the multi-year deals given to Brandon Bass, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Jeff Green, the Celtics will be over the cap next year, perhaps even flirting with the estimated luxury tax apron of $71.6. Even if they waived Pierce and Garnett retired, the team would still be a little over $1 million over the salary cap, as pointed out by Sloan Piva.

The worst thing the front office could do would be to take on more long-term contracts in hopes of improving next year's team. That would only raise the Celtics' ceiling to a second-round waxing at the hands of the Miami Heat.

After next season, the Celtics will have just $41,664,251 on the books, not factoring in a couple mid-first-round picks and a possible extension for Rondo (Garnett's deal is not guaranteed, and he may well retire by then).

Even then, they would still likely have room for a max contact with some minor maintenance.

A More Comprehensive Rebuild

With that kind of salary cap flexibility, the Celtics could use next season as a bridge year into a more natural rebuild.

While it is unlikely a mega-free agent like LeBron James or Chris Bosh would sign, there are plenty of second-tier options like Rudy Gay, Marcin Gortat, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward that could speed up the rebuilding process.

As the Pacers, Nuggets and Rockets have shown, acquiring talent through shrewd drafting and smart free-agent pickups can enable a team to acquire trade assets while still remaining competitive.

And if you happen to stumble across a Paul George or James Harden, then you can become a true contender again.

Some fans, even if they won't admit it, advocate trading away Pierce and Garnett in order to tank for a loaded 2014 draft. While either Andrew Wiggins or Julius Randle would look great in green, history hasn't exactly been kind to the Celtics' tanking efforts:

For a team that only hangs championship banners, tanking would be a singularly humiliating fate. Some franchises simply do not tolerate losing, and the Celtics are one of those.

Besides, a horrible team next year would likely cost Boston its best long-term asset.

Doc Rivers

With all the uncertainty surrounding Rivers' future with the Celtics, a complete teardown would likely be disheartening enough to end Doc's nine-year tenure in Boston. In light of the recent mutual interest between Rivers and the Clippers as reported by Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Celtics will probably have to play the loyalty card to keep Rivers around.

Last season was undoubtedly the coach's most taxing year since the "Fire Doc" chants ran rampant prior to the Big Three era. Still, given the relationship he has with Pierce and Garnett, it's hard to imagine Doc leaving them at the end of their careers to coach a second-tier Western Conference team.

When Rivers signed a five-year, $35 million dollar extension after the end of the 2011 season, he did so fully aware that this day would come. As he said to Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston back in 2011:

I've had a group that has been very loyal to me, and I think it would have been very easy for me to just run, and go somewhere else and chase something else. Who says that we still can't do that, with free agency and adding the right pieces while our Big Three are getting older? We have to add the right supporting cast to them, and in that transition, hopefully we can still chase what we want. But it would have been easier to do it the other way. I just don't think it's the right thing to do. Coaches talk about loyalty and team all the time and I just thought it was time to show it, and that's what I did.

Of course, things change, and that was over two years ago. But if Ainge gave a definitive promise to keep Pierce and Garnett at least to start the year, it would certainly improve Rivers' chances of staying. Additionally, it would buy more time for the two to map out a mutually agreeable rebuilding plan, as the two have not always been on the same page.

Rivers is arguably the most popular coach in the league, and given Boston's putrid history of attracting marquee free agents, he is the only real chip they can sell to incoming free agents. Additionally, if/when Rajon Rondo becomes the new face of the franchise, it would certainly help if the mercurial point guard had some connection to the glory days.

In a transition era, most pieces are expendable. But Rivers is as close to a must-keep as the Celtics have.

Pierce and KG

Admittedly, this is the weakest reason to keep the core together. As the regional football team has shown, sentimentality should not get in the way of winning.

Keeping the two vets around isn't necessarily an entirely sentimental decision. At the trade deadline, it's more likely an injured or desperate contender would be more willing to overpay for a chance at a championship. Teams have done it before.

Still, something just isn't right about allowing Pierce to finish off his career in a Pelicans jersey or Garnett in a Jazz one. No one enjoyed the Johnny Unitas Chargers era or Michael Jordan's Wizards run.

Ultimately, loyalty is almost nonexistent in professional sports, as it should be if teams want to maximize their potential. That Pierce, Garnett and Rivers have stayed together this long is truly a rare example of pride and allegiance trumping all else. When Nos. 34 and 5 are raised to the Garden rafters, everyone will remember them as the embodiment of Celtics Pride. It should end that way.

*Unless otherwise cited, stats from Basketball-Reference.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

What Could Life After the Boston Celtics Look Like for Doc Rivers?

