Filed under: Boston Celtics
I woke up this morning to find that the trade-happy Danny Ainge had struck again. This time acting in cahoots with former Celtics teammate Kevin McHale. Do you think we will ever get to see a season go by without Danny Ainge making a trade? It would be the equivalent to watching a Real World season were nobody gets excessively inebriated and almost gets arrested resulting in all the other housemates to wonder if that person is an alcoholic. I am not so sure that day is coming. So we are forced to digest another midseason move by the Celts GM.
The first thing I found out was that Mark Blount had been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Michael Olowokandi. No surprise there. Blount and the Candy-man had probably already swapped real-estate agents. Finding himself in a new uniform midseason might mean Mark Blownt…er…Blunt…er…uh…Blount’s(?) identity crisis continues. Maybe he will just get to Minnesota and just pull a Yao and put ‘Mark’ on the back of his jersey. Or change his last name to ‘Doobie’ which is much less ambiguous to pronounce. But something tells me this was more about the Celtics getting rid of the underachieving Blount and much less about aquiring the former No. 1 draft pick in Olowokandi. After all, Olowokandi only has one year left on his contract and his agent Bill Duffy has already suggested that Ainge move or release him. The focus on developing Kendrick Perkins this season has also pointed to the fact that the Celts are probably set with their bigman for the time being. Which leads me to search for a more plausible reason for this trade(besides the fact that apparently Danny Ainge feels the need to always make a trade).
A second part of this deal regards Marcus Banks being sent to the Wolves for Dwayne Jones. Yup that Dwayne Jones. The same Dwayne Jones that…ah…uh…wait a second…who the hell is Dwayne Jones? Apparently he is a 6’11” rebounder who is currently playing for the Florida Flames in the NBA’s developmental league. Oh. With Banks getting limited time behind the emerging Delonte West and Ryan Gomes, who are much younger and consequently have more potential, Banks was sent packing. So it seems like that aspect was pretty much formality. The 2008 first round draft pick that the Celtics received in exchange for two second round picks seems like a wash to me as well. Hmm. So what was this trade all about then?
Well my friends, it seems this trade comes down to Ricky Davis for Wally Szczberiak, straight up. Celtics fans: welcome to Wally’s World. May I buy a vowel?
I will be honest with everyone here. I love Wally Szczerbiak. I do. I always have. Ever since I was watching his college days at Miami of Ohio(honestly couldn’t they change the name so no one gets confused? Or do they like it that way because they think it sounds regal or something? Oh well). But I also liked Ricky Davis too. And call me naïve but I thought he fit in pretty well with the Celtics. After his past three other teams apparently couldn’t get rid of him fast enough, Ricky found a pretty comfortable place with the Green. Kind of like a mini Corey Dillon story. Except without all the Championships and stuff. But Ricky did bring an energy to the court. He had an electric presence, could make crowd noise insighting plays, and was one of the only players to (semi)consistently play solid defense.
So this is where this trade doesn’t sit well with me. We have a young, inexperienced team who struggles to play good defense and creates more turnovers than Au Bon Pain. Anchoring this team is a veteran scorer known for his ability to hit on anywhere on the court. In this trade though, we give up our number two scorer who has the ability to play defense for another veteran sharpshooter not known for his defensive aptitude. I don’t get it.
Was Wally really what we were looking for? Weren’t we really looking for a veteran defensive player that could spark this years team and mentor our young players for a few years? Like a younger Gary Payton/Charles Oakley, a sane Ron Artest, or a Rodney Harrison of basketball type player? Don’t we already have a sharpshooting scorer? Am I the only one that is confused here? This is a low grade equivalent of the Lakers trading for Allen Iverson.
Like I said though, I love Wally Szczerbiak. On top of his long range capabilities, Szczerbiak brings a composed veteran presence to a club that desperately needs it. In this capacity he is a significant improvement from Ricky Davis, who is just one noche above Manny Ramirez on the maturity-meter. In all fairness, Ricky probably was asked to do too much here in Boston. His role is probably a lot more appropriate as a number three man instead of a number two. I think Szczerbiak will probably fit a little better in this role although only time will tell. Wally also brings a sort of old school game style that probably impresses Danny Ainge. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ainge says something ridiculous and cliché along the lines of “he reminds me of myself when I was his age.” Only Wally doesn’t take stupid pull-up three pointers on 3 on 1 fast breaks.
Wally’s tenacity and hustle could also be valuable on a team that needs a little spark. Even if he isn’t the most athletic or defensively gifted guy on the court, his hustle and desire could inspire others. He truly is a guy who loves basketball. I am also looking forward to hearing Tommy scream “I LOVE WALLY’S WORLD!!!” in his thick Boston accent.
Obviously no one really knows what will happen to this team after this trade. Ainge and the rest of the Front Office are hoping it will ignite this team to a playoff berth. I think most of the fans are hoping that as well. I guess we will all have to just sit back and take the Paul Pierce “Wait and See Approach” . Go Green.
theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com
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