The Return...

 

Okay, people…we all know what today is. No need to beat the long-dead horserug…we know what it is, and it’s huge.

It’s huge, not because two of the greatest Celtics ever to walk the parquet are coming back home wearing enemy colors for the first time. It’s huge, not because this will be the "first time" for fans who have been secretly (and some not so secretly) in a state of mourning since the announcement of the “blockbuster” that sent our beloved Truth and Big Ticket down to Yankeeland, erasing all but the final traces of the glory days and opening the window to the long, cold winter that lay ahead for professional basketball in these parts.

No, it’s huge because, as they walk through that door, the glow of the past trails closely behind them and in theirs and our shared history of greatness, we see the future hope that we will one day rise again, just as we rose from the departures of Bill Russell and Red Auerbach and Larry Bird before them.

With ten first-round draft picks (TEN!!) over the next five years and several talented young players to place around Rajon Rondo (the last remaining vestige of championship sparkle, not counting members of the front office), the future is closer than some may imagine and The Return will be even more glorious than the return of two legends seeking to recreate that Championship magic with another team.

Welcome back, Paul…Kevin. But, don’t get too comfortable. We’ve got some plans of our own.

And, now…here are some stories from around the interwebs to get you even more amped for today’s big game:

Pierce, KG brace for Boston return
By ESPN's Chris Forsberg

Pierce, Garnett discuss their return to Boston
By the Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes

Also, check out: www.celticslife.com, www.celticsblog.com, www.celticshub.com, www.celticstown.com, and www.redsarmy.com to get your fill.

Oh, and one more thing...

 

Hello, Crooklyn!: New York Pulls Hall-Of-Fame Heist As Celtics Press Reset Button

And so, the die is cast...

The move that some have been clamoring for the past few years; the change that others have been fearing and railing against; the inevitable final wrap to the thrilling show that was "The New Big Three Era" has faded to black...Brooklyn black (and white).

I still haven't completely wrapped my mind around the idea that Paul Pierce...The Truth...is bringing his game (if you thought I was gonna say "taking his talents," you're in the wrong area code, buddy!) to Brooklyn along with honorary lifelong Celtic Kevin Garnett and unfortunate tattoo victim Jason Terry.

Calling all New Jersey area tatt artists...start practicing the conversion of a leprechaun to this:

Seriously, though...I'm not going to make this a long post (Yeah, right! You wish!) full of wistful memories about The Captain, 2008, or The Big Ticket or even the decommissioned old Jet. There have been more than enough of those pieces from other sports reporters, bloggers, family members and friends, news reporters trying their hand at sensitive sports esoterica, man-in-the-street reaction (sigh...Brooklyn "fans"), sad pets (no, seriously....)

...and much of it has been either exactly what I would have said or would have wanted to say.

So, briefly, here are a few random thoughts that I wanted to throw out into the wind and watch them drift and fade into the dirt of the new Celtics foundation:

* I Am Really Happy For Paul And Kevin (And Jet, Too): No, really...I am. And, just to prove it, I'm gonna recite a really sappy line that I believe rather appropriate to this situation -- "If you love something, set it free. If it returns to you, then it was meant to be." It's no secret for those five of you who have read this blog (okay, I was stretching...two...thanks again Mom and Dad!) that Paul Pierce is my religion and the Boston Garden is the house of worship. But, when the trade was announced, I kind of felt relief. Relief because, as much as I wanted The Truth to have only ever worn the green upon retirement, I saw how much he and KG struggled to pull the C's along against New York and I really didn't want to watch it get a little worse each year until they retired broken and dispirited.

No, like any healthy end to a relationship this serious and committed, I wanted Paul to be able to walk away in good shape, take on his new life unafraid of trusting another team again, and find that special thing that makes him happy (Woah!! I have GOT to stop watching the Hallmark Channel with my girlfriend IMMEDIATELY!!).

My point being, Pierce and KG want the opportunity to play for another championship. They deserve that chance. They were robbed at least twice from having it happen again here in Boston (2009 and 2010), and this is their best possible chance at it before they hang 'em up. It was different with Ray for some reason (even though he was completely within his rights to take his talents to South Beach [ahh, THERE it is!] after Danny tried to trade him a couple of times and then Doc sat him for Avery Bradley). I don't know why, but it just was. Good luck, P2 and KG...I'll really miss you guys, but I can't wait to see what you do down in the BRK. Which leads me to another personal revelation...

* I'm going Back to the Future with these new Celtics, and I don't mind the trip. Back in the Ramon Rivas, Ricky Davis, Sherman Douglas transitions I still watched my C's faithfully, sliding slowly from the sadness of the passing of the original Big Three era, the frustration of the M.L. Carr era (the M.L. stood for Mediocricy of Losers), to the empty-faced dejection of watching the other teams in the NBA become what my once-proud Celtics had always been.

But you know what? I started to really enjoy basketball again. I watched with wonder and basket ball bliss as the Bulls, Suns, Spurs and Pistons (okay, Bulls, Suns and Spurs, anyway...) played great basketball against other up-and-coming teams and I got to appreciate just how hard it actually was for teams to get to the Finals and win a Championship. As Danny continues on in full "pardon our appearance as we remodel" mode, I'm looking around the League with all the talented players on rising teams like the Clippers, Warriors, Cavaliers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Pacers, Nets (yes, even the Nets) and I'm really excited for the future of basketball. Which leads me to this observation...