Jimmy Spencer — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:01:28 -0400

The latest example of a top-tier coach potentially leaving his nest is the Boston Celtics' Doc Rivers, who by his choice could be on the move.

Rivers’ departure remains innuendo though, as the only recent news on his leaving comes indirectly.

"Doc loves coaching," according to a source quoted by Chris Broussard of ESPN. "He loves coaching in Boston. But he feels it may be time for a change."

Rivers still has three years at $7 million per year remaining on his contract with the Celtics. A return to the Celtics isn’t out of the question, but it’s obvious that one of the game's most respected coaches is contemplating his next move.

If Rivers is leaving Boston, what’s next for him?

The Los Angeles Clippers have been swirling as a potential landing spot for Rivers if he were to leave the Celtics. The coaching vacancy of the Clippers is one of the more prized job openings remaining in the NBA.

The Clippers, depending on whether or not superstar point guard Chris Paul is to return, offer a big-market position with contending potential.

According to a report by Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Rivers is interested in the Clippers:

Sources told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Rivers is highly intrigued by the idea of coaching the Clippers in the event that he and the Celtics part company after nine seasons together and one championship in 2008. Sources say that the Clippers, meanwhile, would immediately vault Rivers to the top of their list if he became available as they continue a coaching search that, to this point, has focused on Brian Shaw, Byron Scott and Lionel Hollins.

It's been reported by The Los Angeles Times that the Clippers are interested in available coaches George Karl, Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw as a replacement for Vinny Del Negro.

Still, Rivers becomes the more intriguing pick. He's an ideal candidate because of his championship success with the Celtics and his strong reputation of working well with superstars.

Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times cited several NBA executives who said that, if Rivers became available, he would "become [the Clippers'] No. 1 choice."

Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald reported that the Celtics have denied the Clippers permission to speak with Rivers.

But if Clippers owner Donald Sterling is willing to pay a premium to steal Rivers away, he could bring him to a contender and save him from the looming rebuilding efforts in Boston.

The issue, as Turner points out in his Times article, and it’s one that will exist in any potential landing spot, is the hefty compensation that Boston would seek in return for allowing Rivers to exit his contract. The price could be multiple future draft picks or more.

Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe writes:

It’s unclear whether Rivers could simply buy himself out of the deal to coach elsewhere next season. If that were the case, the buyout price also would surely be steep, and, again, the Celtics would almost certainly demand further compensation, such as players and/or draft picks, from the team he’d be leaving to coach.

The question then becomes whether or not the Clippers would be willing to pay such a high price to bring in Rivers, both in terms of salary and compensation.

It seems unlikely that either the Memphis Grizzlies or Denver Nuggets would be willing to pay such a high price, especially after letting go of successful coaches like Hollins and Karl.

All that is known at this point is that Rivers remains uncertain of his plans for next season. The Celtics’ situation is equally undecided, with monumental decisions still needing to be made by Danny Ainge in regard to the futures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Boston could transition to rebuilding mode, and Rivers may be disinterested in sticking around.

Holmes quotes a league source: “It’s a fact that Doc isn’t sure if he wants to go all-in on a team that doesn’t have much of a chance to win.”

While it appears the 51-year-old Rivers remains interested in continuing his coaching career, the other option for him is to eventually find a role in the front office.

Rivers has coached 14 years in the league between the Celtics and Orlando Magic and played 13 seasons before that.

He would bring with him obvious knowledge of the game, deep understanding of player personnel and endless contacts around the league.

Rivers, whose likeability ranks high for NBA coaches, is an outstanding communicator. He also has experience doing TV broadcasting work, as recently as his broadcasting during the Summer Olympics.

Or maybe Rivers, who has maintained his presence at Celtics’ pre-draft workouts, isn’t going anywhere.

He is 416-305 through nine seasons with Boston, and he may opt to stay loyal, even through the rebuilding process.

If he does stay, the question becomes how loyal will the Celtics be to Rivers if he suffers through losing seasons with a down roster?

Follow @JimmySpencerNBA

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Do the Boston Celtics Need Doc Rivers More Than Rivers Needs Them?

Adam Fromal — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:17:34 -0400

As the Doc Rivers saga continues to drag on with precious few signs of impending relief, it's become increasingly clear that the Boston Celtics need Doc Rivers far more than the head coach needs his possibly former team.

There's always a question as to who is more important to whom, but the question has an easy answer in this particular situation. As reported by The Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes, not even money is swaying the answer in favor of Rivers needing the Celtics:

But more than a month later, the Celtics and their fans are still waiting for him to make up his mind, and league sources tell the Globe that Rivers, 51, has seriously considered walking away from his contract, which has three years and $21 million remaining on it.

