Blog

Wow, what a difference a day makes – yesterday Keyon Dooling was still a member of our Boston Celtics, and he was being counted on to carry a heavy load as a key reserve in the C’s back court.  As for the front court, Boston had Kevin Garnett entrenched as the starting center (still having trouble getting used to that), and Chris Wilcox and Jason Collins in reserve roles.  Oh, and there was talk about Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo stepping in an shaking things up.

Suddenly, Dooling is out.  Two weeks before the start of camp our man KD is done playing professional basketball.  Enough, apparently, is enough.  Time to move on.

And just like that Darko Milicic is a member of our Celtics, another big man added to the rotation, giving Doc Rivers another body to help get this team to the Promised Land that is the NBA Finals.

Make no mistake – Milicic is no savior.  He’s been in the league long enough to show what he is, which is a serviceable big with limited offensive skills and suspect defensive capabilities.  But the man is large, and that quality is always in short supply in the National Basketball Association.

Darko does big.  Our Celtics, a season removed from one of the poorest rebounding showings in league history, need big.

Call it the perfect confluence of events.

So now we have Darko, the 2003 NBA Draft bust, trying to reinvent himself in Celtics green.  Hey, I’m cool with that.  The man isn’t Kwame Brown.  He’s got decent game.  KG will be right there to work with him, tear him down, build him back up.

If you’re like me, just don’t go into this arrangement expecting big things and you’re going to be fine.

I’m down with Darko.  Goon?  Thug?  Let’s just say he won’t make people around here forget about Robert Parish.  But Darko is young enough, sturdy enough and hungry enough to give the Celtics a bump in the paint.

We’re going to miss you, Keyon.  But your exit paves the way for Darko, and that just may turn out to be a very nice thing, indeed.