Yesterday, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reported that the Celtics were indeed interested in Barnes, and they got to see him for a second time when they were down in Miami for the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics also got a look at Terrance Ross, a 6’7″ shooting guard/small forward from Washington.

Ross is currently projected to go in the mid-teens of the first round. The Houston Rockets hold the 14th, 16th, and 18th picks, and it has been rumored that both the Celtics and Rockets are in some sort of trade discussions.

Barnes on the other hand, is a lock at the lottery picks. For the Celtics to move up that many spots, they’ll probably have to give up one of their first round picks, along with a player or two.

Both players can play at the small forward position, but Terrance Ross is primarily a shooting guard.

In his sophomore year, Ross averaged 16.4 ppg and 6.5 rebounds. One thing that concerns me about him is that he is only a 37% shooter from the 3 point line. Usually shooting guards are decent 3 point shooters, but for Ross, he can score from different areas on the court.

From what I can gather from this rumor, the Celtics probably won’t trade up to draft both Barnes and Ross unless they play them at two different positions. Barnes could play either power forward or small forward, while Ross could always play at shooting guard.

They both sound like very intriguing prospects, and they have a lot of potential. It makes me  think that maybe they will be Pierce and Ray Allen’s replacements.

One thing the Celtics still need to answer is their lack of size. Seeing that the Celtics will have to trade up for either player, maybe they could get a big man in return.

Draft night is certainly going to be interesting. The Celtics could be very busy Thursday night, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make multiple trades before the last pick has been selected.

Recently, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe reported the Celtics are looking to move up in the draft and they have a specific player they’d like to go after. Supposedly, the Celtics want Harrison Barnes from the University of North Carolina.

Like in all rumors, I’d take this with a grain of salt, but its worth noting since Bob Ryan isn’t the only person mentioning the possibility of the Celtics trading their picks.

Andy Katz of ESPN would be surprised if the keep both picks in this year’s draft.

I’ll be surprised if Boston keeps both 21 and 22, but the Celtics need to make sure there is a palatable trade. This is a huge summer for Boston’s two 2011 draft picks, Purdue’s E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, who didn’t get a chance to play much as rookies.

Seeing that there are multiple sources reporting this, its possible that we may see the Celtics move up. With this draft being as deep as it is, the talent level, and potential in this year’s class, trading up would be a great move by the Celtics.

I personally believe that if they can get into the top 10 picks, they’ll find their next franchise player, or at worst a very decent player who they could trade for an established star.

As time has gone on, it’s becoming quite clear that Danny Ainge wants to trade up to get a better quality player player. At what cost is he willing to get the player he wants? Thats unclear. But if he can pull off a deal without moving one of the main pieces of the team, then it will be possible to rebuild on the fly.

News broke this week where the Boston Globe was actually the story. Longtime Globe columnist Bob Ryan announced his plans to retire following the London Summer Olympics.

“After 43 years and a career of enormous satisfaction, I think it’s time to scale back and step aside,’’ said Ryan. “I’ve accomplished everything I’ve ever dreamed of accomplishing. I’m just ready to step aside.’’

Bob Ryan, a Boston College graduate, started working for the Globe in the late 60′s and has been the voice of arguably the best sports section in America ever since.

Bob Ryan appeared on the B.S. Report with Bill Simmons and expanded on his reasoning. “I really and truly believe that my time has come and gone, that the dynamics of the business, of what it takes to be involved in the business with all the tweeting and the blogging and that stuff, with an audience with a different taste … I’m not comfortable — it’s not me any more.”

Fans of the Celtics, and the NBA, will be forever indebted to Bob Ryan.

Bob Ryan was a pioneer, a sports writing legend. Thank you, Bob Ryan. Thank you for the memories.