Over the last decade, Boston has given Rivers plenty of gifts. Obviously, his salary is part of the equation, but he's won a championship, received undying fan support and built extremely close relationships with some of his players, most notably Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

That quartet is an impressive one, but those reasons are quickly falling by the wayside, one at a time.

The money won't disappear, not until three more years have passed. The fan support won't either, unless Rivers starts losing. Even the most popular figures in sports can lose their luster when the wins stop flowing in.

However, the ability to win championships is no longer there. Even with a healthy Rajon Rondo and a burgeoning star in the form of Jeff Green, the aging process of Pierce and Garnett keeps this team just barely out of the ranks of elite title contenders. It's tough to see the Celtics competing with the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers (assuming David West returns) or Chicago Bulls (assuming Derrick Rose returns) over the course of a seven-game series, much less getting through the entire playoff gauntlet.

Those close relationships might be dwindling as well.

We have absolutely no clue what Danny Ainge will do with Pierce, and that will determine Garnett's future as well. If he buys out the small forward, Garnett is as good as gone. And so too is Rivers.

But even if Pierce and Garnett are wearing green during the 2013-14 season, that will almost assuredly be the swan song for this era of C's lore. At most, this group has a single season left together, and it's one without much championship potential.

Eastern Conference Finals potential? Sure, but when has that been the goal of this organization, one that traditionally demands nothing but excellence?

Two out of four isn't good enough, but without those long-term relationships and the promise of holding up the Larry O'Brien Trophy one more time, thats the situation RIvers faces. If not this upcoming season, certainly during the next one.

Holmes also points out that money isn't even an issue for Rivers, so we may be down to just 25 percent of what made Boston such a great location for the elite coach:

The idea that Rivers would walk away from the Celtics and $21 million might have seemed far-fetched weeks ago, but one league source said Rivers has “made a lot of smart investments” and isn’t exactly in need of the money.

If he walked away, Rivers would have the opportunity to join another contender. He'd be the top name on the market—beating out George Karl, Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw—and the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers would immediately come calling.

Any of those three squads would present Rivers with the chance to win as soon as he stepped onto the sideline.

The Clippers—assuming that they convince Chris Paul to return, something that a Rivers signing would certainly help with—are one of the more talented and deep teams in the Western Conference, but they were held back by the limited coaching abilities of Vinny Del Negro. Denver is a truly elite team, although the torn ACL of Danilo Gallinari essentially knocked the Nuggets out of the running before the postseason even started.

Memphis presents Rivers with a gritty team, one that would mesh well with his personality while simultaneously boasting enough talent to truly compete, even in the tougher Western Conference.

Each roster is an upgrade over the current version of the C's, thereby helping boost that "ability to win a championship" portion of the criteria. He'd be making money. He'd have the opportunity to form fresh relationships with young stars like Blake Griffin, Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried and Mike Conley. He'd absolutely enjoy fan support, as fanbases love fresh faces, especially when they have big names and sparkling resumes.

All three teams are also talented enough that Rivers would't have to worry about doing much player development. For all his strategic skills and abilities to manage a locker room, he's not a particularly great teacher.

Those best-case scenarios for Rivers are terrific, and the worst-case one isn't too shabby either. If no other NBA teams came calling, he could just bide his time and resume his cushy job in the broadcast booth.

Leaving Boston is essentially a win-win scenario for the coach, although you could argue that staying is a victory as well.

The same can't be said for the team employing him at the moment. If Rivers leaves, it means one of two things: Pierce and Garnett are about to leave, or the two stars have already parted ways with the organization.

In either situation, it's time for a rebuild. Celtics fans will argue that it's not a full rebuild, but it's a rebuild nonetheless. Ainge will be scrambling both to upgrade the roster and to find a new head coach, and depending on how long Rivers waits to make his decision, the options may have dwindled.

Even in a rebuild, Boston is an attractive destination. During the hiring process, Ainge can just point up to the rafters and let the championship banners do the talking.

But he won't be able to find a Rivers right away, and he absolutely won't be able to replace Rivers, Pierce and Garnett without a few down years. Losing the coach isn't a win-win for the general manager, even if the team stars winning down the road.

The Celtics don't have an unequivocal need for Rivers to be pacing up and down the sideline and yelling out with that voice that sounds like he's spent the past three days screaming his lungs out.

They just need him more than he needs them.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Is Avery Bradley The Boston Celtics' Long-Term Answer Alongside Rajon Rondo

Michael Walsh — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:59:23 -0400

Right now there are enough question marks facing the Boston Celtics to fill the outfit of a Batman villain.

