2009-2010 Finish: 42-40

What went well

After two years of missing the playoffs (and earning GM Amago the nickname of La Llorona), would this be the season the Celtics finally nutted up and went back to playing with the big boys? The answer is yes, but the team had to go through some radical changes to get there.

Before the season began, a few players decided to leave town where mediocrity was becoming its middle name. Kyle Korver and Steve (no punchline needed) Blake left for greener pastures and even Steve Novak and Malik Allen didn't want to stick around to see what happened next. Their loss. The Celts also ditched Tayshaun Prince and Jason Thompson, bringing in Marcus Camby, Leandro Barbosa and David Andersen. Yeah, that wasn't really a great deal. But what about good news? Well, Steve Nash and Andrea Bargnani re-signed.

Then came December 18, the Day That Shook the NLL. Amago, hasta los huevos con failure, sent away star Danny Granger, Camby and anchor DeSagana Diop and in return got Kobe Bryant (!), young gun Marcus Thornton and Ben Wallace from Denver. Jaws dropped. People laughed at Nick. The Celtics meant business. They even ditched Barbosa and brought in Ron Artest. Holy cow! Nash, Artest, Bargnani, Kobe? Drool.

What went bad

Somehow the Celts still barely finished above .500. Wallace sat out most of the season and that combo of players (not to mention a craptacular bench) couldn't compete with better teams. Amago and the Celtics did slip into the playoffs as the 6th seeded team, but got shut out in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Stars

- Kobe Bryant, SG -

Kobe might not be scoring 30+ppg any longer, but his line of 28.4ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.2 apg is nothing to sniff out. He is the type of player who makes his teammates better. This guys is a star through and through and despite his giant salary, Amago must commit to his trade and build a team around his star.


- Steve Nash, PG–

With the arrival of Ricky Rubio, Nash may have played his last game in a Celtics uniform, but the 37-year-old had a fairly productive season. His scoring may have been down (11ppg), but his assists per game rocketed up to 7.1. He may not be the star he used to be, but Nash is still one of the best PGs in the league.


Looking to the future

The Celts go into the season with a lot of question marks. Trading Nash must happen, especially with Kobe due to make $25mil next season. Once he is signed, however, they will be at the salary cap with only six players signed. That's not good. Along with Nash, the team should try to dump Artest for some role players or rookies. He is not really starting material any longer and if the team can bring back Thornton for cheaper, Artest should go elsewhere. But beyond Rubio, Bargnani and Kobe, the Celts have holes everywhere. Amago must have an ingenious offseason if he even hopes to compete this year.

In the draft, Amago grabbed SF Chris Singleton at pick 18. He is a great defender but lacks offensive skills. His contribution may be minimal but it looks like it will be a trial by fire here for the young man when the season starts.