Boston Celtics Poised for a Rebuilding Process?

Let's face it, the Big Three's reign is coming to an end. Sure, they have a year or two, maybe even three left, but it is time to start looking into the future. Gone are the days when these three could win a title without other star studded help. In the immediate future, they will need more help to contend for the Larry O'Brien trophy.

But the Celtics not only need to prepare for that, but also for the inevitable retiring of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen then Paul Pierce soon after. It is not far away, and rebuilding a team is not a quick process. So, this raises the ever important question: are the Celtics ready to rebuild in the near future?

Some people are comparing this upcoming rebuilding process to the rebuilding efforts of the post-Bird Celtics. To say that they are similar is correct to a degree, but also very inaccurate.

Like the post-Bird Celtics the Celtics now will need to replace a Big Three. But the fallacy of the post-Bird Celtics that it is drawing the large inaccuracy and some of the comparisons is that the Celtics were not ready to rebuild after Bird left and that is why the team took a tailspin for the next decade and a half.

In fact, the Celtics were ready to rebuild, and even contend for championships after the retirement of the original Big Three. Their rebuilding process started early. Years before the retirement of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish the Celtics had worked their way to the second spot in the draft and drafted a player destined for NBA stardom. Then in the next draft, the Celtics drafted another future star who would go on to lead the Celtics and become an all-star.

Unfortunately, those two draft picks destined to lead the Celtics in the future after the Big Three are now synonymous with tragedy and what-ifs. Len Bias and Reggie Lewis were the planned future of the Celtics, and would no doubt have contended for championships together instead, tragedy hit.

Looking at it that way, the Celtics now are similar to then because the Celtics are ready to rebuild after Garnett, Allen and Pierce retire.

They have a young superstar in Rajon Rondo who is more than capable of leading a team and has the ability to make everyone better. They have two promising young draft picks in JaJuan Johnson and E'twaun Moore.

Assuming they are re-signed (and the lockout ends), the Celtics will have a young core of Jeff Green, Glen Davis and Delonte West to go with Rondo. And I will be the first to tell you that Avery Bradley will develop into a solid NBA player, possibly as soon as next year (if there is a season).

A starting five of Rondo at the point, West at the 2, Green at the 3, Davis at the 4 and JaJuan Johnson or someone else the Celtics could acquire (cough, cough, Dwight Howard) at center with Moore and Bradley coming off the bench is a pretty good team and possibly a playoff team. Not to mention that Doc Rivers is signed on to coach for at least the next five years.

And with at least year before the Big Three hang them up, the Celtics still have time to make more moves and acquire more young talent.

But for now, I am confident of the Celtics in the future. It will not be long before the Big Three are gone and the Celtics are relying on new players to win games. Assuming everything goes smoothly until then, it looks to be a seamless transition of power with minimal wins lost.