I don't recall every being so discouraged about the Celtics and their future. Back when they were last terrible, they had at least one legitimate star player (PP) and others who were at least good. Now it appears that they don't have a star and very few who are good. Let me review the bidding and you tell me if I am being too pessimistic:
Rajon Rondo - He is exposed now that he is without stars around him. He can't shoot, doesn't play good defense, shoots the moon with attempts at highlight reel passes that bounce out of bounds, and now he can't even play in crunch time because opponents will foul him and he will miss his free throws. No way that is star-quality play.
Avery Bradley - A shooting guard who can't shoot, and a defender whose intensity and level of play has been cut in half since his shoulder operations a few years ago. He's a shell of his former self and will be out of the league in two years.
Jeff Green - He disappears for large chunks of games and is too passive. Great talent, poor ability to put that talent to work.
Jared Sullinger - He's the one player who may evolve into a star. He can't jump and his defense is suspect, but he has a knack for rebounds and putbacks, and he shoots better than any guard on the team.
Brandon Bass - He's a solid complementary player. He's a good shooter, can hit his foul shots and plays hard. He's good but not very good. Soon he will be gone, traded for more draft picks that will turn into yet another Phil Pressey.
Kelly Olynyk - he has the potential to be very good but at the moment he's not. His defense is weak and he has stretches where his offense disappears. He's intriguing but at the moment not very good.
Tyler Zeller - He's starting in place of Kelly Olynyk, but he's not on the floor at the end of the game. Like Kelly, he has the potential to be very good. Right now he's a legitimate NBA player who is a little below average for his position. That's a great result for a trade in which the Celtics gave up absolutely nothing, but he's not exciting to watch as a budding star because he isn't.
Marcus Smart - I haven't seen much of him but it appears that he's another guard who can't shoot. Really, what's the point? It's like having an outfielder who can't hit.
James Young - He's getting his playing time in Maine. Maybe there is a reason to see him as a valuable part of the future, but that's hard to see from here.
Marcus Thornton - A sparkplug off the bench and good player. Just not at the very good level.
Phil Pressey - An energetic player who at least pushes the ball up the court rather than walking it up. He seems to be more of a playmaker than Rondo right now, but like all the guards on this team, his shooting is suspect. And at his height, he has to be a lights out shooter or he's useless. So he's useless.
Evan Turner - Athletic and young, so maybe there's hope. But at the moment he is far from very good.
Vitor - Not terrible but not good either. Slow and not as athletic as the competition.
Gerald Wallace - A defensive specialist who took his first shot of the season last night. Definitely on the back nine.
Dwight Powell - Who is he? Why is he playing in Maine?
So while the team currently has no players who are very good, their good players may be just good enough to keep the Celtics out of position to garner a top three lottery pick. Without one of those, the team's chances of landing a young stud are close to zero. And the top free agents have no reason or desire to come here either. To play with Rondo? Not likely.
In sum, the crowds at the Garden will start to thin out real soon, and it will be years and years before we have a contender again. If I owned the Celtics, I'd sell now.
Rajon Rondo - He is exposed now that he is without stars around him. He can't shoot, doesn't play good defense, shoots the moon with attempts at highlight reel passes that bounce out of bounds, and now he can't even play in crunch time because opponents will foul him and he will miss his free throws. No way that is star-quality play.
Avery Bradley - A shooting guard who can't shoot, and a defender whose intensity and level of play has been cut in half since his shoulder operations a few years ago. He's a shell of his former self and will be out of the league in two years.
Jeff Green - He disappears for large chunks of games and is too passive. Great talent, poor ability to put that talent to work.
Jared Sullinger - He's the one player who may evolve into a star. He can't jump and his defense is suspect, but he has a knack for rebounds and putbacks, and he shoots better than any guard on the team.
Brandon Bass - He's a solid complementary player. He's a good shooter, can hit his foul shots and plays hard. He's good but not very good. Soon he will be gone, traded for more draft picks that will turn into yet another Phil Pressey.
Kelly Olynyk - he has the potential to be very good but at the moment he's not. His defense is weak and he has stretches where his offense disappears. He's intriguing but at the moment not very good.
Tyler Zeller - He's starting in place of Kelly Olynyk, but he's not on the floor at the end of the game. Like Kelly, he has the potential to be very good. Right now he's a legitimate NBA player who is a little below average for his position. That's a great result for a trade in which the Celtics gave up absolutely nothing, but he's not exciting to watch as a budding star because he isn't.
Marcus Smart - I haven't seen much of him but it appears that he's another guard who can't shoot. Really, what's the point? It's like having an outfielder who can't hit.
James Young - He's getting his playing time in Maine. Maybe there is a reason to see him as a valuable part of the future, but that's hard to see from here.
Marcus Thornton - A sparkplug off the bench and good player. Just not at the very good level.
Phil Pressey - An energetic player who at least pushes the ball up the court rather than walking it up. He seems to be more of a playmaker than Rondo right now, but like all the guards on this team, his shooting is suspect. And at his height, he has to be a lights out shooter or he's useless. So he's useless.
Evan Turner - Athletic and young, so maybe there's hope. But at the moment he is far from very good.
Vitor - Not terrible but not good either. Slow and not as athletic as the competition.
Gerald Wallace - A defensive specialist who took his first shot of the season last night. Definitely on the back nine.
Dwight Powell - Who is he? Why is he playing in Maine?
So while the team currently has no players who are very good, their good players may be just good enough to keep the Celtics out of position to garner a top three lottery pick. Without one of those, the team's chances of landing a young stud are close to zero. And the top free agents have no reason or desire to come here either. To play with Rondo? Not likely.
In sum, the crowds at the Garden will start to thin out real soon, and it will be years and years before we have a contender again. If I owned the Celtics, I'd sell now.