Boston Celtics: Looking to Tie Loose Ends

With the acquisitions of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, the Boston Celtics have had a very successful offseason thus far.

Wallace gives the team versatility off the bench, as he can play both the power forward and center positions. Sheed's outside shooting ability will fit in perfectly with playmakers like Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo.

He also provides Boston with the seven footer they were lacking off the bench during the past postseason (Mikey Moore does not count, as he was virtually useless in his stint with the Celtics.)

Meanwhile, Marquis Daniels may be the backup wing that Danny Ainge has been searching for ever since James Posey left Boston after the '08 championship.

Daniels is a capable scorer, an excellent ball handler, and a good defender. He is expected to primarily backup Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but he can also play point guard in spot duty.

While adding Wallace and Daniels are likely the biggest moves the Celtics will make this offseason, there are still a few loose ends that need tying.

First, what is Boston going to do with the Glen Davis situation? 

It was originally thought that "Big Baby" would cash in on his breakout postseason, and he expected to receive offers around the mid-level exception—about $5.8 million dollars per year.

But in this economy, no teams are willing to spend that kind of money on Davis, who is still an undersized power forward and a poor rebounder.

The Celtics have two feasible options with the restricted free agent Davis: They match any offer that Big Baby receives, or they can sign and then trade him.

Currently, it appears that Davis will not be offered much more than $3-4 million dollars per year. That is the probable cut-off line for how much the Celtics are willing to match.

However, the NBA is very unpredictable, and it would not be all that surprising if a team comes out of nowhere and offers the full mid-level to Davis.

Boston will have a hard time matching an offer of that magnitude, so this where the sign and trade option comes into play.

With Wallace on board, the Celtics don't necessarily need Davis or another expensive big man coming of the bench. So they could sign and then trade Davis for picks, cash, a backup point guard, or a combination of the three.

The latest sign and trade rumor has Davis going to the New Jersey Nets for the raw but talented Yi Jianlian.

This is all pure speculation, but a sign and trade is very possible in regards to Big Baby. It will be interesting to see how the Glen Davis saga works out over the next few weeks.

After dealing with Davis, the Celtics still have one big hole left in their lineup to fill: the backup point guard spot.

The Stephon Marbury experiment was closer to a disaster than a success, although he remains an option if he's willing to take the $1.9 million veteran's minimum the Celtics can offer him.

Perhaps with more time to grow into his backup role, Marbury will thrive off the Celtics bench. He showed flashes of his old self in this past postseason, but for the most part, Marbury looked lost when he was out on the floor.

Is Stephon really willing to accept the 10 minutes a night he'll likely get behind blossoming point guard Rajon Rondo for an entire season?

My gut tells me "No" and eventually "Starbury" will rear his ugly head and demand more minutes, but only time will tell.

If the Celtics do not sign Marbury or anyone else, they can pickup Gabe Pruitt's option and use him as the backup point.

Pruitt will be entering his third year in the league, and while he has shown good potential, he has not made much of a mark in the NBA thus far. He is fairly athletic, and a good defender, but he is also an inconsistent shooter and a tentative playmaker.

Pruitt has only played in a total of 62 games in his two year career, so perhaps he needs some more playing time to show what he is truly capable of in the association. But at this point, the Boston front office does not think much of Pruitt and if they do pick up his option, it will be his last chance to prove his worth in a Celtic uniform.

Both Marbury and Pruitt are big question marks, and unfortunately for the Celtics, the pickings are sparse when it comes to finding a point guard through free agency.

Rondo is young, but in order for him to perform at his best during the playoffs, his minutes should probably be kept below 35 mpg. That is why addressing the backup point guard spot is so important.

The Celtics do not need an amazing playmaker, they just need someone who can hit an open shot, make a few occasional plays for others, and play solid defense.

The last big decision Danny Ainge and crew has to make this summer has to do with the talented Rajon Rondo.

The young point guard came into his own in the 2009 playoffs, nearly averaging a triple double over 14 games and becoming the first Celtic since Larry Bird to record three triple doubles in one postseason.

Boston has the option of offering Rondo an extension this summer, or they can wait until he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. Either option involves a fair amount of risk.

If Boston decides to extend Rondo this summer, it will likely be at a fairly high price after his outstanding postseason, somewhere in the range of $10-11 million dollars per year over five years.

This may seem like a good move, but Rondo's asking price still has to do more with his potential rather than what he actually is as a player.

So, if Rondo does not get much better than he is now (I do not think that this will be the case), than Ainge would have put the Celtics in a deep hole over the next five years by offering Rondo such a large extension.

However, it could end up being an even bigger mistake if the Celtics wait until next year to negotiate a deal with their young point guard.

If Rondo plays at a similar level to the way he played in this past postseason over an entire year, he will be receiving offers close to or at a max deal next summer. The Celtics can match any offer that Rondo receives, as he is a restricted free agent in 2010, but will they be able  to match a deal that approaches $20 million dollars per year?

That is what the Celtics front office has to decide in regards to Rondo.

Over the course of this offseason, Boston has turned itself back into a bonafide contender for the NBA championship.

The additions of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels to their bench are fantastic moves, but Danny Ainge cannot rest just yet.

There are still decisions that need to be made that will greatly affect both this season (Glen Davis, backup point guard), and beyond (Rondo.)