Marquis Daniels still isn't signed and so we don't know what number he will wear yet. But we do know that the pickings are slim in Boston because there have been so many numbers retired. Players used to come to the Celtics and spend their whole careers there and so it seemed like the natural thing to retire their numbers after all their years with the team. That doesn't happen too much these days, but I expect Paul Pierce's #34 will one day hang from the rafters along with all of the Celtic greats of the past. Here is part 2 of our look at the players whose numbers have been retired in Boston.
Number 16 was retired in January of 1973 for Tom "Satch" Sanders. Satch grew up in Harlem and played basketball for Seward Park High School and New York University before going on to play in the NBA. He played all of his 13 years with the Celtics and was part of eight championship teams from 1961 through 1969. He retired in 1973 and went on to coach the Celtics for a brief time in 1978 and 1979. Today, 'Satch' is the NBA's Vice-President and Director of Player Programs. Based in New York City, his birthplace, 'Satch' designs programs to help both veteran and rookie players take advantage of their unique status as professional athletes and to assist them in coping with the special pressures they face. Player Programs is responsible for facilitating the following: post-career counseling; educational and employment opportunities; the NBA/PA (Players Association) Anti-Drug and Alcohol Programs; advice on dealing with celebrity status and media attention and a nonprofit foundation that benefits former players
Number 17 was retired on October 13, 1978 in honor of the legendary John "Hondo" Havlicek. Even though Havlicek is considered one of the best players in NBA history, he was mostly overlooked as a college player because he was on the same team as Jerry Lucas at Ohio State University. That team, which also had future coaching legend Bobby Knight as a reserve, won the 1960 NCAA title. Havlicek was drafted by both the Celtics and the NFL's Cleveland Browns in 1962. After competing briefly as a wide receiver in the Browns' training camp that year, he focused his energies on playing for the Celtics, with head coach Red Auerbach later describing him as the "guts of the team". He was also known for his stamina. Competitors often remarked that it was a challenge for them just to keep up with him. He was a perpetual-motion machine, a human dynamo who was legendary for wearing out opponents with his relentless baseline-to-baseline efforts. A star at both forward and guard, Havlicek's versatility made him perhaps the finest all-around player in the history of the NBA, according to Sports Illustrated. Hondo revolutionized the sixth man role and became the prototype Celtics' sixth man. Johnny Most's legendary call, "Havlicek stole the ball," remains a classic description of a memorable moment in NBA history. Havlicek owns three Wendy’s restaurants and a piece of a food company in Ohio. He also handles public relations for a company in Leominster and listens to any freelancing opportunities that come up. Dave Thomas, owner of Wendy's, is a friend of Hondo's and his daughter Wendy, for whom the recipe is named, used to baby sit for him.
Number 18 was retired on February 8, 1981 for Dave Cowens. Cowens' playing style was all-out intensity at both ends of the court, a style that never wavered during his 11-year NBA career. Cowens played aggressively, often recklessly, and with great passion. He always gave fans their money's worth. At 6'9 he was considered by some to be too short to play center, but he played 11 years in the league, 10 with Boston and 1 in Milwaukee, and he averaged 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game over his career. For a time during the early part of the 1977 season, Cowens left the team and started driving a cab. He went AWOL from the Celtics for a short time just "to clear his head." He later explained that he was "suffering from burnout." He began his coaching career by serving as a combined player/coach for the Boston Celtics during the 1978-79 season, but he quit as coach after the season, and returned as a full-time player before retiring in 1980. However, he was coaxed out of retirement by the Milwaukee Bucks, and played for them during the 1982-83 season before retiring for good. He returned to the NBA coaching ranks by serving as an Assistant Coach for the San Antonio Spurs in 1994-96, and became Head Coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 1996-99 and had a brief tenure as head coach with the Golden State Warriors from 1999-2001 which only lasted 105 games. He was the head coach of the WNBA Chicago Sky for the 2005-06 season. He left the Sky to return to the NBA as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons.
