Why Every Team Should Rebuild Like The Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have redefined the NBA’s rebuilding process

For NBA teams, success comes in waves. General Managers of winning franchises in the NBA know more than anybody that when you’re on top, you better be planning ahead and not living in the moment. In the NBA, the window of opportunity is constantly opening and closing, so timing is everything.

In a way, the ups-and-downs of an NBA franchise are a microcosm for life – no one stays on top forever. The best way to avoid crashing and burning after winning a championship is to recognize the situation and plan ahead, this is why every team should look to rebuild like the Boston Celtics.

In 2007 the Celtics formed a Big 3 with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. By 2008, banner 17 was hanging in the rafters of the TD Garden and all was right in Boston. After making it back to the Finals once again, only to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was evident that the Celtics’ window was closing. The writing on the wall became even clearer when LeBron James infamously decided to ‘take his talents to South Beach’ and form his own Big 3, which instantly placed the Heat as the most powerful team in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics window of opportunity had shut as quickly as it opened – the Big 3 had five great seasons together and accomplished their goal of winning an NBA championship. The remnants of this era left the Celtics with a 36-year-old Ray Allen, 35-year-old Kevin Garnett and a 34-year-old Paul Pierce, an accumulation of 47 NBA seasons between the three veterans. It was apparent that their time had expired and they no longer possessed the ability to bring a championship to Boston.

Danny Ainge could have simply kept them together and been somewhat competitive, making the playoffs for the years to come but not really competing for a championship until eventually they retired. The end result would have been tragic as the organization would find themselves stuck in the middle of the pack or as it is often referred to by folks around the league ‘No Man’s Land’. Neither being good enough to compete for a championship, nor bad enough to attain favorable position to secure top draft picks.

Ainge had no intentions of letting it come to that and was thrust into action when Ray Allen decided to decline a bigger offer from the Celtics and join the Miami Heat in pursuit of another ring.

I see the Ray Allen exit as a key moment in the Celtics rebuild. It was at this moment Ainge realized that he had to make moves with his remaining assets to avoid losing them for nothing, and as each day went by, the value for Pierce and Garnett was dwindling.

Then Ainge engineered a stunning trade that sent Garnett and Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets for a plethora of role players and future draft picks for years to come. Ainge really shook things up when he traded head coach Doc Rivers to the Clippers, which opened the door for the hiring of Brad Stevens.

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Stevens was a proven coach in college famous for maximizing the abilities of his players and making back-to-back NCAA Championships without blue chip players. He was a perfect fit for a rebuilding franchise loaded with young talent.

Over the course of the next few years, players were in and out of Boston so fast it was hard to keep track of who was on the team at times. Meanwhile the franchise was test-driving their draft picks and saving money while remaining fairly competitive and producing an admirable brand of basketball.

Fast-forward to 2016 and the Celtics have been a force to reckon with, making the playoffs for two straight years. They have, in my opinion, a top-five coach in Brad Stevens and an All-Star point guard in Isaiah Thomas.

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Most recently they added four-time all star in Al Horford through free agency, which put to bed the common belief that the Celtics could not attract big name free agents. The Celtics are now sitting pretty in the Eastern Conference with an outstanding roster and plenty of assets to make a big move. It’s all due to the forward thinking of Danny Ainge. He set a flawless example of how an NBA team should look to rebuild.

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