CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Some Much Needed Koolaid on the Day After

I have had a night to sleep on it. Actually, I had nightmares all night long and didn't sleep all that well. But I did a lot of thinking about this. I have experienced so much heartbreak over the past 21 years and this is yet another in a long line of disappointments. I wanted a top pick so bad and can't help but feel that the lottery was somehow fixed for the desired result to punish teams for supposed tanking. Yes, I know that the owners were there to watch it, but did they examine the ping pong balls? It would be oh so easy to weight the 1 and 2 balls slightly so that they wouldn't come up as easily. I am not convinced, nor will I be, that this result came up as a result of natural causes.

But that was then, this is now. I can't give up on the Celtics just because the ping pong balls didn't fall our way. I was very excited about this team last season. I still am excited about our young players. We can either add a very good player or we can add a veteran who will make us even better. Danny still insists that he won't make a trade just to bring in a veteran. It has to be a very good veteran. (does he mean one like Ratliff or Telfair?) Even though I am a bit shaky about Danny's trades in the past, I like what he has to say.

If we can get a good veteran player with the draft pick and some sort of package, we’ll certainly explore that. Ideally that would be the good thing for us to do right now I think, but we don’t want to trade away a player that’s going to be a really good player for a veteran just because he’s a veteran. We want talent regardless of their age. But now we know where to put our focus, and everybody knows where everybody stands, so we’ll be able to start those discussions.”

There are several very good veterans reportedly available. There are several very good players who will be available to us in the draft. I have a lot more faith in Danny's drafting than I do in his trading. Mocks are coming out with some having us taking Yi and some Noah. I like what I have read about Noah. He knows how to win. He is working very hard to improve himself and I think he will push himself to be the very best he can be and think he would be a good fit for us. Yi's defense is suspect and there are questions about his age so I am not sold on him yet. Hawes might be a possibility. Or if Mike Conley was available we might even go for a point guard. Danny has gotten a new PG every year so far so why break the string. Rondo and Conley would be a nice PG tandem. Corey Brewer is another hard worker who knows how to win and would shore up our defense immediately. There are players who could help us. They won't be franchise players, but they can help us.

But beyond the draft, I am excited about our returning young players. Perk and Al are both in Boston for the offseason working together with Clifford Ray. Wyc said that both told him that we don't need another big man, that they will come through this season. I believe them. Perk didn't have any time to work with Coach Ray last off season because of the shoulder surgery. Then he was slowed with plantar fasciitis during the season. But he kept playing, despite being in a lot of pain, because the team needed him. That shows his heart. I can see both players taking it personally and working even harder this offseason. They are going to up their games and are going to form a very tough front line for us as they build chemistry and learn to work together.

Gomes is out in Vegas doing some serious work on his game and will be an even better this coming season. Green is working with John Lucas again this off season and will come back better. Rondo improved in leaps and bounds toward the end of the season and as hard as he works, he will come back even better and able to hit the mid range shot with regularity. Powe is a very hard worker and is determined to make it. No one plays harder when they are in the game and I am certain he will work just as hard this off season to be the best he can be. He gives us toughness inside that we need. Tony Allen is ahead of schedule in his rehab. He was breaking out and was a very exciting player before he went down and I have to believe that he will get back there. Again, Powe having been in the same position and coming back not just once, but twice, has to be an inspiration to him.

I am still excited about this team. No, we won't be adding Greg Oden or Kevin Durant but we will be adding a very good player whether it is a rookie or a veteran. We will be bringing back players who got valuable experience last season and will come back as seasoned veterans themselves this season. We have players who have been developing incredible chemistry over the past 3 seasons. I can see every player pushing themselves even harder because of the way the Celtics were treated by the lottery. I see good things ahead. I refuse to look back and feel bad about what we didn't get but to look forward to what we have and will have. I still believe, I have to believe, that the future is bright for this team.

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