Seemingly buried underneath the piles of Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett decisions is a question that will only become more important as time wears on.

Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley are a pair of exciting players filling the Celtics backcourt. But is that a long-term answer for the green?

Doc Rivers could return, bringing a healthy Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce with him. Still, the weighty question is whether Rondo and Bradley can be good enough. There simply isn't enough precedent yet.

The duo played only 11 games together this past season, with Rondo going down shortly after Bradley returned from his own injury. For what it is worth, the Celtics were 5-6 in those games. Prior to his return in January, Bradley had started just 28 NBA games.

The ideal starting lineup next year for Boston includes Rondo and Bradley in the backcourt, but what do we really know about that tandem?

Their individual play has granted a fair idea of what they can offer while paired, but the results are mixed.

Bradley proved without a doubt that he is not a starting-caliber point guard. When Rondo went down, the entire offense had to be shifted, and they started racking up turnovers at a high rate. Their inability to take care of the basketball wound up being their demise in the postseason.

Obviously, with Rondo on the floor, Bradley's ball-handling responsibilities are greatly hedged. Rondo is one of the league's premier ball-handlers and runs the Celtics offense better than anyone. Recently, however, a deficiency has been detected in his defense.

Rondo has long been a gambler at that end but has a couple all-defensive-team plaques to his name, too. In the 38 games of 2012-13 he played, there was a noticeable trend of him being burned. Part of that being recognized was the lack of Bradley alongside him. Defense being Bradley's calling card, he allows Rondo the leeway to roam defensively and jump passing lanes for steals.

Since Rondo played most of his games before the injury with lesser defenders like Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, his mistakes were more noticeable at that end. Bradley's on-ball presence meshes well with Rondo's style.

Where things start to break apart is in their general offensive chemistry. Yes, both are great athletes and speedy on fast breaks, but neither is a particularly great finisher. Rondo can get too creative at times, and neither player stands above 6'2".

Bradley has shown flashes of a reliable corner three, but flashes aren't good enough for a long-term solution. The duo combined to attempt 3.4 free throws per game last season. If they were such a talented fast-break tandem, that number would be higher.

Injuries have withheld from the Celtics valuable information on how these two can really co-exist. The biggest thing known right now is that both appear fairly fragile. In the past year, both have suffered serious injuries, requiring long periods of recovery. Over the past two seasons, the two have combined to miss 91 regular season games.

Boston fans become enamored with the defensive effort Bradley brings every night. It is an easy thing to admire and respect. When his streaky shooting is on as well, he has the potential to be very good.

A similar thing happens between fans and Rondo's passing ability. That can sometimes be on a whole other level than anything else you'll see in basketball. When Rondo is right, it can be downright beautiful to watch. The penetration and kicking, creative use of lanes on fast breaks and even dazzling assists in the half court make him one of the best in the league.

The Rondo-to-Bradley assists are particularly fun to watch because they scream of future potential. Unfortunately, those assists are few and far between. Among main playoff-bound backcourts this past season, Rondo and Bradley tied for last in scoring with 22.9 points per game.

That number was even with the Chicago Bulls’ pair of Nate Robinson and Richard Hamilton. The rest of the playoff teams in the league averaged 31.1 points coming from their two main guards.

Something that makes this an even more alarming statistic: Both Rondo and Bradley scored at career-highs in 2012-13. Neither player has great range, and neither is a lights-out free-throw shooter either.

Rondo hit just 24 percent of his threes and 64.5 percent of his freebies. Bradley hit on 31.7 percent from beyond the arc. At 75.5 percent from the line, he appears solid, but the one attempt per game is such a minuscule sample size. Especially when he was just 54.5 percent in college.

As the Celtics move forward, they won’t have the luxury of 17-21 points a night from Paul Pierce or a regular 15 per game from Kevin Garnett. Coming from an already-weak offense, the team will need scoring badly. At this point the duo of Rondo and Bradley have not proven they can shoulder that load.

Rondo averaged 17.3 points per game in his last playoff appearance and has topped 15 in two other postseason runs. He can score at a better clip than he has in the regular season, but that is all about inconsistency. He needs to score at a higher rate more often.

The two are a lot of fun to watch and will continue to sell tickets for the Celtics. Their unique individual styles are enough to keep the team competitive for years. Bradley is just approaching his 23rd birthday, and Rondo is still just 27 years old.

Among those same playoff backcourts, the $12.6 million they made combined this past season is on the low end. The best part about them could be that they are locked into contracts amounting in the low teens for the next few seasons. Teams like the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls are set to see those numbers skyrocket in 2013-14.

