Yes, there are still plenty of nice names remaining on the free agent list.But with all due respect to the guys left, the last difference-maker has been claimed: Rasheed Wallace. According to various reports, Wallace will sign with the Celtics.
That makes the Celtics the best team heading into next season.
Yeah, Jason Kidd is still out there, but it looks like he's returning to Dallas. That's not going to change the landscape, at least not at the top. Lamar Odom? Tough to see him leaving L.A.
Andre Miller ... Shawn Marion ... David Lee ... Drew Gooden ... Antonio McDyess ... Grant Hill. All players who will help a team but not put it over. Which is what Wallace just did for Boston.
The Celtics may have only been a Kevin Garnett away from repeating in the first place in 2009. Now, the Celtics could be heading into next year's postseason with Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Wallace.
That's championship-caliber in any league. But that's how good Wallace is and what he would have meant to any contender, quite frankly. Sure, the Celtics were the lucky ones, yet what's most important here is that Wallace would have made any and all of the handful of contenders the favorite.
Consider Wallace heading to Cleveland. All of a sudden you'd be talking about a Cavaliers team that exchanged a front line of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao for Shaquille O'Neal and Wallace. Advantage: Cleveland.
We're not sure yet if Orlando -- having lost Hedo Turkoglu, (likely) Marcin Gortat and Courtney Lee, and gotten back Vince Carter – is better or worse than the team that just lost to the Lakers in the Finals.
But we'd know the answer if Wallace had found his way to the Magic, like Carter had hoped: Better.
Wallace also looked into the Spurs. San Antonio already had kept its window open by acquiring Richard Jefferson from the Bucks. That's an impressive fourth option. Then you start imagining Wallace up front, sometimes playing alongside Tim Duncan and other times backing him up, and that would have been a squad right there, boy.
And then there's the Lakers, the current residing best team in the NBA. But are they? Who says they're better off with Ron Artest and without Trevor Ariza? Nobody knows how Artest will fit in. Wallace, on the other hand, is almost a guaranteed plus on the chemistry-meter for Boston, a true glue guy and as unselfish as they come.
What we know is that Wallace is going to play for the Celtics next season. Which makes them the team to beat heading into next season.
Latest NBA Images
Orlando Magic basketball player Vince Carter prepares to drive a pace car prior to the start of the NASCAR Coke Zero 400 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, July 4, 2009.(AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 04: Vince Carter, NBA star, drives the official pace car prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 51st Annual Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Vince Carter
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Baron Davis, a basketball player for Los Angeles Clippers team of the National Basketball Association (NBA), looks at Indian children play basketball during a basketball awareness event in Mumbai July 3, 2009. Davis inaugurated 'NBA Jam', a seven-week promotional event in Indian cities, organised by NBA and the Basketball Federation of India. REUTERS/Arko Datta (INDIA SPORT BASKETBALL)
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Baron Davis, a basketball player for Los Angeles Clippers team of the National Basketball Association (NBA), balances basketballs during a basketball awareness event in Mumbai July 3, 2009. Davis inaugurated 'NBA Jam', a seven-week promotional event in Indian cities, organised by NBA and the Basketball Federation of India. REUTERS/Arko Datta (INDIA SPORT BASKETBALL)
Reuters
Baron Davis, a basketball player for Los Angeles Clippers team of the National Basketball Association (NBA), helps an Indian boy to put a basketball into the hoop during a basketball awareness event in Mumbai July 3, 2009. Davis inaugurated 'NBA Jam', a seven-week promotional event in Indian cities, organised by NBA and the Basketball Federation of India. REUTERS/Arko Datta (INDIA SPORT BASKETBALL SOCIETY)
Reuters
Baron Davis, a basketball player for Los Angeles Clippers team of the National Basketball Association (NBA), helps an Indian boy to put a basketball into the hoop during a basketball awareness event in Mumbai July 3, 2009. Davis inaugurated "NBA Jam", a seven-week promotional event in Indian cities, organised by NBA and the Basketball Federation of India. REUTERS/Arko Datta (INDIA SPORT BASKETBALL)
Reuters
Newest member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Shaquille O'Neal holds up his new jersey, accompanied by two young fans, during a press conference at the Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, Ohio, Thursday, July 2, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
MCT
Cleveland Cavaliers' General Manager Danny Ferry, left, and owner Dan Gilbert, center, present new Cavaliers member Shaquille O'Neal with a pair of winter boots during an introductory press conference at the Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, Ohio, Thursday, July 2, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
MCT
Cleveland Cavaliers' General Manager Danny Ferry, left, laughs as new Cavaliers member Shaquille O'Neal holds a photo of the two in a game during an introductory press conference at the Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, Ohio, Thursday, July 2, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
MCT
Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal arrives at his introductory news conference at the Cavaliers practice facility in Independence, Ohio, Thursday, July 2, 2009. O'Neal was acquired by the Cavs from the Phoenix Suns in a June 25 trade. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
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Comments (Page 1 of 3)
WALLACE ALWAYS MADE KG CRY LIKE A BABY WHEN KG WAS AT MINNESOTA. WALLACE OWNED HIM. WAIT TIL KG SUCKER PUNCHES RASHEED FOR PUSHING HIM TO HARD IN PRACTICE LIKE WLLY AMD RICKERT DID.
