While the players and fans are likely still out celebrating the 17th NBA Champion banner in Boston Celtics history, the business side of the organization is already back to work. After all, championships don’t grow on trees.

With the 2007-08 NBA season officially wrapped up, the NBA’s offseason is officially underway. So what will happen this offseason for the Celtics? The general feeling is probably that the team should make only minor tweaks and changes. They are the reigning NBA Champions, right?

Yes, so it would seem. But there is also the distinct possibility that the Boston Three Party was an experiment with a one-year life span. At ages 30, 31, and 32, respectively, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have all finally won that illustrious ring. But look at those ages again. Basketball, they say, is a young man’s game, and a franchise built around three 30-plus players is one that seems a little shaky in theory.

Paul Pierce is fine, though. At age 30, Pierce has at least a few good years left in him. After spending this post-season re-establishing himself as The Truth and the Boston Celtics’ franchise, there appears to be yet greener pastures for Pierce on the horizon. The team has many options with Pierce, and they include quickly re-building around him or continuing the Big Three with some tweaks to try and milk another championship out of the trio.

Kevin Garnett is likely alright, too. At age 31, Garnett has very few health problems and still owns the fire that make him synonymous with intensity. While Garnett yet again shied away from the spotlight in major moments, he is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a valuable member of any team. The catch with Garnett, though, is that his trade value has probably never been higher. A plethora of teams could use a scoring big man who also happens to be the best defensive player at his position. Many potential contenders, especially, would likely pay quite the price for the last three years of Garnett’s services, contractually speaking. Chicago and Detroit are probably chief among these teams and hold enough assets to make a trade attractive. Would the Celtics dare move Garnett after he reinvigorated the franchise, especially to a potential contender?

Ray Allen, unlike his counterparts, may not be fine and dandy. While Allen played incredibly well in The Finals (and most of the season, really) his ankle problems are a glaring concern at this point. Allen’s defense has probably been downgraded to average, his ability to run the floor should continually decline, and he may be a season away from becoming exclusively a scoring threat. While that is by no means a description of a bad player, Allen’s contributions are likely replaceable, and the Celtics may consider dealing Allen for an injection of youth and the chance to be good for even longer.

On the other hand, the Celtics could keep the group together and hope for the best. Neither of the three key components are over the hill and all will still contribute at a near-All Star level in 2008-09. The Celtics also wouldn’t have a problem adding to their current core. Recent champions, remember, always have the distinct upper hand when trying to sign free agents, especially veterans looking for a championship toward the end of their run (see: Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown).

So if the Celtics stay the course, what will the 2008-09 incarnation look like? The team already has 11 players under contract for $74.8 million, severely limiting what the team can accomplish on the open market. The mid-level exception and the veteran’s minimum exceptions seem like the only tools the Celtics will have, in addition to their 30th overall draft pick. Sam Cassell, Eddie House, Tony Allen, James Posey, P.J. Brown, and Scot Pollard can all leave. Brown and Cassell seem like likely candidates for retirement, though nothing is certain, while Pollard is probably expendable or will sign for the minimum. That leaves big question marks with House, Allen, and Posey, all of whom were major players in the playoff run. Allen is an athletic combo-guard with good size and defense; House is a scoring machine; Posey is a defensive presence the team sorely needed. While Posey out-earned his $3.4M player option for next season, it is tough to envision him walking away from this situation. The decision with free agents, then, appears to break down as a choice between Tony Allen and Eddie House.

With the depth chart holding Rondo at the point, Ray Allen and Tony Allen or House at shooting guard, Pierce and Posey at small forward, Garnett, Powe, and Davis at power forward, and Perkins at center, the team’s only real glaring needs are at center and general depth. Not too tough a task for Danny Ainge to fill those holes and add depth, I would think.

So the Celtics are faced with a very tough choice: Hope for health and continued good fortune while adding additional pieces to the current core, or remove one leg from the Celtic Tripod in order to fully rebuild in one single offseason?

What’s Next For The Lakers?

Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media