This coming season will be incredibly important for Boston’s backcourt. If Rondo and Bradley are to be together for good, they must prove a better ability to create offense for the team, while continuing to mesh well defensively.

Right now, Rondo and Bradley are a solid answer in the starting backcourt, but they are still far from championship caliber. That is the standard by which they must always be judged.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Playing Keep or Cut With Each of Boston Celtics' Free Agents

Sebastian Lena — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:26:01 -0400

Before the Boston Celtics can dive into the free-agent market, they need to make some decisions regarding some of their own.

Who will the Celtics deem worthy of another season in green? Who will the team decide it’s better off without?

It all comes down to priorities.

As it stands, Boston has a guaranteed total of $62,604,091 tied up among 10 players on the payroll in a projected $58.5 million cap. That still doesn’t include the impending decisions on Paul Pierce or the team’s free agents.

At the very least—if the Celtics choose to waive him by June 31—Pierce will end up costing the team an additional $5 million. That would put Boston at $67.60 million on the books. The team would be cutting it close to the estimated luxury tax threshold of $71.6 million.

That only makes the decision on the Celtics’ free agents all the more important.

Chris Wilcox

Looking back at this past season, Wilcox has got to be kicking himself.

After a productive 2011-12 campaign for Boston, the 30-year-old was seen as a valuable asset to the team off the bench. As a result, the Celtics brass re-signed him over the offseason.

That’s a decision GM Danny Ainge likely wishes he could have back.

During 61 contests this year, Wilcox averaged just 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds over 13.6 minutes per game. He was also lackluster on the defensive end, posting a defensive rating of 101.6.

In comparison, last season Wilcox averaged 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds over 17.2 minutes per game. He also posted a defensive rating of 97. Wilcox saved his best for the starting lineup, averaging 11 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in four starts.

Poor defensive rotations mixed in with poor work ethic left Wilcox as a frequent feature in head coach Doc Rivers’ doghouse.

The fact that the power forward only logged a total of six minutes during Boston’s first-round series with the New York Knicks has made it quite clear that he has no future on this team.

The Verdict: let him walk

D.J. White

Unless you carefully studied the box scores, it would be pretty tough to recognize White as a member of the Celtics.

That’s because the 26-year-old rarely saw the court. He only clocked in at 7.2 minutes per game in the 12 contests he appeared in. In that time, White was pretty ineffective, averaging just 2.4 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

While to his credit, it isn’t easy to make much of an impact on a game in just seven minutes. However, while White was on the court, he rarely, if ever, did anything to raise eyebrows.

In fact, during the two contests he played more than 10 minutes in, White averaged only 5.5 points (3-of-11 shooting) and 3.5 rebounds over 22 minutes per game. Not to mention, he was a major liability on defense, blowing several defensive assignments and failing to assert himself inside the paint.

Essentially, the only role White served for Boston this season was to provide the team with another big man. Going forward, that’s a position Fab Melo can easily step into—no pun intended.

Adios, White.

Verdict: let him walk

Shavlik Randolph

Randolph has easily been one of the biggest surprises for the Celtics. He’s shown the toughness and grit that the team could really use.

Who would have expected that from a player brought in from China on a 10-day contract?

In 16 games, Randolph averaged 4.2 points and 4.4 rebounds over just 12.4 minutes per night. That averages out to 12.2 points and 12.7 rebounds per 36 minutes—the highest rebounding average on the roster.

Randolph has also shown that he has no problem putting his body on the line for Boston.

In just a short span, the 29-year-old jumped up to fifth on the team in charges taken. He drew an impressive total of seven charges in just 16 games. In comparison, Paul Pierce led the team with 22 in 77 games.

It’s the little things like this that will make a coach favor a player. So it came as no surprise that Randolph rose up in Rivers’ big man rotation.

For a team that could desperately use some help inside the paint, Randolph is a player that the Celtics just can’t afford to lose.

Verdict: re-sign

Terrence Williams

This is a tough one.

Before he was arrested on an domestic charge allegation last month, Williams was a sure thing to return to Boston. However, with the possibility that he could face jail time and a suspension by the NBA, his future with the team looks to be in jeopardy.

Not to mention, Williams announced on May 29 that he was undergoing minor surgery. It was later revealed that it was on one of his knees.

With that said, is the 25-year-old really worth the risk to bring back?

His performance this past season certainly argues in his favor.

In 24 contests, Williams averaged 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists over 13.3 minutes per game. He also shot 49.5 percent from the floor. He was a key addition to the Celtics following the losses of both Rondo and Leandro Barbosa.

With the team in dire need of a ball-handler, Williams answered the call. He finished with the second-highest assist ration on the team (22.9), only trailing Rondo. Williams also displayed brilliant ball control, only turning the ball over 22 times over 318 minutes during the regular season.

