Celtics, 1986 to Present

Chad Finn's Touching All the Bases: Reeling in the years

The Celtics are Back

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett pumps his fist to his chest before the start of the basketball game with the Los Angeles Clippers in Minneapolis in this Nov. 25, 2006 file photo. Garnett is leaving Minnesota after the Boston Celtics agreed to acquire the All-Star forward in a multiplayer trade with the Timberwolves, a Celtics official told The Associated Press on Monday, July 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Andy King, File)

In a big way. Today's news of the signing of Kevin Garnett may change my opinion of Danny Ainge (formerly, I thought of him as the dumbest of the former Celtics). The Celtics have been boring and horrible to watch since the departure of Antoine Walker, and they weren't even that great then. Last year, riddled with injuries, they were pathetic. Now we'll find out if Paul Pierce is really a superstar. Garnett certainly is. And Ainge got him for "the Al Jefferson pu pu platter deluxe" (credit to Bill Simmons of ESPN for that delicious bon mot). Game on.

Boston Globe: The big one
Celtics agree on deal to land Garnett

Boston Globe: Jackie MacMullan
Move is just the ticket for once-proud team

Boston Herald: C’s cash in ‘Big Ticket’

Chad Finn's TATB: I think I'll go to Boston/I think I'll start a new life

[] Garnett might be the most dedicated superstar in the game, a selfless, driven, all-around force who plays as hard in a mid-January grinder in Utah as he would against Tim Duncan in the second round of the playoffs. Garnett cares, dammit, and he plays his heart out every freakin' night no matter what . . . Maybe this is hyperbole brought on by the joy and magnitude of the moment, but no matter, because I believe it to be true: Through sheer force of will, Garnett is capable of restoring Celtic Pride, and the alleged and lapsed Celtics fans who don't know this about him are going to be leaping on the bandwagon once they realize what a treat it is to watch this guy play night after night . . .

Bill Simmons, ESPNPage 2: McHale adds another notch to his Celtics legacy

My NBA guide claims that McHale retired from the Celtics in 1993, but apparently that's a misprint. How else could you explain his decision to trade Kevin Garnett to Boston for the Al Jefferson pu pu platter deluxe?