Number 19 was retired for Don Nelson. Don Nelson personifies the hard-working, blue-collar roots of the Midwest where he was raised. Whether he was playing on the hardwood or coaching from its sidelines, Nelson, or "Nellie" as he is often referred to, has carved himself a place in NBA history as one of league's toughest competitors. Nellie played for the Chicago Zephyrs (which later moved to Baltimore and became the Bullets) and the Lakers before coming to the Celtics. He played 11 years with the Celtics and won 5 Championships with them. After he retired he has coached for 28 years with Milwaukee, Golden State, Dallas, and even a brief stint with New York. He stepped down from his coaching position in Dallas due to health issues as he was facing a bout with prostate cancer. Now healthy, and at 69 years of age, Nellie is back on the sidelines coaching the Golden State Warriors.
Number 21 was retired on October 15, 1966 for Bill Sharman who played ten seasons with the Celtics, from 1951 through 1961, and helped lead the Celtics to four NBA championships. Arguably the greatest shooter of his era, Bill Sharman was one of the first NBA guards to push his field-goal percentage above .400 for a season (.436 in 1952-53), and he still ranks among the top free-throw shooters of all time with an .883 lifetime percentage. After retiring as a player in 1961 Sharman distinguished himself as an inspiring and innovative coach, the only one to win championships in three professional leagues - the American Basketball League in 1962, the American Basketball Association in 1971 and the NBA in 1972. He guided the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers to the best regular-season record (69-13) in NBA history until the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls finished 72-10. He introduced an innovative training device on game days called the "shootaround," in which players went through a light morning practice session prior to the day's contest. He felt that getting his team's mind on the game early, going over strategy, and loosening the muscles, were excellent ways to prepare mentally and physically for a game. Today most (if not all) NBA and college teams use shootarounds as a regular part of their training regimens. Sharmen was GM and club president of the Lakers and later remained with the team as a special consultant. He was only 1 of 3 people (the others being John Wooden and Lenny Wilkins) who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame as both player and coach.
Number 22 was retired on October 16, 1963 for "Easy Ed" Macauley who was a member of the Celtics for six seasons from 1950 through 1956. He had his Celtics No. 22 retired at the same time as Bob Cousy's No. 14. They were the first two players to have their numbers retired by Boston. Easy Ed” retired as the NBA's third all-time leading scorer trailing only George Mikan and Dolph Shayes at the time. MacAuley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1960 at the age of 32 and to this day he is still the youngest player ever enshrined. There is a story behind Easy Ed that is worth recounting here. In 1956, Ed's son Patrick became ill. They took him to a Boston doctor, who after some time diagnosed Patrick with spinal meningitis. Ed and his wife had to take Patrick back and forth to St. Louis for treatment, which was a tremendous drain on them, both physically and financially. Ed was close to the Celtics' owner, Walter Brown, and requested a trade to the St. Louis Hawks, to make getting treatment for Patrick easier for them. Although Brown didn't want to trade him, he understood the personal difficulties and agreed to seek a trade. McCauley and Cliff Hagan were traded to St. Louis for the second pick in the draft that would become Bill Russell. Ed went on to star for St. Louis and sadly Patrick died a few years later. But had Ed not requested the trade, the history of the Celtics, and thus the league, would probably have been much different. These days, “Easy Ed”, who is 81, resides in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife Jacqueline. The two of them have been married 55 years. MacAuley is retired and previously he was a Sports Director for two television stations in St. Louis. MacAuley is currently very involved with his church serving as a Deacon and has written a book entitled “Homilies Lives” with Father Francis Fredle.
Number 23 was retired for Frank Ramsey who played nine seasons in the NBA, all with the Celtics. He was the Celtics original sixth man. Red Auerbach, is often credited throughout basketball with creating the sixth man role. Though Ramsey was one of the Celtics' best players, he felt more comfortable coming off the bench and Auerbach wanted him fresh and in the lineup at the end of close games. Ramsey was the first in a series of sixth men who won championship rings with the Celtics. After playing his rookie season with the Celtics (1954-1955), Ramsey spent one year in the military before rejoining the team. In the eight seasons he played after military service, he was a member of seven championship teams. Ramsey was also a head coach for one season (1970-71) in the ABA with the Kentucky Colonels, On November 15th, 2005, Ramsey's house was destroyed in a tornado that hit his residence in Madisonville, Kentucky. One of his plaques was found miles away from his home, and Ramsey himself was unhurt.
