Where Do The Celtics Go From Here?

            Danny Ainge made a huge gamble this season, and will most likely be judged by history on this decision alone. Anything short of Banner 18 will be total failure on his part, no matter how close they come. The President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics traded away a franchise favorite in Kendrick Perkins, a move that most in the league didn’t, or still don’t, understand completely. The trade brought Jeff Green, the 2007 fifth overall draft pick by Boston, back to the Garden in hopes of providing a strong backup for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen (their go to guy for those positions was Marquis Daniels, so obviously they were in need of help). But without their star center in the paint, and with the aging O’Neal’s running on fumes, the main question on everyone’s mind is: Where do the Celtics go from here?

            The Big Three is getting older. Everyone keeps wondering if they have enough left in the tank to make one more meaningful run for the championship. The key for the Celtics is to build around their MVP caliber point guard, Rajon Rondo. Pierce, Allen and Kevin Garnett won’t be there forever, but the future seems less certain with Kendrick Perkins gone. The first step in rebuilding for when the Era of the Big Three has run its course is resigning Jeff Green. The trade will be pointless if they can’t get the explosive young forward to resign. He’ll be the obvious replacement once Paul Pierce retires.

            It’s doubtful that the Big Three will retire after this season, but the not so distant future is murky. Garnett’s not the same player he was even three years ago, and his knees are fairly quick to betray him. Ray Allen is 35, and will most likely want to retire near the top of his game. Pierce could linger for a while longer, but he isn’t getting any younger. He wants to be in the conversation with Larry Bird and Bill Russell – the greatest Celtics. So since the window of the Big Three is undeniably closing, the Celtics need to start grooming young players who can take over in a few years. That will start in 2012. Until then, resign as many as they can.

            First to resign will be Glen Davis, the heir apparent to Kevin Garnett. He still has time to mature before he can be a great starter, but his abilities are undeniable. He’s a favorite in Boston, and seems happy to stay. As mentioned, they have to resign Green. I would argue they also have to resign Nenad Kristic and Troy Murphy, if only because Boston can always use big men. Von Wafer has proved his worth, but could easily be let go. Delonte West might not be out of the question to resign, depending on how the remainder of his postseason goes. Pavlovic and Arroyo seem unnecessary and should be cut.

The free agent market for 2011 is already watered down. Carmelo Anthony has been traded to New York, Zack Randolph has resigned with Grizzlies, Greg Oden is a gamble, Shane Battier and Kenyon Martin are passing their prime and the rest are role players. There aren’t any key names that the Celtics would have to have to be contenders for years to come. If they could lure Aaron Afflalo or J.R. Smith away from the Nuggets, or convince Jamal Crawford that the bench in Boston is much nicer than the bench in Atlanta this time of year, then that would definitely help transition from the Ray Allen days, but I don’t necessarily see any of those moves happening.

            The big year will be 2012, when some major players will hit the free market. First and foremost, the Celtics have to get Dwight Howard to sign with them. If they can do this, everyone in the Garden will forget about that trade that sent some other center to Oklahoma City. Howard seems like a natural fit in Boston, and could easily average 25 points a game or more on Rondo’s assists. Another player available in 2012 who could be pivotal to Celtics’ future success is O.J. Mayo, the young guard from Memphis. He’s had his problems maturing and finding his role with the Grizzlies. By 2012 Ray Allen will be 37 going on 38, and may just consider hanging up the towel. Mayo could fit well into the hypothetical lineup of Rondo, Howard, Davis and Green.

            The future of the Boston Celtics remains uncertain. And Danny Ainge’s trade might haunt him forever, depending on how far the Celtics progress this postseason. They’ve already eliminated the new look Knicks. And they’ll most likely be facing off against the other Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh next round. If they get past that, a meeting against the Bulls seems inevitable (unless Atlanta or Orlando have some huge upset). But the Celtics were built for winning now, not later. This wasn’t supposed to be a rebuilding year for Boston, but Ainge has put them in an undesirable position where they have to begin looking at life after the starting five that never lost a playoff series.

