Three years ago when Brad Stevens took over as coach of the Boston Celtics I was ecstatic. However, I knew they would not go all the way in 2013 or 2014. Stevens had to get used to working with professional athletes, while Danny Ainge had to do some work in the personnel department.
Two seasons later Stevens has grown in his role as coach. Ainge found a group of guys that truly work together as a team. Teams see post-season play and championships, not individuals. Finally, it seems all the forces have come together.
The question at this juncture in season is: does Ainge check or bet at the trade table before the Thursday, February 18th deadline?
At the all-star break, the Celtics are ranked third in the Eastern Conference, seven games behind the Raptors. The team has come together quite well, never giving up. Leaving everything on the court, never walking away with regret. They grind and have grit. Still, the timely shooting by Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder doesn’t hurt either. Most importantly, Stevens has a captive audience that can put his strategic plans into action on the court.
All top three teams have gone 8-2 over their last 12 games. In the Celtics last week of games before the break they beat the Los Angeles Clippers by five points, lost by one point to the Bucks on February 9th and a won a buzzer beater against the top ranking Eastern Conference Cavaliers.
There has been great amounts of trade talk buzzing around the league recently. Ainge has kept mum only to say that he would be making lots of phone calls during the break. Last week, over the course of a 48-hour period there was speculation that Ainge was in trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks for Al Horford, the Houston Rockets’ Dwight Howard and Cleveland Cavs Kevin Love. A Love trade has been a recurring theme for years now. For some reason, Ainge has not jumped at it. Howard would be costly and may involve handing over a first round pick in next year’s draft.
There are a lot of names being thrown around making the entire situation very confusing. The best decision for this Celtics team would be to not make any trades and see how the team fares in the second half of the season. The only worthy alternative would be to take a true star athlete that will work well with the present team – a seamless addition to the team. Love has a better possibility of achieving this goal, than Howard. Howard just does not seem like a team player, nor do I think he would listen to Coach Stevens.
Still, I just do not see the need to upset the apple cart. Basketball is such a dynamic sport. A big change, no matter the player’s skill level, could break the chemistry the Celtics have on the court. It is a delicate ecosystem that need not be disrupted.
The Celtics should hunker down, focus on consistency, momentum building, and sound strategy provided by Stevens to see if that leads them to more decisive victories.
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