Check out part 1 here. Watch for part 3 coming soon.
Celtics fans have been waiting for something to happen. It seems like we have been waiting forever for the Marquis Daniels trade to be finalized. There was some talk that something would happen today because of the deadline for picking up options for some players. There were 2 key transactions today that will or could affect the Celtics.
First, the Celtics waived Gabe Pruitt. This wasn't unexpected. He has been with the Celtics 2 seasons and in spite of the need for a back up point guard, he hasn't been able to crack the rotation. It was the feeling that Pruitt wasn't aggressive enough to win more playing time. Summer League was to be his last chance to make an impression on the team and while he played well, it wasn't enough to prove to them that he had improved enough to pick up his option.
With Pruitt being released, that opens up one roster spot and reinforces the need for a back up point guard. There is the possibility that they give Lester Hudson a chance in training camp after his finger heals. They may also go with a combination of Marquis Daniels and Eddie House. Or they may look to find a veteran PG for the minimum. I am really not too sure about Marbury any more as he seems to have gone off the deep end.
There is still no word on whether they have any possibilities for a third team to complete the Daniels trade. He is definitely excited about coming to the Celtics. He changed the background on his Twitter page to a Celtics theme and he is wondering which number he should wear in Boston next year. It would be to the Celtics advantage to make a sign and trade so that they can pay Daniels a little more, open up a roster spot, and keep that LLE in case the right player comes along for it.
Speaking of that open roster spot, most Celtics fans prefer that it would be Tony Allen that gets traded in the sign and trade for Daniels. It seems that Tony isn't just sitting around this summer. He joined Big Al Jefferson in Prentiss, Mississippi to put on a basketball camp for the local kids. Good for him!
The second transaction that may have an effect on the Celtics is the fact that the Bucks placed Bruce Bowen on waivers. Just like the Pruitt move, this wasn't unexpected. Apparently they couldn't work him into a trade at his 4 million dollar salary. By waiving him before August 1, he will only cost them $2 million instead of the whole $4 million. There were some credible rumors that there was mutual interest between the Celtics and Bowen. I doubt any teams pick him up off of waivers. So, we have to keep waiting and wondering. He is 38 years old and has lost a step on defense but at the vet minimum, he may be a good pick up. I don't like the guy but if he can help us win #18, I can learn to like him.
We are still waiting on Danny to do something. Marquis Daniels seems to be as excited to be a Celtic as Celtic fans are to have him. He has changed the background on his Twitter page to a Celtics theme. And he just posted these Tweets:
What number should I wear next year in BOSTON?
I knt wear my kollege number 3, or my NBA number 6, so help me out here make sure u dnt pikk a number dtz retired in beantown
I suggested 66. It isn't retired and he still gets to keep his 6. But it got me to thinking about all the retired numbers hanging from the rafters in Boston. No other team has as much history as the Celtics. The biggest quandary that players have when coming to Boston is trying to find a number that hasn't been retired. When Danny was trying to get Karl Malone to come to Boston, one issue was that his number was retired there. And most of the players coming in have to pick a different number than they had been wearing for the same reason. The Celtics have more retired numbers than any other team in the NBA. But who are the people behind all those retired numbers? I figured this was a good time to revisit a series I did way back in 2005 and take a look at some history.
Number 1 was retired on October 17, 1964 for the Celtics founder and the first owner of the franchise, Walter Brown. After succeeding his father as manager of the Boston Garden, he helped to found the Basketball Association of America in 1946, and was instrumental in merging the BAA and the National Basketball League into the National Basketball Association in 1949. He founded the Celtics in 1945, and helped to transform the team into a dynasty, as the Celtics won six championships in the seven years. He also was instrumental in the creation of the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951, which was played in the Boston Garden.
Number 2 was retired on January 4, 1985 in honor of Arnold "Red" Auerbach. Red is the face and the heart of the Celtics. The number 2 was retired for him to signify the fact that Red is second only to Walter Brown as the most significant person in the history of the Boston Celtics.... He was the Head Coach of the team from 1950 through 1966, during which he won nine Championships that included eight straight from 1958 through 1966...After his coaching career, he went on to serve as President and General Manager, leading the Celtics to an additional seven NBA championships. Red could always be seen in the stands lighting his trademark cigar at the end of every Celtics victory.