He was no doubt a vital piece to Boston’s success this year.

That was most evident during the team’s Game 5 victory against the Knicks, with Rivers handing Williams 17 minutes of floor time. He finished with four points, four rebounds and two assists.

Williams has a bright future in the league. Let’s just hope his off-court issues don’t get in the way of that.

Verdict: re-sign him

Summing It All Up

Whatever course Ainge and the front office take, they need to ensure it is the right decision.

With how tight the Celtics cap room is right now, the team can’t afford to bring on even more dead weight. Boston already has that issue with a couple players who failed to live up to expectations last season (i.e. Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, etc.).

However, if the team chooses to bring back any of these guys, they all should come at a relatively low cost. So the risk is a lot less this time around.

But then again, every dollar counts.

Let the chess game begin.

For complete team coverage and everything Celtics, you can follow Sebastian on Facebook and on Twitter

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Would Doc Rivers' Exit Out of Boston Allow Celtics to Shed Pierce, KG?

Adam Fromal — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:26:06 -0400

The Boston Celtics could choose to remain contenders or enter a full rebuild this offseason, and there doesn't seem to be any middle ground. It all hinges on what Danny Ainge decides to do with Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

And even some parts of the future may be out of the general manager's control. Doc, for example, could decide to move on free of Ainge's influence.

According to ESPN's Chris Broussard, that's exactly what seems to be happening now:

If the Celtics decided to buy out Paul Pierce's contract, it would signal the end of an era in Beantown. Kevin Garnett would follow him out of Boston, and Rivers wouldn't want to be part of a rebuilding process. He's been there before and has no interest in repeating those painful steps.

However, the natural progression of change in Boston seems to be shifting. If Rivers does indeed decide that it's time for a change, that would essentially give Ainge the freedom necessary to cut ties with two of his star players.

Glue guys typically take part in the on-court action, but for the C's, it's Rivers who serves as the cohesive substance holding everything together. He's a player's coach who has balanced locker room presences and still managed to demand the best from everyone wearing green.

Without Rivers pacing the sideline and monitoring the locker room, the Celtics would not have been as successful. Nor will they be in the future if a different coach starts calling the shots.

Ainge understands this, and finding a new coach would give him the ability to cut ties with Garnett and Pierce, free of many negative repercussions. In a way, Rivers, with whom he has a close relationship, would be doing him a favor and allowing him to start that rebuilding process.

Fans will be able to accept massive changes. Boston supporters are typically intelligent and passionate basketball fans, and they would understand that it makes sense to give a new head coach an opportunity to build his own roster rather than trying to suck everything possible out of the careers of two declining former superstars.

It's no secret that NBA coaches have short life spans on the sidelines. No one is safe. Just look at the number of coaches that have already been fired this offseason, a count that includes six signal-callers who steered their teams into the postseason.

Even George Karl, the reigning Coach of the Year, was fired by the Denver Nuggets without a single game between the termination and winning the award.

When you're part of a historically excellent franchise, greatness is part of the job requirements. Even one poor season in which the expectations are not met can result in immediate termination.

Such is the case for the C's and their new head coach, assuming Broussard's report is correct and Rivers goes elsewhere. If that new coach is saddled with a roster he didn't choose, one that boasts the services of both Pierce and Garnett, he may end up being nothing more than a steppingstone toward the next coach.

Because of that, a coaching change gives Ainge the ability to buy out Pierce and either do the same with Garnett or watch as he ushers himself into retirement. He has to commit to the new coach, just as the new coach has to commit to the organization.

When deciding whether he wants to do this, the pertinent question for the C's general manager centers around whether a new coach could lead the current roster to a title. Boston doesn't just accept playoff berths; it needs to hang more banners.

Fortunately, the answer is a pretty simple one: no.

Garnett and Pierce are both declining, a fact made rather inevitable by the unfortunate effects of old age. KG is straying farther and farther from the basket and is unable to maintain his levels of defensive excellence throughout an entire game. Pierce's decline is less apparent, although his shot-creating abilities and field-goal percentages are both taking a turn for the worse.

Even with Rajon Rondo back in the lineup and a surging Jeff Green continuing to track toward stardom, Boston wouldn't be able to compete with one of the truly elite teams in the Eastern Conference. The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat are in a different class now, and they will be once more in 2013-14. With a healthy Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls may be as well.

That means it's time to pull the plug and start over.

Although ridding themselves of Pierce and KG doesn't allow the C's to gain too much cap room, it does allow the franchise to be handed over to Rondo, Green and the other young players in Boston uniforms.

