Celtics consider several players, draft position

BOSTON HERALD

By Mark Murphy

Though most attention has turned to Kevin Garnett, and whether the Celtics [team stats] center will return for one or two more seasons, the team has other aging concerns it will attempt to address in Thursday night’s NBA draft.

The Celtics’ plan to sign Jeff Green will be the most important step in filling the small forward role once Paul Pierce [stats] starts contemplating retirement, but this team does have an ongoing need for shooters.

Regardless of whether Ray Allen returns — a good question both in the minds of the player and the team — the Celtics have to get younger and more athletic on the wing. The Celtics, with the 21st and 22nd picks in the first round, aren’t currently in line for a Cadillac scorer. But they have hinted at a desire to move up.


If they trade up

General manager Danny Ainge and his staff took advantage of their second visit to Miami during the conference finals to get a look at two of the best perimeter players on the board — North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes and Washington’s Terrence Ross.

The 6-foot-4 Ross has operated in a vacuum for most of the season. But Ainge had heard enough to request that workout, and it’s easy to see why. Ross is that rare college player who not only can hit from 3-point land, but is also known for his mid-range game, including a nice touch on his pull-up jumper. His percentages suggest that he’s also efficient with his shot.

Barnes, who has been mentioned as high as the second pick of the draft, is a pipe dream, unless Ainge somehow hits the ball out of the park and secures a top-5 pick to add the 6-8 forward.

Speculation has naturally swirled around Austin Rivers, who has impressed lottery teams with his leadership. There’s also significant fearlessness to his game, even though he’s neither a pure shooter nor playmaker. Like his father, Rivers is instead simply known as a good player who is sure to make whatever switch is asked. In Doc Rivers’ case, that meant the Celtics coach becoming a point guard once he hit the NBA.

The Celtics are sure to like Austin for something else — his toughness and scoring potential. A lot of teams appear to like this about him.

If they stand pat

If the Celtics want a shooter and scorer, there will be options with the 21st and 22nd picks.

They will be forced to beware of sliders. Beyond Ohio State power forward Jared Sullinger, the most notorious appears to be Baylor’s Perry Jones, a terrific 6-11 athlete and scorer whose motivation has been questioned. Besides, they already have a player of similar skills in JaJuan Johnson. They could get lucky if St. John’s forward Moe Harkless — a prototypical “power 3” — drifts far enough down the board.

Otherwise, they could do worse than to go for one of the most underrated players in the first round — Kentucky guard Doron Lamb. Lamb is a fine shooter whose overall ability was obscured by the enormous talent evident elsewhere in the national champions’ lineup. He may actually be the Wildcat with the most to reveal once he reaches the NBA.

Iowa State forward Royce White, who may have the most talent of anyone below the 15th pick, could be another viable option. The only problem is his well-chronicled anxiety disorder, which in the past has triggered a significant fear of flying. But in terms of overall talent, few can match White, a powerful player along the baseline and in the paint.

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It's amazing how many different players hoop observers in mock drafts have predicted the Celtics will draft if they don't move up. I've seen these 14 different players mentioned for their 21st and 22nd selections:

Meyers Leonard
Marquis Teague
Arnett Moultrie
Jeff Taylor
Quincy Miller
Fab Melo
Andrew Nicholson
Royce White
Perry Jones
Terence Jones
Austin Rivers
Moe Harkless
Terrence Ross
Doron Lamb

And then there are the no chance mentions like Harrison Barnes which the above article correctly categorizes as a pipe dream.

Sure will be interesting to see who we get - virtually guaranteed to be two from the 14 listed here - if Danny doesn't pull off an unlikely trade to move up. Of course we can all hope some top 12 or so rated pick surprisingly drops to us and we grab a real gem but that's wishful thinking.

Thursday evening's gonna be a fun watch.