Number 3 was retired on December 13, 1991 in honor of Dennis Johnson. DJ" played for the Celtics for seven seasons, from 1983 through 1990...He helped lead the Celtics to a pair of NBA world championship titles in 1984 and 1986. DJ was always a clutch player and seemed to step up his game in the playoffs. He was known for his defense and was a perennial fixture on the NBA all defensive team. Larry Bird called DJ the best player he ever played with and that is some very high praise. Everyone remembers that Bird stole the ball, but it was DJ who saw what had happened and cut to the basket for the layup. My favorite part of that play was when with just a fraction of a second left and all of his teammates celebrating, DJ's first reaction was to turn and play defense on the inbound pass. DJ was an Assistant Coach for the Celtics from 1992 through 1997. In 2007, he was coaching the Austin Toros, who were the Celtics' D-League affiliate at the time, and he collapsed after a practice. He died of a heart attack on February 22, 2007.
Number 6 was retired on March 12, 1972 for Bill Russell, who is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Russell anchored the Celtics teams that won nine World Championships, winning 8 in a row at one time. Russell is the Celtics all-time leading rebounder with 21,620 rebounds which is an astounding average of 22.5 per game. Russell was declared to be the Greatest Player in the History of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers' Association of America in 1980. He made the All Star team every year in his career except his rookie year. When Red Auerbach retired, Bill Russell became a player coach of the Celtics for three seasons, 1966 through 1969, finishing with a record of 162-83 (.661) and two world championship titles in 1968 and 1969. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. In the 2008-09 season, he came to Boston to encourage Kevin Garnett and even offered him one of his rings if KG didn't win his own. One of the greatest sights after the Celtics won their 17th championship was KG and Bill Russell embracing on the court as KG told him he had his own ring now.
Number 10 was retired on April 9, 1982 for JoJo White, who was the point guard that led the Celtics offense and propelled the 1974 and 1976 teams to NBA championship titles. JoJo played for the Celtics from 1969 to the 1979 season and was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team in 1968. JoJo was a seven-time NBA All-Star and he reached the pinnacle of his career in 1976. On June 4 at the hot, jam-packed Boston Garden in Game 5 of the NBA Championship Finals against the Phoenix Suns, White led the Celtics with 33 points spread out over 60 minutes in the now famous 128-126 triple-overtime victory and was named the Finals MVP. JoJo remains with the Celtics organization, serving as Director of Special Projects and Community Relations Representative.
Number 14 was retired on October 16, 1963 in honor of Bob Cousy. Bob Cousy was one of the greatest playmakers and passers in NBA history Cousy spent all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Celtics. He had the nickname of "The Houdini of the Hardwood" and anyone watching him play would know how that nickname came about. He helped lead the Celtics to six NBA world championship titles. Cousy was a 13-time NBA All-Star, making the team in each of his 13 seasons in the NBA. He remains the Celtics all-time assists leader with 6,945. Cousy has enjoyed a very public life after his retirement. He made a cameo appearance in the movie Blue Chips, and has worked at different capacities for the Celtics since his playing days were over. Up until last season, he appeared with Mike and Tommy with his analysis of the games. He has had some very good things to say about Rondo.
Number 15 was retired on October 15, 1966 for Tommy Heinsohn. If anyone can be considered a Celtic for Life, it is Tommy Heinsohn. He helped the Celtics capture eight NBA world championship titles in his nine-year playing career, all with the Celtics...He was Head Coach of the Celtics for nine years from 1969 through 1978, and guided the Celtics to two more NBA titles. He was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1973. For the past 28 years, Tommy has paired with Mike Gorman as the TV analysts for the Celtics' games. He loves the Celtics and doesn't make any effort to hide it.
Stay tuned for part 2 with numbers 16,17,18,19,21,22, and 23.
The suspense is killing me as we wait to see what Danny does next. There are rumors being thrown around about Big Baby and sign and trades and Bruce Bowen, but that is all they are, rumors. Rumors are fun to talk about but you can't really tame them seriously until they are reported in the Globe or Herald as done deals.
