Newest Celtics Trade Rumor: Allen To Wizards (UPDATED)

I will say right now that if this happens I might have a heart attack, because if they pull off this trade the Celtics will be stacked!!!!

The rumor is Ray Allen, Brian Scalabrine and J.R. Giddens to the Wizards for Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Jamison is a beast on the offensive boards, which is one of the Celtics biggest weaknesses. On top of that you can replace Allen's scoring with Butler, which is nice. Another reason I love this deal is because Jamison wouldn't be traded to the Cavs, which has been rumored for much of the season.

I am very biased here since I am a huge Jamison fan, but I am also an Allen fan. If the Celtics are looking at winning it this year it is a great deal. We'll keep ya posted.


***UPDATE***

"There is no truth to either one of those," Ainge said. "I have had conversations with a lot of teams but those have never been discussed. There are a lot of things I would like to do but I don't feel a need to do something. I am always looking to upgrade the team, if possible (Boston.com)."

But he did add...

"It will probably heat up next week," Ainge said.

Looks Like J.R. Giddens Will Be A Free Agent

"Today is the deadline for teams to exercise their third-year option on players from the 2008 NBA draft. The Boston Globe reports he Celtics will probably not pick up J.R. Giddens option for the 2010-11 season. Giddens has played in just eight NBA games. So far this season, Giddens has played 12 minutes in two games. He will be an unrestricted free agent July 1 (ESPN)."

Not much of a shocker here. The Celtics are just too talented to develop a project like Giddens. I think Giddens is good enough to be a bench player in the NBA, but he will have to go to a team that is a lot less deep the the current roster of the Boston Celtics.

Great headband though.

Celtics To Cut Pierce's Minutes

"Celtics forward Paul Pierce will turn 32 Oct. 13, and there hasn’t been a drop in his game, as he can still score at will. But to ensure Pierce will be able to play at a top level for as long as possible, the Celtics are expected to slice his minutes some next season. And even as competitive as the captain is, he’s not going to fight it. “If my minutes go down, I don’t really mind. It’s all about winning at the end of the day,’’ Pierce said (Boston.com)."

In theory this is a great idea. As the Big 3 get another year older there is going to be a need to cut their minutes so that they can stay fresh over the long and grueling season, yet I still don't know if they CAN do this. There is really no backup for Pierce. Bill Walker, J.R. Giddens and maybe Tony Allen are the only guys on the roster that could fill in for him. Allen is a waste, and really just doesn't have it, while Giddens/Walker are wild cards. Giddens/Walker might have the talent, but that is putting a lot of pressure on guys who really haven't logged in the NBA minutes. In the end, if the Celtics want to get this done they are going to have to go out and get some kind of veteran presence. There have been rumors of Jerry Stackhouse joining the team. I personally would love that move. He is old, but he might be able to buy the Celtics sometime to find out if Giddens/Walker are the real deal or not. Anyways, just something to keep an eye on during the season....

Maybe The Celtics Should Just Stay Put

I was thinking today, maybe the Celtics should just stay put. Maybe they should just trust the trio of Gabe Pruitt, J.R. Giddens, and Bill Walker. I really think they are capable. We saw Glen Davis turn into a crucial player his second year out and all of what I have been reading is that Giddens is tearing it up in the summer league, and anyone who reads this site knows how much I love Bill Walker. Gabe Pruitt is the real wild card here because is he can be a viable PG behind Rondo, is some veteran PG really better than him? I don't think so. If the Celtics lose out on Grant Hill (which it seems more likely everyday), then I really have faith in Bill and J.R. to step it up.

Just a thought.

Walker Send Walker To NBDL

"The Celtics sent rookie forward Bill Walker to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Utah Flash, today. Walker is the team’s second assignment to the Flash this season, following the assignment of fellow rookie J.R. Giddens (Boston Globe)."

Good move for the Celtics, these guys need minutes to develop, and that's exactly what they will get from the NBDL. I expect a lot from these guys coming into next season, as long as Giddens keeps his head on straight, he could be a very dynamic player for the Celts. I look forward to seeing these guys next year, I just wish the NBDL games were on TV, because it would be great to see these guys play.

-BMack