In today's ESPN Insider (no link because subscription is required), Chad Ford lists the Celtics as one of the teams that screwed up by passing on Chris Paul.
Apparently, according to Ford, sources from both the Celtics and Trailblazers have confirmed that both teams were talking about a trade of Paul Pierce to Portland for the No. 3 pick in the draft and the nonguaranteed contract of Nick Van Exel. Ford claims that "The Blazers would've done it in a heartbeat, because they had coveted Pierce for some time and felt they already had their point guard of the future in Telfair."
Ford concludes that the Celtics made a mistake by passing up on this deal, and I agree. It is exactly the sort of deal Boston needs to consider at this point--trading a high-priced player in his prime for a youngster who could become a cornerstone of a championship squad. Paul's performance thus far makes clear how big of a mistake the Celtics made.
In his article, Chad Ford echoes my sentiments about the state of the Celtics:
"As it stands, the Celtics are running to stand still. Eventually players such as Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins and West are going to be good. But by the time they get there, will players such as Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak (who are both 28) still be good enough to help them win a championship?"
I couldn't have said it better myself. Hopefully I can help M see the light!
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This non-trade has been long rumored around Boston, where the accepted conventional wisdom (from past Ainge quotes that I'm not going to look for) is that hold-up was Ainge's insistance that Portland included Travis Outlaw in the deal.
It seems a small piece for Portland to balk at, since Outlaw, while young and good, has been a 10~15 minute a night backup at the same position Pierce plays.
Even without Outlaw I do the deal in a minute. Too bad New Orleans/ Oklahmoma will never part with Paul now
This we can agree on. Given how well Paul has played, in retrospect this trade is a no-brainer. Who wouldn't give up one of the 15-20 best players in the league for a guy who looks like he will also be one of the best 15-20 players in the league in a very short period of time, who is dramatically younger, and who comes at 1/4th the price? Only a team who thought they could win it all right now -- which is obviously not the Celtics.
But I also understand why the Celtics got cold feet and didn't pull the trigger. If Paul had turned out to be just another overhyped point guard, Ainge would have been flayed alive by the Boston media. There are lots of guys who are supposed to be the "next big thing" who don't pan out.
And conversely, the sports landscape is littered with people who woulda, coulda, shoulda -- including my favorite and oft cited example, Rick Pitino (or as my wife liked to call him, Nick Pituno). Trader Rick and Chris Wallace are ridiculed for their bad trades and unfortunate signings. But it's the boldest trade of all, the one they had the chance to make but didn't pull the trigger on, that haunts me most. The price for for Jermaine O'Neal when he was languishing on Portland's bench was three first round picks. The C's determined that these picks were "too valuable". Those turned into Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown, and Joe Forte. Ouch. Imagine a team with 'Toine, O'Neal and Pierce on it? Or better still, O'Neal, Pierce and whoever you could have traded 'Toine for? I think that team would have won the Eastern Conference title one of those years.
I also have to add to this: however bad it was for the Celtics to pass on Paul it was far worse for Atlanta. Both remaining Hawk fans must be maniacally depressed watching what their franchise has done the last 2 years.
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