It's a natural step if and when Rivers decides to move on. Of course, it all hinges on what the legendary head coach does, because this roster is very much worth keeping together if the gravelly voiced clipboard-holder can continue serving as a stabilizing presence.

Broussard is readily willing to admit that Rivers hasn't made up his mind yet, even if he appears to be leaning toward a change:

Rivers, who has been attending the Celtics' pre-draft workouts, is unsure of what he wants to do and has not yet ruled out returning to Boston for a 10th season. He has a very close relationship with Ainge, and the source said that is one factor that is making his decision so difficult.

This is confirmed by CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely, who basically says that we're not very close to clarity in this ongoing saga:

ESPN reported on Wednesday that Rivers believes "it may be time for a change" in his status as Celtics head coach.

But a league source contacted by CSNNE.com on Wednesday indicated that Rivers continues to mull over whether he will return to Boston, and he hasn't made a decision one way or the other.

"He's really torn up about this," the source said.

It is unclear if he has given his players any indication of his plans for next season.

One player contacted Wednesday said, "We're waiting just like you guys."

Regardless of what Rivers does, this is going to be a difficult offseason for Boston. There are a number of choices that Ainge and the rest of the front office must make, and none of them is an easy call.

But once one domino starts to fall, the rest will follow suit.

And if Rivers is indeed that first domino, Boston fans can start preparing their farewell speeches to the two legends who helped earn the latest banner that decorates the rafters of the TD Garden.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Complete Guide to Boston Celtics' Salary Cap Situation

Sloan Piva — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:22:24 -0400

Few NBA teams head into the summer with as many question marks as this year's Boston Celtics. With a roster unsure of whether it will be blown up or rolled out for one more year, the salary cap situation becomes more imperative than perhaps ever before.

As it stands, the Celtics have a guaranteed total of $62,604,091 on their payroll in a projected $58.5 million cap. Of course, that pretty picture only involves 10 players, and fails to encapsulate the bevy of wild cards Boston could encounter this season.

So, here goes nothing.

Paul Pierce Gets Waived; Celtics Buy Out His Contract

If president of basketball operations Danny Ainge opts to waive Paul Pierce, buying out the captain's contract for $5 million of the total $15.33 million he would earn in 2013-14, the Celtics would have $67.60 million on the books.

If Ainge decided to pick up the second-year options on reserves Shavlik Randolph ($1,106,942), Terrence Williams ($947,907) and D.J. White ($1,027,424), the team salary would rise $3.08 million to $70,686,364.

That's a lot of dough for a 13-player team that just lost its leader.

Ainge also has the option to amnesty the "Truth," wiping out his contract entirely. That scenario seems unlikely, given the fact that Pierce is a 15-year veteran, it would still leave Boston over the cap and it wouldn't benefit the organization very much.

Pierce Gets Waived or Traded and Kevin Garnett Retires

Of course, it must be noted that Kevin Garnett might not want to return if Pierce gets waived, amnestied or dealt in a sign-and-trade.

Boston has until the end of June to waive Pierce. Coincidentally, if KG retired before July 1, his entire contract would come off the books and the Celtics would owe him nothing (his 2013-14 salary was set at $12.4 million and his 2014-15 non-guaranteed salary would be $12 million).

With the Pierce buyout and a formal Garnett retirement, the Celtics would have $58,252,629 of total payroll.

With the No. 16 pick in the June 27 draft, Boston will also owe $1,348,200 to their incoming draftee for next season. That would push the grand total, even without “Truth” and KG, to $59,600,829, a little over a million bucks above the salary cap with gaping holes at point guard, small forward and center.

Big Picture

Long story short, the Celtics will be over the cap next season, flirting with the estimated luxury tax threshold of $71.6 million. If Pierce remains in Boston and Ainge decides to “run it back,” the organization would almost certainly be paying the tax.

Many factors comprised this puzzling (and somewhat troubling) salary picture, not just the large contracts for Pierce and Garnett. Around the same time as the KG extension last summer, Ainge used up all of Boston's cap space on extensions to Brandon Bass and Jeff Green as well as new additions Jason Terry and Courtney Lee.

While Green has since emerged as a star, the relative disappointments known as Bass, Terry and Lee now linger over this roster like an odorous gas.

Bass will be due $6,450,000 next season and $6,900,000 in 2014-15. Terry and Lee will both make $5,225,000 in 2013-14 and $5,450,000 the following season. Lee is the only current Celtics player signed through the 2015-16 season without a team option (sigh).

Options Under Newest CBA

So, what proverbial cards can Ainge play? If he wanted to utilize one of the newer provisions of the league's latest collective bargaining agreement, he could waive Bass, Terry or Lee and essentially modify one of their contracts over double the length of their current deal, plus one year.

