Dear Kevin Garnett,

First and foremost, happy birthday, and thank you for teaching a new generation of fans what Boston Celtics basketball was about. Regardless of whether you return for the upcoming season, your legacy has forever been cemented in Celtics lore. You were the backbone for that 2008 title team, and have kept us competitive since your arrival.

I still remember that euphoric moment when your trade from the Timberwolves to the Celtics was finalized. It finally gave us true hope. Not blind hope that we might be able to compete, but that we now could compete. This commercial sums it up much better than I ever could.

Most of us know what has happened since that time. There have been many more joyful memories than sad, but all good things must eventually come to an end.

With the report surfacing that you will not be having surgery on your ankles, it leaves your future as a Boston Celtic in as much doubt as ever. It’s possible that maybe you really do not need surgery, but at points this year you claimed it was painful to even push the gas pedal while driving because of your ankles.

Is this your way of hinting to Celtics’ fans that it is over? If so, then I understand. It will be hard to move past it, but you’ve given so much to this franchise and the game of basketball.

The 15 All-Star game appearances, 25,274 points, and 2004 NBA MVP award says it all. You are a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, and Celtic nation has been lucky to have you.

I understand the mental grind you go through daily to prepare for games, and that doesn’t take into account the physical toll the game has taken on your body.

If you want to retire, you deserve to do so, and we all look forward to the day your jersey number is raised to the rafters.

BUT, if you do want to return for one more run, then I must ask of you one favor. Please force Danny Ainge to find you a competent center to play alongside with. It’s not fair to ask you to carry the burden in the paint on a nightly basis.

You still have a lot of gas left in the tank, evidenced by your 12.7 points per game and 13.7 rebounds per game in the postseason. Yet, the regular season is a long journey, and with all due respect, you need help.

Give Ainge an ultimatum, either find a center capable of providing starters minutes, or retire. I realize this is easier said than done considering the Celtics salary cap limitations, but it’s a necessity.

Adding a viable center doesn’t guarantee a championship in any form, but without one, this team stands no shot at raising banner 18.

You will likely play the deciding factor on whether this team rebuilds, or re-tools. So what will your choice be?

Celtic nation is waiting.

The offseason came early for the Celtics, and Danny Ainge has begun the process of evaluating the 2013 NBA Draft entrants. Ainge has shown he can land good players late in the draft, such as Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, Al Jefferson, Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins.

With the Celtics holding the 16th pick in the draft, Ainge is in position to grab another future piece. Last week we took a look at some players the Celtics could be targeting in the upcoming draft. Surely those are just a few of the players on the radar.

Today we’ll take a look at three other players that could fit nicely into the Celtics’ future.

The first is Jamal Franklin of San Diego State University. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard did it all for the Aztecs this past season while leading them to an NCAA tournament appearance. Franklin led his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, averaging 17 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 1.6 steals per game.

For a Celtics’ roster that struggled to rebound, having a guard with Franklin’s rebounding ability could do wonders on the glass. He is not afraid to mix it up down low, and has a junkyard dog mentality where he’ll fight and scrap for everything. His athletic ability also immediately stands out. He once threw an alley-oop off the backboard to himself during a game.

His size, mentality, and athleticism give him all the tools needed to be a good NBA defender. As Celtics’ fans have seen, no young player will get on the court for Doc Rivers without the ability to play defense. Franklin’s offense has room for improvement, but he’s a strong slasher who finds a way to put the ball in the basket.

You can’t teach height and length, and that is certainly what Rudy Gobert has. The center from France stands in at 7-foot-2 with a ridiculous 7-foot-9 wingspan. The Celtics already took a project big man last draft with Fab Melo, but it may be hard to pass up a 7-footer with this amount of potential.

Gobert’s length makes him a threat to block every shot around the paint. With Garnett’s career in the final stages, Boston will need to find their defensive anchor of the future. It may take a year or two for Gobert to develop into an everyday NBA center though. He weighs just 230 pounds, but appears to have a good frame to add muscle.

Coordination is usually an issue with players the size of Gobert, as seen with Melo. However, despite his size he moves very well. Gobert is someone who could sky rocket up draft boards as the process moves forward. Scouts and general managers tend to fall in love with potential, and Gobert is full of it.

Gobert has the capability of becoming a dominant defensive center, while this next prospect has a way to go on that end.

