Celtics Memories: Former Fan Favorites
As a Celtics fan, last year I saw myself reminiscing on better times. I can see my youtube search history now…2008, The Big Three, even back before then…2002 Eastern Conference Finals and Boston Celtics vs The Philadelphia 76ers. I know, it’s a little sad. But I can feel good times are close to coming back. We got a good mix right now of veterans, unique players, young talent, and a coach who I know is up for the challenge.
But the season is still about 50 days away, and I have found myself reminiscing again this summer. Other than the big names, like Paul, KG, Ray, this is a list of the players I love to reminisce about. These are former Celtics who were with us in the 2000’s who I really wished Danny Ainge and company kept. I bet some of our most hardcore Celtics fans might not remember some of these guys:
1) Ricky Davis 2003 – 2006
You think Metta World Peace…The Panda’s Friend…Ron Artest, or whatever his name is is eccentric, Ricky Davis was eccentric personified. A clown on both the basketball court and in the locker room, Ricky was a player who had a good mix of athleticism, scoring, and three point shooting. Ricky came to the Celtics in 2003 through a trade and was an immediate fan favorite, but not necessarily the coach’s favorite. The reason why – although Davis could score buckets, the guy he guarded usually scored more. Other than being know for being a horrible defender, he was also known for his creative dunking displays during games; Ricky Davis even attempted a between the legs dunk in a game against the LA Lakers:
As you can see it was an epic fail, but it was against the Lakers and on national TV. He also recovered very quickly, still sticking a nice dunk. Ricky is now a free agent at age 34 and last played in the NBA D-League.
2) James Posey 2007 – 2008
James Posey is the epitome of a NBA glue-guy. Posey signed with the Boston Celtics in 2007, joining the Boston Big Three that summer. This was about a year after he won the championship with Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat.
Posey was the guy we missed the 2009, 2010 NBA seasons. He could come off the bench, give us a lock-down defender, and he was an added three point shooter to stretch the floor. Really that magical run in 2008 wouldn’t have resulted in a championship if we didn’t have bench guys like Posey stepping up. My favorite attribute about Posey was that he wouldn’t back down and he loved the guard the opponents best offensive player. Check out this mix about Posey:
We could definitely use a guy like Posey these days. Posey is now an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
3) Leon Powe 2006 – 2009
If you are a fan of hard work, you are a fan of Leon Powe. Powe was drafted 49th overall in the 2006 NBA Draft after having an impressive three years with the California Golden Bears. He gained a reputation for his combination of his strength and agility, but injuries (for most of his career) overshadowed his accomplishments. After his rookie year, Powe overtook Glen “Big Baby” Davis for the second power forward off the bench in 2008. He won all our hearts in the NBA Finals against the LA Lakers, scoring 21 points in that game and leading the Celtics to victory:
Unfortunately for Powe, he tore his ACL in the playoffs of 2009. Since then, Powe was not able to find another home in the NBA. He has retired due to injuries and is focused on the business side of basketball. He’s also said multiple times that he wishes to be an owner of the Boston Celtics in the future.
Those are my top three, what do you guys think? Who are some of your favorite Celtics from the 2000’s???