So, since Bass will make $13.35 million the next two years, Ainge could waive him and "stretch" his contract to five years so Boston's annual cap hit would only equal $2,670,000. Bass would become a free agent, and the Celtics would shore up some space with the dead money to make a couple moves.

Similarly, the cap hit for Terry would only be $2,315,000 for five years under the stretch provision.

It seems unlikely, but if Ainge failed to find trade value in any of these three players, he could make this practically unprecedented option a reality. It might come in handy with Lee, whose average salary of $5.45 million over the next three years would be reduced to $2.33 million over seven years if stretched.

Sign-and-Trade Possibilities

Boston Herald writer Steve Bulpett has already insinuated that Danny Ainge has a host of trade options with Pierce, which could be an ideal avenue. Grabbing a package like DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe, for instance, would instantly make the Celtics younger, more athletic and frankly more competitive all-around.

Rumors have also swirled regarding the possibility of Ainge dealing Pierce and Avery Bradley to the New Orleans Pelicans for Eric Gordon. This would provide a solid scorer alongside Rajon Rondo, but might hamper the Celtics from a defensive standpoint.

ESPN Boston reporter Jackie MacMullen has stated that Ainge continues to covet Utah Jazz free agent forward Paul Millsap, who stands 6'8” and averaged 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in 2012-13 (she also says that she has heard Garnett will probably be back no matter what happens).

Ainge would have to pull a rabbit out of his hat to acquire Millsap in a sign-and-trade, considering Utah will likely turn their noses up at high-priced elders on the downslope of their careers.

But alas, crazier things have happened.

The Wonderful World of Mid-Level Exceptions

In order to satisfy needs but also respect the luxury tax, Ainge will likely explore the many mid-level exception options at his disposal.

The non-taxpayer mid-level exception, for instance, may be split and given to multiple players. It may be used for contracts up to four years in length, with raises up to 4.5 percent of the salary in the first year of each mid-level contract. The mid-level exception remains the easiest way for over-the-cap teams to sign other teams' free agents.

If the Celtics explored full mid-level exception candidates, they would be looking at spending a little over five million bucks as of next season for each player.

Exception candidates who would fit the Celtics' style and specific needs include Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver, San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter (team option), Golden State Warriors point guard Jarrett Jack (who could demand more money) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson.

More affordable options include San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair, New Orleans Pelicans guard/forward Roger Mason Jr. and Indiana Pacers point guard D.J. Augustin. This list may not seem pretty, but with limited cap space, it could offer good bang for small bucks.

Frills or no frills, these players would provide significant improvements in many role player positions, while also keeping the Celtics below the luxury tax threshold.

Bottom Line: Expect the Unexpected

Of course, Ainge could pull a draft-day trade if he felt inclined to grab another pick. He could also peruse the undrafted rookie pool for potential bargain buys. He's been known to do that in the past, sending training camp invitations to forwards DeShawn Sims in 2010 and Gilbert Brown in 2011.

Those players didn't pan out, but past undrafted players who ended up Celtics—like Bruce Bowen and David Wesley (both before Ainge's era)—certainly did.

Anything could happen between now and July 1, never mind the end of summer. By grasping the complexities of the Celtics' current salary cap situation, we can all glimpse into Danny Ainge's tangled web of managerial conundrums.

Without even looking into the crystal ball, one thing's for sure: the future of his career depends on the 2013-14 season.

But right now, that crystal ball looks murky.

All salary information obtained from HoopsWorld.com. Any statistics or physical information from Basketball-Reference.com. All CBA information obtained from Larry Coon's NBA Salary Cap FAQ.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Boston Celtics' 10 Most Hated Opponents in Team History

Sterling Xie — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:31:05 -0400

The Boston Celtics are the most decorated franchise in NBA history with 17 championship banners, and they have picked up plenty of enemies along the way. From the Russell-Wilt rivalry to the Bad Boy Pistons to Kobe Bryant, every great era of Celtics basketball has had its antagonists.

The athletes and coaches on this list possessed varying characteristics and degrees of irritation, but they all had consistently acrimonious relationships with Celtics' players, coaches and fans. Whether through sheer greatness, plain dirtiness or simply being clad in purple and gold, they have earned an infamous reputation in the hearts of Celtics' Nation.

Without further ado, here is a look at 10 figures who have foiled and frustrated the Celtics throughout the team's illustrious history.

*Unless stated otherwise, all stats were taken from Basketball-Reference.com. Career splits vs. Celtics only available from 1985-86 on.

Begin Slideshow