The schedule is not due out until sometime next month, but there are a couple of leaks. One is that the Celtics will open the season vs The new look Cleveland Cavaliers on October 27. It will more than likely be televised nationally. Perk better work that smile off his face and get the scowl back because his first test will be to stop an energized Shaq. The Cavs also will have the honor of playing the Lakers on Christmas day. Better them than us. That isn't to say that the Celtics won't be playing on Christmas, though, because they do televise 3 or 4 games that day. They just won't be playing the Cavs or the Lakers. Celtics vs Orlando would be nice.
The Globe reported that Gabe Pruitt is probably on his way out of Boston. The Celtics have until Friday to decide whether to pick up his option for next year. So, by Friday, they either have to waive him or trade him. Maybe, just maybe, we will see some of these questions answered by then. This also brings up another question. We pretty much have the back up for Pierce in Daniels. We will either have Big Baby back or get a big in return for a sign and trade. But, who is Danny going to get to back up Rondo. There have been rumors that he is once again after Dooling if they work out a sign and trade with New Jersey. After Marbury's meltdown on his streaming internet feeds, I really don't see him coming back. He stated the other day that he is done with basketball. He is now an entertainer. It is pretty sad, actually.
The Lamar Odom saga drags on. He still is wavering between the Lakers and the Heat. There have been rumors of a sign and trade of Haslem for Odom. That makes sense for both teams. Personally, I'd like to see Odom just walk on the Lakers and leave them in the lurch. Maybe he'll wait just long enough that all the other good players are off the table. In the meantime, the Lakers are in for 5 years of Ron Artest. Somehow, that is poetic justice.
The Cavs are indeed talking to Leon Powe. I am so torn here. I want the best for Leon and know that if a team signs him now, it is the best thing for him. But, I don't want a team to sign him now, because I am still hoping he comes back to the Celtics. I would have to root for Leon no matter what team he is on but it sure would be hard cheering for him on the Cavs.
Charlie Rosen is a bitter old man who now has obviously begun to lose his mind. He picks Kevin Garnett as one of the most overrated players in the league. He quotes his scoring numbers from the Finals against the Lakers and then comes up with this gem:
In other words, it is well-known among the league's coaches that Garnett is a frontrunner who will inevitably choke when a critical game is up for grabs.
He obviously got his information from the box score and didn't watch a single game or he would have noticed KG's efforts on defense that spearheaded one of the best defenses in league history. It is on the defensive end that KG makes his presence known. Anything he adds on the offensive end is gravy.
Red's Army has a really good article that you should read if you haven't already: Paul Pierce: The last great Celtic. I really enjoyed this and it hit home with me. One of the best pieces I have read in this off season. Pierce really is the last of a generation of players. Not many players these days stay with one team their whole careers and only one had the influence of Red Auerbach helping to shape his career. Here is the final paragraph.
Times are better now, thankfully. Paul can go out whenever he goes out with his head held high. He's done it the right way. The Celtic way. The Red Auerbach way. It's something no other player will ever be able to say.
I guess it comes with celebrity, but Paul Pierce can't even have dinner out without everybody in the country knowing what he is eating. I can't figure out if he was taking a couple of shots at a basket or a couple of shots to drink. If it was the latter, let's hope he had a designated driver. We don't want any more stops at 3 in the morning.
Player for the Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce dined at N9NE Steakhouse inside Palms Casino Resort Monday evening. Wearing a blue polo, designer jeans and a white baseball cap, Pierce enjoyed a lovely meal with four others in the private dining room. They started with the signature rock shrimp and fried crisp calamari. For his main course, Pierce indulged in the roasted Colorado lamp chops with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. He was seen taking a couple shots at the end of his meal.
Hoopsworld has the Eastern Conference rankings and they put the Celtics 3rd behind Cleveland and Orlando. Their reasoning is that the Celtics lack depth and are an injury away from being pedestrian. Well, aren't the Cavs and Magic in the same place? The Cavs depend so much on LeBron. What if he goes down with an injury? Certainly no one can step up and fill that void. How about if Howard goes down in Orlando? Danny isn't done with the Celtics yet. There will be another big, whether Big Baby or someone else. There will be a back up point guard picked up before the season. And maybe a couple of other changes. Maybe it is a good thing that people are underestimating them. When they were the frontrunners everyone was out to get them last season. It seemed like even mediocre teams had their best game of the year against the Celtics. Maybe this year, teams will save their best games for Cleveland and the Lakers and give the Celtics a break.
