The Sports Xchange
Ainge will have leeway to remake Celtics
With the Celtics wrapping up the Atlantic Division title with a 102-98 win over the Magic in Boston Wednesday night, there is newfound hope among their fan base for a decent playoff run this season. But the club is also looking to the future.
“This team has a lot of juice left,” co-owner Wyc Grousbeck told the Boston Herald. “It’s fun to watch. At some point the music is going to stop. Things will change. It’s not clear that it’s going to be now. It’s hard to say.”
The contracts of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett expire after the season, and the Celts will have a chance to do a serious makeover on their roster. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge has the strong support of ownership.
“I’m excited about the summer,” said Grousbeck, whose team plays next in Atlanta Friday. “I’m excited about next summer, too. I’m excited about the Celtics really. I think we’ve got a lot of possibilities in our future.
“Danny said to me that he’s been in front offices for something like 13 years — coach, general manager — and he’s never had cap space once. And I think that’s an angle that’s interesting. I said, ‘Maybe you should try it.'”
If the Celtics can’t find anyone worthy of paying big money, they may have to tread water a while. But Grousbeck doesn’t agree with that characterization.
“I don’t know if I would agree that the phrase ‘tread water’ makes sense,” he said. “When we went on a four-year building process last time, it wasn’t treading water. I would define it as trying to patiently build.
“So if you’re playing (Rajon) Rondo and E’Twaun (Moore) and JuJuan (Johnson) and Avery (Bradley) and two first-rounders and maybe some of these guys back, that’s not necessarily treading water.
“I think treading water is getting a bunch of mid-career vets who aren’t going to get any better.”
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