The season is by no means over for the Boston Celtics. Back in February, when they were sitting at .500, it 
might have been time to discuss blowing up the team and starting the rebuilding process. But now they’re the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference and one of the hotter teams in the NBA, looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.
No matter what happens for the rest of this season though, the Celtics have a bright future ahead of them. They still have to decide what to do with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, but they’re going to have some cap space to work with this summer and next. One of their managing partners, Wyc Grousbeck, can’t wait to see how they spend it.
“I’m excited about the summer,” Grousbeck said. “I’m excited about next summer, too. I’m excited about the Celtics really. I think we’ve got a lot of possibilities in our future. Danny said to me that he’s been in front offices for something like 13 years — coach, general manager — and he’s never had cap space once. And I think that’s an angle that’s interesting. I said, ‘Maybe you should try it.’ ”
While the Celtics won’t show their hand and talk about who they want to go after, Grousbeck teased that they might have some ideas.
“The other thing I would say, without mentioning names, is that there are some marquee players who could be available,” he said. “And I’m not ruling anything out.”
This is a very advantageous situation for Boston. In most cases, if you keep around a core of veterans for a long time, once they retire, you’re in a tough place. Rebuilding is inevitable, it’s just the natural cycle, but if the Celtics can make a quick transition with some new players and phase out the older ones, they’re poised to rise back to the top again.
I actually like some of the Celtics apart from their “Big 3” too. Rajon Rondo is still obviously one of the elite point guards in the league. I’ve always been a big fan of Brandon Bass as well, and (my fellow Texas Longhorn) Avery Bradley is maturing quicker than I would have guessed. If the Celtics can pick up some solid pieces with their cap space this offseason or next, they’re going to be an Eastern Conference contender again quickly.