Talk about a lack of respect for the defending champions! I thought the rule was, you're the champ until somebody beats you. The Celts are a great team on paper, but to say the Lakers are'nt is just asinine. They won the championship, added the toughest guy in the league, I mean there was nobody who played Kobe as viciously as Ron Artest, (Paul pierce, watch out), man I'm glad he's on our side, but they're not considered the favories to repeat because Boston added a 35 year old power forward averaging 12 points a game. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong but I hope vegas makes the Lakers underdogs so I can put my money down.
this ignorant moron better wake up. We just decided, on the court, that, without any doubt, the LA Lakers are the best team in the NBA, by far and until some other team proves otherwise, on the court instead of this morons fantasy league, they ARE THE BEST. Suck azzzzzzzzz celtic fan ROFLMFAO
If Sheed tries, he's a top 5 player in the league, but he almost never tries. Hey Boston, have fun dealing with the biggest headcase in the NBA.
Lol, yeah, because we ALL know Sheed incited a riot in AN ARENA. Biggest headcase in the league.
Oh, wait...
Sorry but Boston has no bench. This one still belongs to the Lakers.
has no bench? where do you think sheed is gonna be?
as a detroiter and a piston fan i can say: so long rasheed thanks for the memories ya moron! glad to be rid of him even if it does hurt the team just so i don't have to hear/see him anymore and his maybe ill play good tonite maybe not attitude that he has had for the last couple years.
Ya ya ya another Laker Hater and Celtic hardhead... Boston needs to beat the Lakers for real, not on your little paper list of x's and O's. Sheed is solid but come on this Laker team is young, athletic, deep and now can get as physical as needed. Celtics won't make it to the finals next year. Cleveland has that locked.
no, seriously this reporter does not know his B-ball.The Lakers are the team to beat.Don't get me wrong imma celtics fan, but this reporter does not know his B-ball.The Lakers are the team to beat. the championship is between L.A Cleveland and BoStOn
celts have alot of old guys they will wear down the deeper they go in the playoffs,la lakers have the best team until proven otherwise.ronron and kobe its going to be crazy next year,can u say back2back.lol
i wonder who will shoot more three pointers sheed or ray allen.i know who will get more techs,good luck doc.
Sorry Cleveland, you just don't have enough. Shag will give you at best 18 minutes a game. He'll help, but not enough. Lebron, although great, doesn't know how to close out a game with his team. But that will come with time and a new team. He won't stay in Cleveland, probably end up in Boston, Orlando, maybe Miami or Chicago.
He wants a championship and he knows Cleveland can't deliver the complete team while he's in his prime. My guess, he ends up with a dynasty like Boston. They can build around him and have a big market and HUGE, historical fan base!
You're an idiot. Boston's payroll for when LeBron becomes a free agent is about 47 million and the cap will be 50-53 million. So you think the best player in the game is going to play for the Celtics for 3-6 million dollars a year?
I'm not saying he'll stay in Cleveland, but there's a 0 percent chance that he goes to Boston, or Orlando for that matter.
And for the record Cleveland is the team to beat in the East. I don't get this notion that they're now somehow a second rate team. Cleveland was better than Boston last year (Even with a healthy Garnett. Yes, let's not do a revisionist history of last year. Cleveland would have beaten a healthy Boston team w/ their home court advantage, as Boston can't win in Cleveland.) But anyway, Boston, who again was worse than Cleveland last year and is getting older, added a nice player in Rasheed Wallace.
Cleveland, who won 66 games and was better than any team in the NBA other than Orlando or LA added freaking SHAQ. I mean, we're talking about Shaq here. Not Rasheed Wallace. Not Ron Artest. Not Trevor Ariza. SHAQ.
Cleveland is the team to beat in the East. It's over for Boston. The contenders for next year are Cleveland, LA, San Antonio, and maybe Orlando, but I think they are worse without Turkoglu.
easy kid.... No need to call someone an idiot. If you read my post you would notice I said "a dynasty like Boston." You make some good points, but many sports commentators are saying and posting that Boston is the team to beat. It's just a sport, don't get so worked up. This is all fun chatter about guys getting paid to bounce a ball.
All you need to do now is sign Grant Hill and you can officially change the team name from the Celtics to the Geriatrics
I like that, "The Boston Geriatrics win 18th Title"
Because that's what they'll do! People seem to forget that with today;s nutrients, medical care, and conditioning programs even the age 60 is considered the new 40.
Remember folks, the only reason the young Lakers won this year is because better older teams had significant injuries.
"Better older teams"? what better older teams?
Boston? Hell no. Lakers swept the floor with them at Staples and at the garden with or without a healthy Andrew Bynum.
No James Posey no Leon Powe means NO championship. Last year the Celtics couldn't compete with the Laker's full roster. 08 Celtics were a beast but saying htey would have beat the Lakers even with a healthy KG is laughable.
Maybe now with the Sheed acquistion they can be more competitive. Now Boston can compete with LA's lenght but will they have the speed and legs to carry them? who knows.
Lakers V Celtics might be pretty epic this year
Calling it like i see it get ready for B O S T O N next year they will go all the way. Thanks DOC.
uticabob & Bryan - The Celts absolutely kicked your ass in 2008 or don't you remember the whooping that you took in the CLINCHER !!! You've been watching too many Jack Nicholson movies. See you in The Finals if YOU get that far.