The month of January was noticably bitter for our Winter sports teams. Both the Bruins and Celtics turned in rather forgettable performances since the beginning of the new decade, and each franchise will need to make considerable changes in their play if they are to return to form, and make some noise in their respective leagues. I would argue that both teams have the talent to make legitimate playoff runs, so the necessary changes may end up being partially tactical, but mostly based on maintaining health and ultimately building chemistry. Other fans, or casual viewers, are resigned to making major changes, in the form of blockbuster trades, and potentially mortgaging the future. Both teams occupying the TD Garden have the ammunation to make a move, so it will be interesting to see what Chiarelli and Ainge do as the NHL and NBA trading deadlines loom.
The Bruins have been bitten by injuries, and are currently struggling to keep pace in the Eastern Confernce's playoff chase, while the B's faithful are left wondering what happened to the team that dominated the East just a year ago. Many can point to the lack of scoring, and the loss of Phil Kessel as the Bruins primary flaw, but Chiarelli had little or no choice but to move the discontent forward, who made it clear that he wanted out of Boston. In fact, the Bruins GM did rather well in getting a first round pick in the next to drafts from Toronto in exchange for Kessel. In turn, the B's front office have successfully accumulated enough "chips" to acquire an impact player in a trade. Making the trade may seem like a no-brainer for some, with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk reportedly on the training block, but Chiarelli may believe his impact player is waiting in this year's NHL draft. But, as his team continues to struggle and fans get restless, he may be forced into dealing those assets at the deadline, in an attempt to save the current season, and possibly his job. If the Bruins can start to play well, before the Olympic Break, the GM's job will become much easier, with the notion of standing-pat at the trade deadline becoming a more viable option. If, however, their current woes continue, the idea of draft picks and potential, becomes extremely difficult for fans to digest. And with the uncertainty of aquiring talent via the draft, the Bruins future may appear mirky at best.
With Ray Allen in the final year of a near-max contract, the Celtics are no-doubt fielding calls from teams looking to gain cap-space with the help a large expiring deal like Allen's. This contract could be just as useful to the Celtics, who may look to get younger this offseason, and would be most likely to do so with the help of this summer's free agent class. But, the Celtics have been playing poorly of late, and may be able to acquire that younger talent before the deadline, giving the team ample time to salvage this season's title hopes. As the Celtics struggled against some of the league's premier competition over the weekend, C's President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge may have been the one initiating the trade-calls. This is a guy who once told Red Auerbach to trade Bird and McHale while they still had value. It was likely laughed off at the time, but after watching the deterioration of the original "Big 3" in the early '90's, it's hard to dispute Ainge's earlier sentiments. Ainge is always searching for ways to improve his club, and if he can find a move that makes both economic, and basketball sense, there's no doubt he'll do it. This guy doesn't get blinded by loyalty, which can lead to bad contracts, and overall poor judgement when running an organization. He is solely focused on improving the team, and that is precislely what every fan should want from their GM. The 6'5" Allen has been a great player for the Celtics, and likely an even greater person for the game of basketball, but the best time to move him may be now, so Celtic's brass is likely kickin' the tires on many possibilities going forward.