Kelly Olynyk turned himself into a first round pick with an impressive season at Gonzaga. The Canadian-born center transformed himself into arguably the best offensive post player in the NCAA this past season. He averaged 17.8 ppg while shooting nearly 63 percent from the floor.

His footwork in sensational and he has an array of ways to score once in the paint. Olynyk has even shown the ability to stretch defenses, shooting 33 percent from behind the arc.

As mentioned earlier though, Rivers won’t play young players who cannot defend. The Gonzaga big man lacks foot speed and lateral quickness, which could make it difficult for him to defend the pick and roll at the NBA level. There also has to be some questions concerning the level of competition Olynyk consistently faced. Scoring on mid-major quality big men in the West Coast Conference won’t be quite the same as in the NBA.

Ultimately he could be a solid contributor off the bench, particularly on the offensive end. If the Celtics stay largely intact next year, Olynyk may be able to contribute right away unlike some big men in this draft. With Boston likely looking toward the distant future though, Ainge may pass for a player with greater potential like Gobert.

The 2012-2013 NBA season has come to a quicker end than most Celtics’ fans anticipated back in October. Unfortunately an offseason spent acquiring youth, athleticism, and veteran experience was not enough to overcome the plethora of injuries Boston faced this season.

Danny Ainge must now make some franchise altering decisions. Does he decide to turn the page on the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce era, or make one last run with the core group? Whichever route Ainge chooses to walk down, the NBA Draft will be an important step toward the Celtics’ future.

With the draft less than two months away, it is time to look at who could be the missing piece to the Banner 18 puzzle. Boston holds the 16th pick in the draft, which puts them in solid position to get a contributing player.

The first place Danny Ainge should probably look is in the post, particularly if Garnett chooses to return. Garnett can no longer be asked to carry the rebounding load, and guard the opposing team’s biggest player on a nightly basis. That’s why the Celtics could target Louisville center Gorgui Dieng.

The 6-foot-10 center from Senegal would give the Celtics a much-needed rebounding and shot blocking presence. Dieng averaged 9.8 points per game , 9.4 rebounds per game, and 2.5 blocks per game in helping the Cardinals win a National Championship. He came out of high school as a raw project, but Rick Pitino molded him into a destructive defensive force.

If he’s still available when the Celtics take the clock, it would make a lot of sense to take him. He could come in and immediately give the Celtics some minutes alongside Garnett. Under Garnett’s tutelage, Dieng could become an anchor in the paint for the next decade.

If the Celtics lose Pierce and Garnett, they will need somebody to fill the offensive void left. The playoff series against New York showed some of Boston’s putrid offensive tendencies. Without Rajon Rondo to create shots for others, many players struggled to consistently get quality looks.

That problem could be solved by picking Lehigh guard, C.J. McCollum. An injury plagued season hampered McCollum’s senior campaign at Lehigh, but before going down, he was looking like a bona-fide star. He played in 12 games, averaging 23.9 ppg, shooting a staggering 51.6 percent from behind the arc.

McCollum has a bit of a Steph Curry feel to his game with the ability to make difficult shots look easy. The biggest downside to McCollum is that he’s only around 6-foot-2, and is primarily a shooting guard in a point guard’s body. The Celtics already have a crowded backcourt, but it may be hard to pass up someone who is this talented of a scorer.

Picking McCollum would give the Celtics flexibility if they choose trade one or two of their guards for additional post help this offseason.

Here is some video evidence of McCollum’s ability to put the ball in the basket.

Finally the next name the Celtics will likely target comes from overseas. While still very raw, Greek prospect, Giannis Adetokunbo, could become a dynamic NBA player. At 6-foot-10 Adeteokunbo has grown up playing point guard, but will likely transition into a small forward at the NBA level.

Ainge has already been spotted traveling to Greece in order to scout the 18-year-old. Adetokunbo has risen up draft boards in the past couple of months though, and with good pre-draft workouts, could play himself into the lottery. While he doesn’t necessarily fill an immediate need, he’s got what general managers love, potential.

With his height, he could become a great perimeter defender, while taking advantage of small players on the offensive end. His background as a point guard would also allow him to create some offense for others. With the NBA being a league centered on creating mismatches and advantages, having a versatile 6-foot-1o small forward is certainly intriguing.