* The Celtics A) are not going to be THAT bad and B) the future looks pretty bright for the C's right about now. Kelly Olynyk looks like a steal at #13 (I know, I know summer league...but you can't fake some of the offensive skills this guy is showing), we still have the best point guard in the League, Jeff Green is going to continue to be exciting, we have a handful of promising young talent and  an even more promising six first-round picks in the next five years, Sullenger looks like a keeper and is taking on a little bit of a leadership role with his defiance of the Tanking Lobby...which takes me to my last thought...

* The Celtics would do well to not even think about pretending to wonder about the concept of tanking. I have only seven words to more than adequately illustrate why this is NEVER a good idea: Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant and Greg Oden. For all the lore about the Luck O' The Irish and Celtic Mystique, the Celtics have been REALLY unlucky when they decide to provoke the fates and play intentionally bad basketball. Sure, the C's turned a lemon into Limoncello with the Durant/Oden crap-out by trading a draft pick and three quarters of the team for the pieces that would bring us Banner # 17, but the point is, they didn't get what they were shooting for with the all-out tank job. Leave tanking to the real losers of the league. Cleveland and Orlando, though both are admittedly now on the way up (Cleveland is definitely going to be heard from sooner than later), have tanked in their respective pasts. Guess how many championships they've won between the two of them? Here's a hint: if the number were an ex-pro football player turned actor, his name would be Dick Bupkis. No, I think the Celtics are on the correct path compiling draft pick after draft pick, dumping salary and hiring for the future.

Which takes me to my last point...

I am, as I have repeatedly stated, a true CFL (Celtic For Life) and I will always follow my green like a good husband -- in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer.

But, I'm sure I can be forgiven this season when I sit down on some cold and lonely Winter's night -- bowl of chips and drink by my side with clicker in hand flipping through cable as I wait for my beloved Celtics -- but instead, I stumble across an old familiar friend or two...(something's different about them. Did they change their hair? No, they're dressing differently!) and spending a little time with the team from Brooklyn.

I mean, they're coming back to retire as a Celtic, right? It doesn't mean anything. I don't love the Nets, I just have some unresolved issues that I need to work out.

_____________________________________________________

Boston Magazine's Farewell To Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Sports Illustrated's "End Of An Era Feature On The Truth and Big Ticket, Boston Globe's Goodbye, Comcast Sports Net "Paul And KG End Of An Era" Coverage

"Never Could Do It Pruitt" Joins Maine Red Claws

Former Boston Celtics guard Gabriel Michael "Gabe" Pruitt is returning to New England to recapture his former...uhh..his former...ummm...ahhh, that is, his former...proximity, yeah, that's it...Proximity...joining the NBA Developmental League's Maine Red Claws following a trade from his former team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. 

A 2nd round pick by the Celtics in the 2007 draft, "That's-Not-How-We-Do-It, Pruitt" was a minor disappointment for the team during his brief stay. I say "minor" because there weren't really any great expectations placed on the former University of Southern California player by the Celtics, who at the time were in desperate need for even a just-slightly-competent playmaker/shooter. Instead, despite numerous opportunities and resulting boneheaded decisions both on and off the court (see the 3am DUI he received out in L.A.), the Celtics were treated to averages of 2 points per game on .321 shooting (.283 from Threeland), and 0.8 assists over 62 games at 7.4 minutes a clip. 


"You only get THIS many chances, Gabe!!"

Eventually passing the point of desperation into Marburyation, the Celtics parted ways with their unsharpened point, but not before "Made-In-The-Shade-Gabe" blissfully rode the bench to an NBA Championship ring with the 2008 Celtics.

Only catching brief glimpses of the NBA life following his cut from the C's, "Aww-Screw-It Pruitt" found a home with the NBADL, most recently with the Sioux Falls Skyforce for whom he was averaging a Jordan-esque (noooo, not Michael Jordan...Jordan Eglseder ) 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per-game in 21.7 minutes.

The NBADL described the deal to bring the former Celtics guard to the Claws and send forward James Mays to the Skyforce as a "Blockbuster," but I'm trying to decide whether they mean that James is a building "block" and "Just-Get-Through-It Pruitt" is a "buster," or the NBADL is just really hurting for some kind of news. ANY kind of news.

Now, if you think I'm being a little too hard on a former Greenteamer (a shallow and reportedly cocky-beyond-his-talent Greenteamer, though he may be), allow me to bring in another "raving fan" to help me rest my defense.

The Boston Globe summed up "I-Need-A-Babe Gabe's" questionable character thusly:

"It's fair to say Gabe Pruitt didn't distinguish himself as a member of the Celtics, and he isn't winning many fans with his boorish behavior on "Bad Girls Club." Pruitt, whom the Celts wisely cut before the season, appeared on this week's episode and was even more obnoxious, if that's possible, than the stars of the show."
 

-- Boston Globe, 2010, The Names Blog

For the...ahhh, shall we say less-than-charming details about "Gameless Gabe," click on the link to the full Globe story here.

In any case...welcome back to New England, Gabe...I guess.