Ainge's brilliance... not.

So with the help of his old friend and teammate Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge traded for KG, after already acquiring Ray Allen and keeping Paul Pierce, and suddenly the Celtics look possibly formidable in the weak East next season. The problem - trading away almost half the team for KG left them with youngsters Rondo and Perkins as the other starters, and a bench of the unathletic Brian Scalabrine and the youngster Leon Powe at 4, the hobbled Tony Allen at 2, and ... rookies. And not first round rookies.

So depth is a problem. What does Ainge do? He wastes part of his midlevel exception on the execrable Eddie House, a no-D gunner who doesn't pass, and fits with Pierce and Allen like a raw tenderloin steak at a vegan convention - nobody wants it, even if it's in prime condition - and House's career is past its sell-by date.

Rumor has it that Troy Hudson, so bad that the T-wolves bought him out, may be next - and he's an inferior version of Eddie House! To add to the laughter, Ainge brings in the player far better known for his haircuts than anything ever done on the court, Scot Pollard. If he's an opinionated goofball who can string two sentences together, he can aspire to be the Jack Haley of this bunch.

And now, rumor has it he's trying to entice Reggie Miller out of two years of retirement. You may remember Reggie from his last playoff appearance, in which he had nearly a halfcourt lead on Tayshaun Prince for a layup and still got it blocked. And again, he's been retired for two years since! Miller was an excellent scorer 10-15 years ago, but by the end could only get open looks by running around multiple screens and counting on lazy defenders who wouldn't switch or chase. Whatever their other virtues, Ray Allen and especially Paul Pierce aren't going to be setting screens. This is roughly as farcical as Sir Charles announcing a comeback. (Or Charles Oakley). But when there are GMs as delusional and enabling as Danny Ainge, who can blame the players of yesteryear for dreaming of their lost youth?

In short, while the rest of the offseason needs to play out before I make my predictions official, it looks mighty bad for the Celtics, as Ainge's incompetence at finding role players may submarine the chances of a talented core. (Although I don't like Pierce and Allen together that much either - I'd trade Paul Pierce in a heartbeat for a good return, but the Celtics owner loves him). Briefly, I'd hold off on those Eastern Finals banners, boys, and don't even get too sure of a playoff spot. Not when Eddie House, Troy Hudson, and Scot Pollard may be playing crunchtime minutes...