Republican Hopes for 2012

            With the first presidential primary less than a year away, the American people are still left in the dark wondering “Who’s going to run for president?” There’s an ocean of Republican contenders in the waiting, ranging from serious threats to laughable hoodwinks. But regardless of the likelihood of each candidate’s upset possibilities, one thing is clear so far: everyone is scared to make a run at the White House.

            A handful of candidates (such as Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty) have all formed “exploratory committees” to help them decide whether or not to run for President. Others, such as former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, have simply gone through the motions without ever mentioning what they’re going to do or if they’ve decide to run.

            Even worse is the continuous threat of the failed Alaskan governor turned Fox News pundit Sarah Palin. She’s not a threat for the White House (President Obama would probably love nothing more than to take on Palin on Election Day). Her threat is to the Republican Party she supposedly represents. Palin has the uncanny ability to polarize like no other “politician” could possibly dream of. If she managed to win the nomination, she would divide the Republicans to the point where everyone short of the Tea Party would vote for Obama (or Nader, if he’s running).

            Similarly, Bachmann does not represent the Republicans in a significant way. Like Palin, she’s a divisive character who would scare off more voters than she could attract. What separates her from Palin is that Bachmann believes she is supposed to serve as public official, while Palin believes she deserves to be a public figure. Bachmann wants to influence legislature, while Palin just wants a paycheck. Don’t let that fool anyone; neither of them deserves the nomination.

            Other contenders are long removed from actual politics. Note that Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Tim Pawlenty are all former governors of their states. Romney and Huckabee haven’t served since 2007, Pawlenty’s term ended in 2010. Similarly, Newt Gingrich hasn’t served in the House or Representatives since 1999, when he ran an unsuccessful campaign to remove Clinton from office. A question that many Americans aren’t asking is “How can these politicians, so removed from active politics, possibly run the country?” The answer is murky at best, and none of these possible candidates have tried to answer that question.

            Another thorn in the side of the Republicans’ hope for 2012 is recently Roasted Donald Trump. He’s the only “candidate” who still expresses skepticism on Obama’s birth and religion status. He’s also the only candidate who has no political background whatsoever, to have appeared on a Comedy Central program not hosted by Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, to bankrupt his own company and to have hosted WrestleMania. Trump lacks everything that a major politician needs to even hope to take up a new D.C. residence in January, 2013. And for the Republicans, he is not just a laughingstock; he’s a ticking time bomb who will take away whatever dignity they might hope to hold onto during the primaries.

            With no real battle cry other than “Anybody but Obama,” the Republicans have yet to field a real candidate with any chance of possibly upsetting an incumbent. The most likely front runner, Romney, has eerily similar ideas about health care (Romney instituted a more far reaching healthcare plan for Massachusetts than Obama could pass for the nation). Other main candidates express simpleton messages that Obama is an evil socialist who will personally kill your grandmother and tax you all the way to Kingdom Come. So what hopes do the Republicans have for 2012?

            They’re best hope will be to present a candidate who doesn’t focus on the character assassination of Obama, but rather on actual issues that are important (unemployment, the economy, our occupation in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan). The ideal candidate will have a (comparably) clean track record, a strong constituency across the nation and be idolized for positive reasons (actions, not words).

This leaves only Pawlenty and Romney as actual contenders to make Obama a one term president, with Barbour and Huckabee battling for a distant third. Romney’s got statistics on his side (GOP runners-up usually get the nomination in the next election). Romney also leads many national straw polls now to become the candidate. But Pawlenty can say Romney’s too much of a moderate by citing the Massachusetts healthcare system. Barbour or Huckabee could make a possible run in the unlikely event that Romney and Pawlenty cancel each other out. Plus, Huckabee has a recent history of winning early.

The Republican National Convention will take place over the week of August 27, 2012. There will be hard fought campaigning between now and then among the Republicans. Who exactly will emerge to challenge Obama remains unclear, but the GOP needs to develop a clear message. The goal can’t just be to make Obama a one term president, but to foster the candidate they believe will represent the United States the best. Also, the candidates need to get serious. They need to stop creating “exploratory committees” and putting the issue off. Until then, the Republicans don’t stand a chance.