TNT analyst David Aldridge ranks the off-season moves of all the teams in the league.
Among the championship contenders, he puts the Celtics third, behind San Antonio and Los Angeles. Keep in mind, this was done before the Celtics re-signed Big Baby, but I'm not sure it would have altered the rankings.
DA's Offseason Rank: No. 3
Last season: 62-20, first place, Atlantic; Lost in second round of playoffs.
Added: F/C Rasheed Wallace (free agent, Detroit; two years, $11.6 million), Marquis Daniels (free agent, Indiana)
Lost: F Leon Powe
Retained: None
The key man: C
Kendrick Perkins. He's the glue to Boston's half-court defense, and
showed he could handle a little more of the offensive load after
Garnett went down. But chronic shoulder problems are a concern.
The skinny:
The 6-foot-10 Wallace makes the Celtics the Lakers East — potentially
huge in the frontcourt alongside the 6-foot-11 Garnett and Perkins
(6-foot-10). They can send defenders from all angles, and their length
will make passing out of the double team difficult. Daniels will be a
solid backup for Rajon Rondo. Garnett has been a maniac this summer,
recovering from the knee injury that kept him out of the playoffs. When
he's back, Boston's back.
"Garnett has been a maniac this summer?" I like the sounds of that.
It's tough to argue with the rankings, especially since San Antonio added loads of quality talent and the defending champion Lakers brought back Lamar Odom and grabbed Ron Artest. Aldridge apparently doesn't like all the moves made by Cleveland, he has them ranked 7th.
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