Guest Writer

I'm happy to report that we'll be having a contributing writer here on the Celtics blog from time to time. Tim Helgesen, avid Celtics fan, has sent me this piece on the upcoming NBA draft as it pertains to the Celtics. Now, me not being a huge mock draft kinda guy, Tim's article is a great way to gap the time between the postseason run and the 2009-2010 season for the C's. Without further ado, here's Tim!

The 2009 NBA Draft and What the Celtics May Do

By, Tim Helgesen (contributing writer)

The 2009 NBA Draft is a week away, and other than Blake Griffin locked in at #1, the draft is looking extremely cloudy as scouts and GM’s compare notes and take last looks at the rookies-to-be. Memphis wants Ricky Rubio but he isn’t returning the love. Hasheem Thabeet might be their next best option as he could anchor (or create) their defense of the future. Their third option, however, is to trade the pick to surround Orange Juice Mayo and Rudy Gay with an established veteran. This seems their most viable option as they have too much youth as it is already. But this is not a Memphis Grizzlies blog, this is a Celtics blog, and here comes the connection…

ESPN, among others, is reporting that the Celtics have shown increasing interest in getting that 2^nd pick, and seeing that they have no first round picks to offer in return, they’re going to have to make a BIG move. Yes, that’s right; Danny Ainge is considering breaking up the Big Three, less than two years after creating it. Rajon Rondo’s name came up last week but Ainge quickly made it known that that would NOT be happening any time soon. The only other player brought up that could pry the #2 (or any of the top 5 picks) away is……….Ray Allen.

When I heard about this I was flabbergasted and enraged. Why would the Celtics part with their 3-point savior…their only legitimate backcourt threat? So I went back and looked at the good ol’ game logs that ESPN so graciously offers to refresh my memory more than anything else. I hadn’t forgotten about his frequent slumps throughout the season and parts of the playoffs, and thoughts such as “He’s getting up there in age, Tim” and “Jump shooters always drop off quickly so we should get rid of him now” began to flood my brain. All that stopped when I saw one stat, two numbers… 51.

How could I forget about his 51 point gem against the Bulls??? Sure we lost that game, but the result didn’t matter to me as much as the meaningfulness of that stat……….

HE STILL GOT GAME.

True Celtics fans know Ray Allen's worth, evidenced by the multiple game winners and his epic 51-point performance against the Bulls this postseason.

Shuttlesworth’s not done. Sure, he’ll turn 34 in a month…I don’t care. We were a KG knee away from a Finals appearance this year, and we owe it to the “Parquet Posse” to give them another shot at a championship. We have to; they delivered as promised just a year ago. I’d rather have three over-the-hill Hall of Famers on my team than 2 and a rookie, no matter how good he may be.

Danny: Remember, we've been through this whole athletic-young-guy phase with Gerald Green. Yeah, that's the same year we lost 18 in a row. Do the right thing.

Ainge has apparently fallen into a man crush with Tyreke Evans, a 6-5 guard from Memphis. I had seen basically none of him at all, so I caught up by watching movie after movie on youtube…mostly mixtapes and all-star games. The kid can dribble and jump, finishing nicely at the rim, but his shot just isn’t there yet (of course every mixtape shot went in…). I don’t see how pairing him with a shot-under-development Rondo would be anything close to a good idea. Just…no. Don’t do it.

Doc Rivers recently told Mike WIlbon and Tony Kornheiser on PTI that the team was looking for a backup guard and another big man. So if the “backup guard” is Evans, who will be the 2 guard when Ray Allen is gone? The same problem arises if the deal goes down and the Celtics pick Thabeet (who’s riskiness scares the heck out of me)…no 2 guard. Don’t give me, “Eddie house could be the 2 guard, he played some rootin’ tootin’ good basketball last year!” (Insert Red Neck chuckle here)

Eddie House has excelled off the bench, providing much-needed scoring as the starters rest. But what if he's moved into Allen's spot?

WRONG. Not about his exceptional play, but about his ability to fill in for Allen. Edward L. House II excels as an off-the-bench fireshooter, and should stay there. He’s started a whopping 30 games in his nine year career, mostly filling in for injured stars…not someone I want taking the shots on a championship caliber team.

Other than Blake Griffin, I see no one in this draft worth getting rid of Ray Ray for, unless perhaps Steph Curry packaged with a veteran forward. The 2009 draft is just a weaker draft, case closed. As much as people want to think making a big move to get a possible superstar is the only way to keep up in this game, it’s just not going to work this time because the star power isn’t there. And if you’re still thinking that trading Ray Allen might be a good idea right about now…well shame on you, you fair-weather thrill seeker. Sometimes the best thing to do is stick with your guns, no matter how rusty they may be.

So in conclusion…Danny Ainge, sweet Danny Ainge who hath returned our team to glory…when in one week the time comes to draft players, stick with lucky pick #58 and don’t forget about 51.

Because as the sign in a barn I know of so aptly puts, “JESUS NEVER FAILS!”