I started thinking when I was looking at the Mood Meter on CelticsBlog that asked the mood of Celtics fans from Depressed to Ecstatic. I put that I am optimistic. But why am I optimistic? Is it the koolaid? Or is there a real solid reason to be optimistic?

Going into last season, I was excited about the team and very optimistic. Then the injuries started, even before the season started. Al's ankle injury, Banks' knee, and Tony's knee made a difference right from the beginning. Dickau went down with the Achilles injury. Perk was playing very well, but not seeing much playing time because Doc was showcasing Blount, who averaged more turnovers than rebounds. Then the big trade came and Wally, Kandi and Jones replaced Blount, Reed, Banks and Ricky. The biggest improvement there was in attitude. With Blount and Banks gone, the chemistry improved immediately.

It took a little bit for the team to mesh again after the trade but it seemed that Wally was fitting in very well right from the beginnning, and there as optimism again. Then Wally started to have knee problems. His jumper wasn't near as effective because he couldn't get the lift because of his knees. Then Perk and Al got hurt again and Pierce had elbow problems. But even with this new rash of injuries, there was a silver lining. We saw the emergence of Ryan Gomes which gave us reason for more optimism. I do believe that without the injuries the team would have won a lot more games and would have made the playoffs.

This year, I am once again very optimistic. What is there to be optimistic about? The players who were injured last year are healthy this year. The cancerous attitudes of Blount and Banks and to a certain point, Raef, are gone. I can see Pierce and Wally meshing together very well, as they started to before Wally started to have knee problems. I can see Tony Allen continuing where he left off at the end of last year, which was playing very well as a slashing player and defensive stopper. I can see Ryan Gomes being even better this year. I can see Delonte West being improved this year, whether he plays the point or the 2 guard. I can see Perk even better this year and being a defensive presence in the paint. I can see Al having a break out year. He is determined to silence his critics and to be the player everyone has been waiting for. I can see Leon Powe surprising a lot of people and contributing right away. I can see Pierce being even better than last year and working even harder to fit into the team game. I can see Green being improved and bringing excitement to the games and also winning the slam dunk contest.

Most importantly, I can see this team running and being a very efficient team because of having 2 new pure points. The addition of Telfair and Rondo have got to bring optimism. We haven't had point guards of this quality for a long, long time. They will run and the rest of the team will run with them and we will get easy baskets because of their speed and ability to find the open man. There is no doubt that our PG's will run this year, and the rest of the team will run with them if they don't want to be left on the bench.

Yes, there is much to be optimistic about. I am happy to see that I am not alone in being optimistic because the majority of votes have been in the optimistic range (albeit cautiously optimistic). The weak link as I see it is in our coaching. If Doc can improve his in game coaching and will take defense seriously this year, we should be rewarded for our optimism. I am optimistic... where is your mood meter?