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NBA PM: Keeping the Band Together?

Posted By Alex Raskin On May 12, 2011 @ 5:00 pm In All,NBA | No Comments

Why Keep the Band Together?

Doc Rivers sounds ready to return for another year as Celtics head coach, which likely means Rajon Rondo and The Big 3 will be back in Green next season.

The news wasn’t a total shock, but that hasn’t made it any more palatable among NBA junkies. “Too old” and “no center” are some of the nicer criticisms basketball writers and fans are lobbing toward Boston today. But even if the public greets this unit’s return with the same disgust it reserves for “Pirates of the Caribbean 4,” team president Danny Ainge is making the best of the situation.

Even with the advanced ages of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, there are plenty of good reasons to keep the band together:

Expiring Contracts—The Celtics don’t have one or two guys coming off the books over the next few seasons—they have over a dozen.

Only Pierce, Rondo and rookie Avery Bradley (team option in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014) are secured past 2011-2012, which means Boston can throw the kitchen sink at Magic Center Dwight Howard when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2012. And if that doesn’t happen, the Celtics could have enough cap space to make a very competitive offer on a restricted free agent like Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo, Nets center Brook Lopez, Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari, Bulls center Omer Asik, Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley or Wizards center JaVale McGee. Obviously most of those guys will be retained by their current teams, but not every franchise can match every offer for its restricted free agents.

Jeff Green and/or Glen Davis could potentially re-sign with the Celtics this summer, so it’s not like Boston’s cap will be a totally blank slate in 2012. Of course, the NBA could be operating under a different salary structure in two years, so it seems silly to start sketching any blueprints just yet.

Lack of Trade Value—Ainge could get Kate Middleton in a trade if he were willing to give up Rondo, but besides his mid-20s superstar point guard, the Celtics don’t have much to offer. Allen and Garnett are desirable in the sense that they’ll likely be effective until it’s time for them to get wiped off the books. The problem with trading those two is that they’ll bring back a lot of contracts in return, most of which won’t be expiring. It’s one thing if Ainge could flip a package that includes Allen for one that includes Warriors shooting guard Monta Ellis, but that’s not very likely. It would be very difficult for this team to get younger through trades alone.

Because Who Knows?—The HEAT and Bulls look like they’ll be in control of the Eastern Conference next season, but there are no certainties in the NBA. Each team is one or two injuries away from drastically reduced expectations, so the Celtics shouldn’t be in a rush to hire a demolition team. Instead, Ainge could continue assembling Boston’s young bench. If Davis and Green return, the Celtics have two major pieces toward assembling the best reserve unit of the Doc Rivers era. That would certainly be a boost for a team that most consider to be too old. After all, did anyone really expect them to make it to the Finals last season?

Attendance—The Celtics currently rank 11th in home attendance and fifth in overall attendance, so it would be hard to ask all those fans to pay the same prices for an inferior product. All teams have to rebuild sooner or later, but any franchise would be crazy to walk away from money. The labor issues have this entire industry in a state of uncertainty. The best bet is to take the money you know you can earn while you can earn it.

{AUTHOR_BOX}All-NBA Teams Announced

The All-NBA Teams were announced Thursday, but they failed to pack the surprises of the 2011 postseason. HEAT forward LeBron James was a unanimous selection, while league MVP Bulls guard Derrick Rose earned his first All-NBA honor. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Magic center Dwight Howard joined James and Rose on the First Team.

The highest vote getter on the All-NBA Second Team was Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, followed by HEAT guard Dwyane Wade, Lakers power forward Pau Gasol, Knicks power forward Amar’e Stoudemire and Thunder guard Russell Westbrook respectively. The Third Team was led by Hornets point guard Chris Paul, followed by Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph and Hawks center Al Horford.

Other players receiving voters were Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, Celtics swingman Paul Pierce, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, Timberwolves big man Kevin Love, Spurs center Tim Duncan, Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, Nets point guard Deron Williams, Suns point guard Steve Nash, Bucks center Andrew Bogut, Warriors guard Monta Ellis, Nuggets center Nene, Lakers center Andrew Bynum, Rockets guard Kevin Martin, Mavericks center Tyson Chandler, Bulls big man Joakim Noah, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, Jazz big man Al Jefferson, Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, Raptors big man Andrea Bargnani, HEAT power forward Chris Bosh, 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala, Hornets big man Emeka Okafor, Clippers guard Eric Gordon, Blazers forward Gerald Wallace, Mavericks point guard Jason Kid, Hornets power forward Luis Scola, Bulls forward Luol Deng and Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen.

Does Shaw Have Competition?

Lakers assistant Brian Shaw is the favorite to replace Phil Jackson because of his connection with the current players and his familiarity with the triangle offense, but he isn’t the only candidate. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein and Dave McMenamin have been told by sources that the Lakers are interested in former Rockets, Warriors, Blazers and Kings coach Rick Adelman because his “corner” offense is similar to the triangle.

Those same sources say that the Lakers’ search is only beginning. Various reports have surfaced over the last few months that have supported former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy and former Lakers and Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy for the job.

Of course, Shaw has the public support from Kobe Bryant, Derrick Fisher and Luke Walton, so he remains the top candidate.

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