| 30 Teams, 30 Days: Boston Draft Preview Authored by Andrew Perna - May 29, 2007 - 4:00 pm
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Draft Pick: 5th Overall
What they do well
I don’t mean to start things out negatively, but there’s not a lot the Celtics organization has done well recently. They have assembled an impressive amount of young talent, but that’s just the thing. They can’t keep getting younger. They shoot the three well (good enough for sixth in the league this season), but that’s the only offense statistic they excelled at. The only other stat I could find, where they were ranked in the top half of the league, was technical fouls (they were only whistled for twenty-four this season, the fourth-fewest in the NBA).
Where do they need improvement?
Many aspects of their collective game need improving, like their rebounding and passing, but the biggest change may need to come in the front office. Doc Rivers may have been given a vote of confidence, symbolized in his recent contract extension, but someone needs to hold Danny Ainge accountable for what has gone on.
Paul Pierce, Wally Szczerbiak, and Theo Ratliff will be paid over $40 million next season, which constitutes two-thirds of the Boston payroll. “The Truth” might be worth his $16 million, but money is being wasted on the others. Ainge needs to shop Ratliff’s expiring contract this summer, if he doesn’t – Wyc Grousbeck needs to find himself a new GM.
Their drafting is suspect. For the most part they’ve found good talent in the draft, but the players have either been dealt or become injury-prone. The fifth pick in the Draft may not get them a Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, but it should allow them to take someone worth getting excited about in Beantown.
Who they should target?
-Yi Jianlian, China:
If the C’s aren’t going to trade their pick, they should look to add size to their young, but smallish roster. They have a starting forward in Al Jefferson, but they have been lacking a center ever since the retirement of Robert Parish. Jianlian might be somewhat of a risk, but he might pay off huge dividends in Boston. They could make a worse decision.
-Joakim Noah, Florida:
If anything, Noah knows how to win. And that’s something not many people know how to do on the Celtics. They could use his defensive skills in the post, and some offensive production won’t hurt either. Some people compare him to Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao. If you’re a Boston fan you might be looking for something better out of a fifth pick, but a scrappy big man might be just what this team needs.
-Al Horford, Florida:
If Danny Ainge were to call me up asking for my advice on whom to draft next month, Horford would be the first word out of my mouth. He may only be 6’10” but he could play the five for the Celtics, and in my opinion he’s the most NBA-ready prospect in the year’s class. If there’s a team that needs production immediately from their rookie, it’s Boston. In his latest mock draft Chris Reina has Al slipping to Minnesota at seven, but Ainge has the ability to change that.
Picks since 2000
If there’s a valid reason why Danny Ainge still has an office in Boston, it’s because of the talent he’s found in recent drafts. He saw the ability of Randy Foye last year, but felt the urge to turn him into Sebastian Telfair (we know how they ended). But with the likes of Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, and Al Jefferson under his belt – Ainge would make a wonderful scout in the League.
2006
Randy Foye, 7th
2005
Gerald Green, 18th
Ryan Gomes, 50th
Orien Greene, 53rd
2004
Al Jefferson, 15th
Delonte West, 24th
Tony Allen, 25th
Justin Reed, 40th
2003
Troy Bell, 16th
Dahntay Jones, 20th
Brandon Hunter, 56th
2002
Darius Songaila, 50th
2001
Joe Johnson, 10th
Kendrick Brown, 11th (from Denver)
Joseph Forte, 21st
2000
Jérome Moïso, 11th |
