Scott Cordischi On Sports: What Will Danny Do?

Scott Cordischi On Sports: What Will Danny Do?

WWDD? That’s what Celtics fans want to know. What will Danny do?

This will be a very interesting offseason for the Boston Celtics. Coming off of their game 6 loss to the NY Knicks in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Ainge and the Celtics have reached a fork in the road.

Back in 2007 when the Celts GM acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to team up with Paul Pierce, it was believed to be a 3-year plan. We have just completed year 6 of that 3-year plan and, despite the fact that Allen is no longer here, now Ainge really has some tough decisions to make.

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No one will deny that the franchise is relying on too many old players to play big parts on the floor. And therein lies the rub.

If, for instance, Pierce were your 6th man with Jason Terry coming off of the bench after that, it would be one thing. However, Pierce is a starter whom the Celtics rely on for 35-40 minutes per night at 15-20 points per game.

Kevin Garnett is also a member of the starting line-up but his minutes are managed wisely by head coach Doc Rivers who doesn’t want to tempt fate by keeping him in for longer stretches.

Even Jason Terry probably played more than expected toward the end of the season. With the team struggling for offense in the playoffs, Rivers kept the Jet on the floor as opposed to riding the younger, more offensively-challenged Avery Bradley.

So here we are at a crossroads and Danny Ainge knows a few things that may ultimately effect his decision making.

First, the NBA is a young man’s game and his team is not young. And if you expect old guys like Pierce, Garnett and Terry to defend hard on one end of the floor, you can’t expect them to have the energy or the legs to create their own offense on the other end of the court.

Secondly, in order to win in this league, you need at least two superstars and must fill the holes around them with good complimentary players. If Ainge decides to cut the cord on Pierce (which would likely mean losing Garnett too), is he comfortable relying on Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green to be those two star players to carry the load?

Thirdly, rebuilding in the NBA is a very difficult proposition. Unless you have a stud like LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Carmelo Anthony or will be getting one through the draft, you are almost doomed to NBA purgatory. Other teams are very reluctant to give up their superstar players.

Which puts Ainge and the Celtics in a very difficult position. However, the Celtics GM did recently intimate that he believes that both Rivers and Garnett will be back next year.

If this writer were calling the shots, I would let Paul Pierce walk and do my best to keep KG because, even at age 37, there is no way that you will find a better or more productive big man this offseason.

It should a very interesting offseason on Causeway Street.

-Jaromir Jagr’s performance in games 3 and 4 is exactly why Peter Chiarelli and the Bruins acquired the star forward prior to the trading deadline.

-Speaking of game 4, that should be an instant classic and was just another example of why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best!

-So now we hear that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will likely have a 4th surgery and could possibly have to have a 5th! All of this for a broken forearm?

-Speaking of football, did you see where NBC’s Sunday Night Football has dumped Faith Hill in favor of Carrie Underwood to sing the theme song for the broadcast this fall? The former American Idol and current country music star will apparently sing a different version of Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.”

-There has been much speculation regarding the status and future of Providence College men’s basketball star forward LaDontae Henton since his arrest on domestic violence charges. While there is absolutely NO excuse for a man laying a finger on a woman, I think we all need to let this thing play out to see exactly what the facts are. Someone suggested that Henton’s biggest issue may be his alleged destruction of his girlfriend’s cell phone. However, a local attorney told GoLocalProv.com that destroying a telephone while in the act of committing domestic violence is not a felony charge as some believe. It is classified as a misdemeanor. And while the alleged victim did say that Henton destroyed her i-phone, again, we need to let all of the facts come out before drawing any conclusions.

-How about the nitwit Maple Leafs fan who held up the “Toronto Stronger” sign at the Air Canada Centre Monday night? I’m all about supporting the home team, but does that moron not know what “Boston Strong” symbolizes? What a dolt!

-Red Sox reliever Joel Hanrahan has been moved from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list by the team with an injured right elbow. Hanrahan is on his way to Birmingham, Alabama to see well-known orthopedist Dr. James Andrews.

-In all due respect to the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, he is making David Ortiz look like a sympathetic figure. While we understand that Shaughnessy is a reporter and sometimes needs to ask the tough questions, he put Big Papi in a very difficult spot the other day. It has been four years since a NY Times story reported that Ortiz tested positive for PED’s, an accusation Ortiz has denied. Absent any new evidence, why did he need to ask him about PED’s again? Is it just because at age 37 that Ortiz is off to a good start? That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? As Ortiz said, if he was off to a miserable start, the local media would be hammering him for being too old and washed up. Now he’s off to a good start and he still gets hammered. The man can’t win. I’m not saying that it is not possible for Ortiz or any other player in Major League Baseball to be on PED’s. No one is that naïve. What I am saying is that, absent any proof or some type of smoking gun, a player should be given the benefit of the doubt.

-Having lost 5 of their last 6, we will now see what this 2013 Boston Red Sox team is all about over the next week or two.

-Turned on the Red Sox-Twins game Thursday night and there were a lot of Sox fans at Fenway dressed up as empty seats.

-While I’m not the biggest fan of Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, I do applaud him for telling USA Today that he “will never change the name of the team.” In this age of political correctness, there has been pressure on them to drop the Redskins nickname in favor of something else. My point is that the nickname “Redskins” implies brave, tough warriors and should not be viewed as a slight to Native Americans. Too many colleges have changed their nicknames giving into such pressure. St. John’s used to be the Redmen. Now they’re the Red Storm. Marquette used to be the Golden Warriors. Now they’re the Golden Eagles. North Dakota used to be the Fighting Sioux. Now they don’t have a nickname. I suppose since I have not walked a mile in the shoes of a Native American, that I may not be the one to judge whether these nicknames are offensive. However, my perception of those nicknames is that they were portraying Native Americans in a very positive manner for their bravery and I wish that everyone else would see it that way.

-After last night’s foul-filled affair between the Bulls and Heat in Miami, I can’t wait for Friday night’s game 3 in Chicago.

-Then again, that game will receive second billing in my house Friday night with game 5 of the B’s-Maple Leafs series at the TD Garden.