Ray Allen is Still a Celtic: So What's Danny's Next Move?

"Caron Butler replaces Ray Allen's productivity and the Celtics get Antawn Jamison, too? Sounds too good to be true!"

So wrote one Celtics scribe.

I was never that excited. Not about Caron Butler. Not about Antawn Jamison. I have no doubt that both players are talented. But right now Ray Allen is the second best player on the Boston Celtics, regardless of what he is shooting from 3. At the end of the game, I want Ray Allen wearin' da green. He makes a difference, and as poorly as the Celtics are playing right now, we know two things: games will be decided in the fourth quarter, and they'll be decided by playmakers.

How long does it take to integrate a player we acquire for Ray-Ray? Will the player be one who can be counted on to score game winning baskets? Maybe. But seems unlikely to me. We already have KG and Sheed, who like to impact other parts of the game and leave fourth-quarter scoring to their teammates. We need proven scorers down the stretch for the stretch run. That's Ray Allen.

So while the All-Star game is over and the regular season is about to resume, my question is this: will Danny make a move before 3 p.m. on February 18th? I say, yes, but the move will likely add more snarl than stardom.

We've got plenty of depth on the wing with Marquis Daniels and Tony Allen playing well of late. Both of them can man the point on the second unit, too, and, I might add, defend the point better than Eddie House. We also have depth at the 4-5 spots, with Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, Brian Scalabrine, and Shelden Williams waiting in the wings for minutes.

So what's the move I'm predicting?

This team looks and feels soft to me. They look like a giant green Pillsbury doughboy. The team talks trash, but no one cares, particularly not opponents who are streaking past them for an easy deuce. In fact, many Celtics fans would prefer they shut up until they have something to talk about. Danny can change this by adding a John Salley Bad Boy type, someone who can come in slap some balls around, make his presence felt, and infuse his teammates with some testosterone. This player may be a 4-5 or he may be a 1. But he's gotta have mean streak, whatever his name is.