While waiting for the T at North Station I was planning on ranting and raving about the latest C's letdown on Friday night, and I still may later, but when I returned from the game, the Worldwide Leader was flashing this headline [ESPN]. Hallelujah!! It's time for the rumor mill to kick into high gear once again about A.I. coming to Beantown. Personally I am all for this move. Consider the following.
1) Boston would become relevant again - The national media, for good reason, ignores the Celtics at all costs. Who can blame them. They're sitting with a share of the worst record in the league, they traded away their headcase last season (Davis) and most of them are too young to be household names. The Knicks are at least dysfunctional enough to make everyone want to stop and stare at the train wreck. Iverson changes all of that. He'll bring the off-court baggage, everyone knows him, and after a time, I wouldn't be surprised to see him make a push to get Doc fired. A guy can dream can't he??
2) The Celtics would at least be entertaining - Despite Friday's near miss, the Garden was practically dead. Orange seats stained every row and section while those who made up the crowd weren't into the game until the last minute (by they had already blown their lead). The biggest reactions from the crowd were saved for the Dance Team (deservedly) and anytime Scalebrine was near the ball (again, deservedly). A.I. brings flash, excitement and a sense of urgency. He's another vet, he wants to win now.
3) It's feasible - You're telling me that the Sixers wouldn't take Jefferson, Rondo, West, and a first rounder for A.I. and Dalembert? No matter the salary cap parameters, the C's have the assets to get it done. Come on Danny. A.I. has asked for the trade and Philly has sent him home as they look for suitors. Now is the time to strike. If he agonizes over this until it's too late and another team has swooped in with an offer, the whole city may very well riot. Ainge can get this done. This is Billy King we're dealing with here!
For all the possible negatives Iverson brings to the table, he's one of the toughest guys in the entire league. There is a reason Boston is in last place. They have more holes (and "tremendous upside potential") than any other team in the L. Boston needs someone to take the pressure off Pierce to perform for 40 minutes a night. A.I. is still a great scorer. With Pierce on the bench for the first half (!?!?!) of the fourth quarter on Friday, the Celtics had no go-to guy to keep the offense chugging. The C's lack veteran leadership at the point. A.I. has been doing this for 11 years, and he's still going strong. Their perimeter defense is incredibly weak. The list goes on and on. For all the problems and question marks that the C's have, A.I. just might be the Answer to enough of them to make the deal worth it.
2 comments:
I wholeheartedly agree. Considering the shaky state of the East (where most experts have LeBron and 11 stiffs ranked as the best team in the conference), the Answer plus the Truth undoubtedly equals a number 6 seed. I'd throw in Gerald Greene rather than Delonte, as I think West could potentially learn a lot from playing with A.I.
However, I have to disagree with your theory that the city would riot if A.I. ends up somewhere else. When Danny screws up again, most of us will probably just shrug and go back to half-heartedly trying to convince ourselves that J.D. Drew is going to be good protection for Manny.
By the way, you've joined such Interweb gems as Talk Like a Pirate Day and Uncyclopedia as one of ISYL's vaunted "Useful Resources that Would Never Lie." You may now consider yourself an Internet Celebrity.
True the city wouldn't riot, but the a few of the thousands of fans that actually still attend games would sign and shake their heads.
When I do indeed reach celebrity status, I'll know I owe it all to you and ISYL. Either that or people that just like to click on links that say 'balls'
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