The question is no longer, "What would Jesus do?" It has now become, "What should be done with Jesus?"
Depending on which of the various reports you believe, Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is either looking to trade guard Ray Allen (whom I will continue to refer to as Jesus), or Ainge has laughed off the suggestion of a possible deal. I can't say I didn't know this was coming. Back in June 2007, when the Celtics traded for Allen and his two bum ankles, I remember thinking that if it didn't work out they could always trade him when his contract was expiring.
But a month later, the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves, ushering in the best 11-month stretch of my life as a sports fan, which culminated in a 17th championship banner. Now, after less than three seasons together, it looks like the Big Three might be splitting up. And as much as it pains me to say it, because I have grown to appreciate just how good a player Sugar Ray is, it is potentially a move that Ainge has to make.
Simply put, this is not a championship team at the moment. You can blame it on the struggles of Kevin Garnett in his return from knee injury or on the ill-fated signing of Rasheed Wallace, but no matter who you blame, the fact is that the Celtics have won just nine of their last 21 games dating back to Christmas Day.
My diagnosis of the Celtics' troubles? Well, I think that this team believes it is better than it is. It also probably believes that it can coast into the playoffs and then turn it on once there. In other words, there is no sense of urgency, which is evident when a team constantly gives up leads in the fourth quarter.
Realistically, the Celtics are the fourth-best team in an Eastern Conference that has regressed as a whole this season. They cannot beat the Magic or the Hawks, and they have lost 17 games already, one more than they lost in 2008. And Ray Allen is certainly a part of the problem. As someone who has been a Jesus apologist, even I have to admit that the fact that he is having his worst three-point shooting season in his career cannot be ignored.
At 34, Allen is at the age when shooting guards start to lose their legs. But if anyone could continue to be productive, you would have thought it would be him. I don't think I am ready to give up on Jesus yet, and I have a reason why — any trade involving Allen would give up this team's best shot at winning a championship. I'm not saying that there aren't some decent targets out there — the possible Kevin Martin and the unlikely Andre Iguodala — but any deal would be a signal that Ainge is thinking ahead to the future instead of keeping his head in the now.
Before the Big Three and their run to the banner, hardly anyone cared about the Celtics. While Ainge's job is to balance the present with the future, getting rid of Jesus now would tarnish what he helped accomplish. I would rather see the Celtics give it one last shot with this team — which I know has the capability of being the best in the league — instead of blowing things up now.
I know I might be in the minority, and I might be wrong — it might be time to inject some youth into this team to turn things around and offset the injury to Garnett and the recent run of poor play. But as frustrating as this season has been, it seems wrong to panic. Give Jesus one last shot to prove he's still got game, because if he regains his form there is still a chance that this Boston team can finish up like another team that was fourth in the East: the 1968-69 NBA-champion Celtics.
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Ethan Landy is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at Ethan.Landy@tufts.edu.