The Herald and Globe have been pretty lax in any Celtics news lately. Thank goodness for the blogsphere that has kept the articles coming. The newspapers that cover other teams has had more articles lately on the Celtics than Boston's papers have.
As I have been scouring the internet for any tidbit of information about the Celtics' next move, I started thinking about how things have changed since that offseason 2 years ago when Danny turned things around and brought in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and thus brought the Celtics their first championship in 22 years. We are once again contenders and life is good for Celtics fans. But, as the saying goes, you can't really appreciate the sunshine until after the rain. I have been thinking back through those 22 years and it makes me appreciate where we are so much more.
The Celtics are a proud and storied franchise with a history that reaches back to the early days of the NBA. There have been many players who have come through the franchise, some good and some bad. We remember the glory days of the 60's, 70's and 80's when the Celtics were perennial contenders and never went more than a couple of years without a winning team. Then came the 1986 championship and the Celtics were on top of the world with a team that will go down as one of the best ever and the second pick in the draft to boot. But the 22 years following that championship were marked with tragedies and setbacks and years of mediocrity.
The 1985-86 Celtics were one of the best teams ever. They lost only one game at home that season... to the Portland Trailblazers. This past season the Cavs came close to tying that record but they lost their second home game on the last day of the regular season. So, the 1986 team's record still stands. They ended the season with a 67-15 record and waltzed through the playoffs to beat Houston in the finals for their 16th championship. Bird won his 3rd straight MVP. The Celtics were on top of the basketball world. They had won 3 titles in the 80's and had a core group of future Hall of Famers as well as a top pick in the upcoming draft.
Things were going almost too well. The team had just won a championship behind a deep and talented team. They owned the #2 pick in the draft, from the Gerald Henderson trade to the Sonics, and chose Len Bias out of Maryland after the Cavs chose Brad Dougherty with the top pick. Bias was one of the most exciting players to ever come out of college and the future was looking bright. Two days later it would all come tumbling down when Len Bias died of a cocaine induced heart attack while celebrating his selection. This was the beginning of the end for this proud franchise. During the year, injuries to key bench players forced coach KC Jones to play his starters big minutes. By the playoffs, the wear and tear of all those minutes was beginning to show and they didn't have enough left to beat the Lakers, losing in 6 games. The Eastern conference finals gave us one of the greatest plays in NBA history and a moment that every Celtic fan relives over and over. They were playing Detroit and the Pistons had a one-point lead and possession of the ball with five seconds left in Game 5 at Boston Garden. Bird stole an inbounds pass from Isaiah Thomas and fed it to a cutting Dennis Johnson for a layup and the victory. Here is the call as Johnny Most called it, as only he could.
In the 1987 draft, the Celtics picked another very promising young player by the name of Reggie Lewis. The Celtics were an aging team by this time. Bias, who was to lead the franchise and rejuvenate the veterans was gone and the only player younger than 30 was Danny Ainge.
In the 1988-89 season, Larry Bird had surgery to remove bone spurs from his feet. (Those bone spurs have a way of derailing a season, as we found out last season with the bone spurs in KG's knee). The team finished with only 42 wins and they were swept by Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, getting payback for Bird's steal and the Celtics' victory of the previous year.
In 1988 the Celtics drafted Brian Shaw but he left the team to play in Italy. Bird returned from his surgery, but age and injuries were catching up to the team. They lost to the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. The next year, Michael Smith from Brigham Young was selected with the 13th pick and Dino Radja was chosen with the 40th pick. In 1990, they selected Dee Brown with the 19th pick. Chris Ford took over as coach. Things looked to be back on the right track as they jumped out to a 29 - 5 record. But then Bird developed back problems and they struggled through the second half of the season once again losing to Detroit in the second round of the playoffs.
In the 1991 draft, the Celtics chose Rick Fox with the 24th pick. Bird, McHale, and Brown all missed a considerable amount of time for various injuries, and the season was derailed once again. They were beaten by Indiana in the second round of the playoffs. Bird only played in 4 playoff games due to his back problems. There was a silver lining, though, as Reggie Lewis emerged as the leader and there was hope once again that the Celtics would rise behind their new leader once everyone got healthy.
