CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: What are Danny's Options?

by FLCeltsFan 10:15 PM

On FSN Sports Tonight, Greg Dickerson said that he expects Danny to make another move. But what other moves are there out there for Danny to make?

He could try to sign a free agent. Several of the top free agents have already committed to teams. Rashard Lewis is going to Orlando. Vince Carter is staying in New Jersey. Chauncey Billups is reportedly staying in Detroit. Jason Kopono is going to Toronto. Matt Carroll is staying with the Bobcats. Indiana signed Kareem Rush. Luke Walton is staying in LA.

The highest rated free agent still available is Gerald Wallace. Reportedly, there are 8 teams courting him and Boston wasn't listed among them. Darko Milicic is a free agent now that Orlando has gotten Rashard Lewis. I think he would be worth going after. Last year in Orlando, he showed some promise and averaged 12.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 1.0 bpg. I think he could take another big step up after working with Clifford Ray. The one drawback would be the fact that he is asking $10 million a year.

Anderson Varejao is also available and would add some defense to the team, but he also is looking for around $10 million a year. Grant Hill is still on the market and it has been rumored that the Celtics are interested, but the latest news says that he is close to returning to Detroit. Toronto, San Antonio, and Phoenix are also reportedly interested.

Andre Blatch is available but I don't see Danny going after another young big who is still being talked about in terms of potential and upside. Chris Webber is 34 years old and may not have much left in the tank or in his crotchety knees. Other possibilities could be Mickael Pietrus, Mikki Moore, Sasha Pavlovic, Andres Nocioni, and Fabricio Oberto.

Then, there are point guard free agents we could target including Earl Boykins, Steve Blake, Mo Williams, Chucky Atkins, and Brevin Knight. Derek Fisher may be a possibility. His daughter's doctor is in New York and Boston may be close enough to make it feasible. Whether we go for a PG will depend on whether Danny really believes that Telfair has a bright future and how Allan Ray and Gabe Pruitt perform in Summer League. Telfair is practicing with the SL team and apparently is in better shape and has a better attitude. I believe that Rondo is the PG of the future for this team, and if the other three are deemed good enough to back him up, Danny may decide to stand pat as far as PG's and target a big.

There are also many rumored and proposed trades along with possible free agent signings. Many fans would love to see Danny target Marcus Camby for a trade. He, like Ray Allen would be coming back to the area where he starred in college. He could provide a defensive presence that the Celtics need in the middle. But what would we have to part with to get him?

Another name mentioned often is Andrei Kirilenko. Utah has made noises that he could be available. His stats were down last season, but he would help the team defensively and may flourish in a new system.

Then, there is the Garnett rumor that just won't go away. Personally, I don't like this. We already have 2 max contracts on the team. Reportedly, the price to get Garnett in Boston would include Big Al. Jefferson is going to be a special player for many years to come. I just don't think that getting Garnett for a year or two is the smart thing to do. I would rather keep Jefferson who will still be playing strong after Pierce, Garnett, and Ray Allen are gone from the league. We would virtually have to gut the team of our young players and give up the future for a couple of years with Garnett.

I haven't heard any solid rumors about Kobe to Boston. There are some trade proposals on the boards, but there just isn't anything solid about it. If Kobe is traded, it will probably be to Chicago, which seems to be his team of choice at this moment. Besides, since character is an issue for the Celtics, Kobe just wouldn't fit here.

There was a lot of buzz about Shawn Marion to Boston before the draft, but like Garnett, Marion said he didn't want to come to Boston. He also has an opt out clause after this season and so I just don't see it happening.

There are still a lot of Gasol rumors out there. The Bulls are reportedly targeting Gasol now also. With Chris Wallace now in charge of the Grizzlies, I have a feeling that he wouldn't want to trade with his old team. Also, what would the price be for Gasol? We haven't heard any specific trade offers but I have a feeling that the price would be too high.

Danny said that he had planned to take Yi in the draft. Now that Milwaukee has him, his camp isn't happy at all and rumors are that he is trying to force a trade to one of the favored teams, of which Boston is one. What would it take to get him? And would Danny even still want him now? Golden State would seem to be the logical destination for him but you never know about Danny and who he is going to go after.

Then, of course, there may be a player out there that Danny has targeted and no one has heard anything about. We didn't hear any rumors about Ray Allen until just before the trade and Danny said it had been discussed for weeks. Danny is very good at keeping trades he is actually interested in quiet, while getting rumors out of trades that he isn't going to make.

Will there be a blockbuster trade? Will there be a minor trade? Will Danny make more than one trade? Will we use the MLE? Or, will Danny just stand pat and let the season begin before making another move? There are a lot of questions and any of the above are possibilities at this point. We may need a PG and we may need a big, but one thing is for certain, we need more defense. Hopefully, if Danny does make a move, it will be for a player who will improve our defense as that is our biggest need at the moment (along with a coach who will actually coach defense).

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