Al Horford signing caps an unforgettable day even by Celtics standards
COMMENTARY
If you give a flying damn about the Boston Celtics, nothing that might bring oohs and aahs in the vibrant, sparkling evening sky Monday night is going to top the fireworks of Saturday afternoon, when longtime Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford chose this city as his new basketball home and so much changed.
These particular fireworks – and Horford agreeing to a four-year, $113-million deal should thrill any Celtics fan whose familiarity with him began before his so-so performance in the recent Celtics-Hawks playoff series — serve as a theoretical and theatrical prelude to the actual Fourth of July festivities. Yet they have also been anticipated by New England sports fans for the better part of two years.
“Fireworks,” of course, is the buzzword perpetually eager Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck has leaned on to appease and excite anticipatory fans waiting for president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to wheel and deal for the franchise’s next cornerstone star – or stars – in the post-New Big Three era.
It was a bold vow, and one not easily fulfilled, even as Ainge expertly stockpiled draft picks and undervalued talent. But when there were disappointments – failing to acquire Boston tourist Kevin Love two summers ago, or the inability or unwillingness to pull off a mega-trade at the NBA Draft last month – the promise of fireworks seemed to backfire on the Celtics.
We kept looking to the sky, and groaned when clouds would again obscure the possibilities. We were impatient. We forgot that all decisions weren’t entirely in their hands, that there had to be a willing trade partner or a free-agent desirous of choosing Boston, and that it’s extremely difficult to rebuild in the NBA without the combination of lots of losing and a little luck. You can’t just force the Bulls to trade you Jimmy Butler because you want him, you know?
With all of that in mind … well, brilliant is a word with a heavy workload, but it’s the best word I can find to describe how Ainge has repositioned the Celtics as a relevant, championship-aspiring franchise just three years after trading away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
That deal, which sent the two cornerstones of the 2008 champs to the Brooklyn Nets for essentially four first-round draft picks, has a chance to be a heist so audacious that sometimes you wonder whether the ghost of Red Auerbach is whispering in Ainge’e ear.
Ainge also acquired stalwarts Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder for next to nothing, signed guard Avery Bradley to an $8 million-per-year deal that is now a steal among steals, cleared enough cap room to sign two max contract players, drafted defensive menace Marcus Smart and … well, he waited. He waited while we grew impatient and the sports radio jackals yowled. He didn’t make a deal for the sake of saying he did something. He waited for the right player to decide Boston was the place for him.
Saturday night, Ainge finally got his man – but not without a frantic day of suspense. The Celtics offered Horford a max deal Friday during what was said to be an encouraging meeting, but when his answer was not immediate and rumors started percolating that the Hawks were trying to clear space to keep him, the possibility of him joining the Celtics still felt like something of a long shot.
It seemed it would be wise to prepare for disappointment. Over here, we spent our free minutes Saturday habitually refreshing Twitter to see if NBA scoop hoarder Adrian Wojnarowski had anything new on Horford’s decision – or for that matter, the Celtics’ visit with superstar Kevin Durant (featuring special guest recruiter Tom Brady), which is a story that would of course dwarf this one should it conclude with Boston’s dream resolution.
The Celtics have a real chance, but we’ll get more into that once we learn Durant’s choice. For the moment, it’s worth celebrating and appreciating Horford’s singular decision, and not just because it looked like he was saying no to Boston right before – jeez, four minutes before — we discovered he had said yes.
Boston and Washington have rapidly lost hope of Al Horford leaving the Hawks, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2016
Al Horford plans to sign a four-year, $113M deal with the Boston Celtics, league sources tells @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2016
This is huge for the Celtics in a couple of ways. It changes their perception as a place that cannot attract free agents. No longer will we have to hear context-free hot takes about how Dominique Wilkins and Xavier McDaniel are the only big-name free agents ever to choose Boston and how no one will ever come here because of steep snowbanks and steeper taxes and all of that bleated nonsense from foolish people who think the NBA stopped being interesting the day Larry Bird retired. Horford’s signing throws dirt on that tattered narrative forever. He had options. He was coveted. He chose Boston. Perhaps other players will now see it as a place to be.
But the real reason to be giddy about Horford’s signing is the simplest one: He is a truly exceptional fit for this basketball team at this point in time. He is a massive upgrade on anyone who manned the center spot last year, averaging 15.2 points and 7.3 rebounds a season ago. He’s stout and quick defensively – when he is on the court with Crowder, Bradley, and Marcus Smart, opposing offenses will be suffocated. He can shoot the 3 (34.4 percent last year), a skill he has added to his repertoire only recently and a confirmation of his hard work.
What else? Everything else, man. He’s a model teammate, versatile, intelligent, someone every team should want. If you understand the sweet subtleties of basketball and don’t base your judgments on the outcome of a six-game series, I can assure you that you’re going to love him. He is a Celtic in all the ways that you want him to be.
No, Horford is not a perfect player – his rebounding, for instance, has waned, and he has endured some serious injuries to his upper body. But he is pretty close to the ideal player in regard to what the Celtics needed this offseason.
Horford’s decision to choose Boston on this glorious firework of a Saturday, an affirming and important day in franchise history reminds us of another saying in recent Celtics lore: Anything is possible.
Al Horford is here, Kevin Durant is thinking about it, and if waiting was the hardest part, maybe that only makes the rewards all the more satisfying.
Meet the Celtics’ 2016 draft class
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