In hindsight, we know that it didn't work out that way. It seemed that high hopes only to have them dashed was the recurring pattern. From this point, the Celtics took a steep decline and things went from bad to worse. The Celtics were a mediocre team, not good enough to win a title but not bad enough to get a top draft pick. From 1992 - 1994 they would choose 21st, 19th, and 8th in the draft. The 8th pick in the draft has the potential to yield a very good player. But the Celtics chose Eric Montross who never really developed like they hoped he would when they chose him. Bird and McHale would retire due to their injuries. And once again, tragedy would strike the Celtic family. In Game 1 of the 1993 playoff series against the Hornets, Reggie Lewis collapsed on the court. He was later diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. After a dream team of doctors determined that he should not play baskeball any longer, Reggie sought a second opinion and was told that he would be able to resume his career safely. On July 27, 1993, while shooting baskets at Brandeis University in Boston, the 27-year-old Lewis collapsed again. He was found by paramedics in complete cardiac arrest and died shortly thereafter.
Robert Parish, the last of the Big Three, left the Celtics to sign with the Hornets. ML Carr was named GM. and the Celtics finished with a 32- 50 record. They didn't make the playoffs for the first time since the Celtics drafted Larry Bird. The League refused to give the team any cap relief due to the death of Reggie Lewis and so their hands were tied as far as signing free agents. In years following this, the league would give teams cap relief for players who were deemed to have a career ending injury, such as the knee injury to Darius Miles, and has since given other teams cap relief due to an injury to a player. Most recently, the Houston Rockets were given cap relief this season for Yao Ming's injury, whether he returns to play or not. But, back in 1993, David Stern refused to give the Celtics any cap relief when they lost their captain. ML Carr then took over as coach. They finished the season at 35 and 47 and made it into the playoffs but couldn't get past Orlando in the first round.
In the 1996 draft, the Celtics chose Antoine Walker with the 6th pick. In this, the 50th year of the once proud franchise, the team finished with a league worst 15 and 67 record. ML Carr was said to have tanked the season in order to try to land Tim Duncan in the draft. The only bright spot in the season was the play of Eric Williams and Antoine Walker.
ML Carr stepped down as coach after the season and Rick Pitino was signed as the new coach and president. In spite of having the worst record (and having tanked to get it), the Celtics picked 3rd and 6th. They had banked on winning the lottery and claiming Tim Duncan as their prize but, the Celtics have never had good luck with those lottery balls. The Celtics chose Chauncey Billups with the 3rd pick and Ron Mercer with the 6th pick. In February, Rick Pitino pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Billups and Dee Brown to Toronto for Kenny Anderson and Popeye Jones. We traded away a very promising young player for one who was slowed by age and injury. The Pitino years would set the Celtics back years.
With the 1998 draft it appeared as though the team's luck might be changing when a very talented Paul Pierce fell to them with the 10th pick. Pitino's draft choices were Jerome Moiso in 2000 and Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown and Joe Forte in 2001. Of those, only Joe Johnson became a player and that was after he was traded from Boston. Pitino was replaced by Jim O'Brien for the 2000-01 season. Pierce and Walker were playing very well together, Pitino was gone, and it appeared as though the Celtics were heading for respectability again.
The franchise posted its first 40 win season in a decade in the 2001-02 season. This team had two very important things going for it. They ranked fifth in the league in fewest turnovers per game with less than 14 times per game. In fact, the Celtics finished with the fewest turnovers (1,114) of any Celtics team since 1973-74. The other thing was that this team finished the year first in the NBA in steals per game (9.67). Once again, it seemed that things were finally turning around. The 2002-03 season begain with new owners for the Celtics. Wyc and Irv Grousbeck were among the new owners and were not only owners but also fans. The team continued to play tough defense under coach Jim O'Brien and made it to the Eastern Conference finals, losing to the Nets.
