by James Finneral
Being a Celtic fan and a Massachusetts native it is difficult to write this preview. Ever since their championship run in 2007-2008 the Boston Celtics slowly started heading downhill. Their Big 3 was aging and Ray Allen decided to head to Miami in hopes for another ring. Last year they really dropped off after trading Kevin Garnet and the captain, Paul Pierce to the Nets. After being in the bottom five teams in the Eastern Conference it is sad to say that things could still get worse for Boston.
The main reason why the Celtics will most likely not be successful is because their top players are not very thrilled to be in Boston. Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green are quality players in the NBA and have both displayed interest in leaving Boston. They both do not seem confident in The Celtic's ability to go deep in the playoffs and it shows in their play. This is more obvious in Rondo's play. If you compare him when the Big 3 were around to his effort towards the end of this past season coming off his injury you will see a great decline in his performance. Green and Rondo will both have the chance to leave Boston after this year when they become free agents. These two certainly have the ability to lead this team to the playoffs, but they need stop being upset that they do not have the roster of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lets switch gears from two of the oldest guys on the Celtics to some of the younger players. The Celtics had a solid draft slot with the sixth overall pick, but they did not utilize that pick completely. Boston selected Marcus Smart, a point guard from Oklahoma State. Smart is an excellent young guard and there is no question he has potential, but the pick made no sense for Boston. When a team uses a top ten pick in the draft they are most likely hoping that pick will be a starter for them. That lead to many trade rumors brewing involving Rajon Rondo, but nothing has happened. Both of them could start, but both of them are pretty pure point guards and neither have the size to play shooting guard. It's just astonishing that they would take Smart when they could have drafted Julius Randle and have him right in the starting lineup. James Young is another player the Celtics selected this year. This was actually a smart choice considering that they are weak at the shooting guard position. Young is an excellent shooter, but he is surprisingly a great driver as well. He was a big factor in the Kentucky Wildcat's run to the National Championship game this year. Young brings a nice offensive surge to the team and could be starting on opening night. Things may seem bleak for the Celtics now, but these young guys will bring this team back to life in a matter of years.
Evan Turner was another acquisition the Celtics made over the offseason. After being traded from the 76ers to the Pacers Turner played behind Paul George and did not see very much time. However do not underestimate Turner. He is an excellent player who was doing very well with Philadelphia early on in the season averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds. Turner can make a huge difference for the Celtics if he performs to his capabilities.
The Celtics certainly have some decisions to make revolving around their starting lineup, but they will figure something out. The Celtics will not go downhill in the standings because they are a worse team, but the teams in the Eastern Conference have made some significant improvements and the Celtics are just subtly rebuilding. I hope they can prove me wrong, but it will be difficult for them to make the playoffs in this tough Eastern Conference.
Potential Starting Lineup:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Evan Turner
SF: Jeff Green
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Kelly Olynyk
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