The following year marked the return to the franchise of Danny Ainge as GM. Danny dismantled the existing team and started to rebuild around Paul Pierce, who had become a star. Danny's first draft brought in Marcus Banks and Kendrick Perkins. In his first year, Danny made two major trades that completely revamped the team. As the 2003-04 Celtics were going through Training Camp and preparing for the upcoming season, Danny made a major move. The team acquired center Raef LaFrentz, forward Chris Mills, guard Jiri Welsch and a 2004 First Round draft choice from the Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for Tony Delk and Celtics star Antoine Walker. Two months later, the team acquired veterans Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm and Michael Stewart (and a Second Round draft choice) from the Cleveland Cavaliers, in exchange for veterans Tony Battie, Kedrick Brown and Eric Williams. The trade for Ricky Davis was too much for Coach O'Brien and he resigned midway through the year leaving assistant coach John Carroll as the interim coach. But Danny wasn't through, and just before the trading deadline, the Celtics acquired veterans Chuck Atkins and Lindsey Hunter along with a 2004 First Round draft choice and cash from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Mike James and Chris Mills. The Celtics made the playoffs but lost to Indiana in the first round.
Because of the trades the previous year, Danny had 3 first round picks in the 2004 draft and he chose Al Jefferson, Delonte West, and Tony Allen. The following year, Danny picked Gerald Green in the first round and Ryan Gomes in the second round. And in the year after that, Danny added Sebastian Telfair, Rajon Rondo, Allan Ray, and Leon Powe Danny made the choice to build through the draft and gather young and talented players that he could use as trade chips. Only Paul Pierce remains from the team that Danny inherited. He stated that he had a 5 year plan to build a contender by gathering chips that he could use to bring in a veteran superstar to team with Paul Pierce.
Once again in 2006, tragedy struck the team when they lost its beloved patriarch Red Auerbach only 4 days before the season started. Then, they also lost a Celtics' legend when Dennis Johnson passed away in the middle of the season. Along with the tragedies, they had injury after injury on the team. The injuries had a silver lining, though, when the young players got more experience and began to emerge as legitimate NBA players. Once again, the Celtics had a chance to land a top draft pick.
The Celtics ended the season with the second worst record and a chance at one of two franchise players in that year's draft. Landing either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant would have given the young talent on the team a star to build around along with Paul Pierce. Greg Oden was being discussed as the same type of franchise center as Bill Russell had been and Kevin Durant was a young, athletic wing player who could score from anywhere. But, just as in 1997, when the Celtics lost out on the Tim Duncan Lottery, the lottery balls didn't bounce the Celtics' way and they ended up with the 5th pick, which was the lowest they could have picked with the 2nd most ping pong balls in the lottery.
There was much talk about Yi, Joakim Noah, Jeff Green and others who might be available to them with the 5th pick. And then on the night of the draft, Danny once again surprised the Celtic Nation by trading the pick, which became Jeff Green, to Seattle, along with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for Ray Allen and the 35th pick, with which he drafted Big Baby Davis.
At first, most of the Celtics' fans were wondering what Danny was doing. He traded a lottery pick for an aging player who was coming off of double ankle surgery. Surely, this wasn't the way the plan was supposed to work. But we didn't have long to wonder about Danny's plan because on July 31st, it became very clear when the signing of Ray Allen yielded rewards in the form of Kevin Garnett's arrival as a Celtic. And with those 2 signings, the Celtics once again had a Big 3 of future Hall of Famers, and were instantly vaulted to the top of the rankings.
2008 was a magical season from training camp in Europe, all the way to the 39 point victory over the Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals. The Celtics had finally risen above the tragedies and questionable management of past years as Danny Ainge's plan worked to perfection and the Celtics raised Banner 17 to the rafters after a long 22 year drought.
This look back has 2 purposes. One, to make us appreciate even more where the team is now. Going into this season, we have not just a Big 3, but a Big 4 with the addition of Rasheed Wallace to the team. They also have a point guard on the verge of becoming a perennial All Star and a very solid center who is the ultimate role player and will be the defensive anchor of this team for years to come. Yes, life is good for Celtics fans once again. But, looking back also reminds us that success can be fleeting. Injuries and aging can take their toll on a team. The Celtics veterans are aging just as they did in the 80's. But unlike that 1986 team, this team has more young players who will be able to take on more of a role as the older veterans age. The key is for Danny to continue to look for young players to carry on when the older players retire or are traded. So, with this little history, we should be both encouraged and warned. Go Celtics!
