Embrace The Change - A Call For Unity
"The only thing constant in life is change." - François de la Rochefoucauld
More than a day has passed since the dramatic turn of events that shocked the entire city of Boston and Celtic fans worldwide. Within 24 hours of the trade deadline, the Green and White community found themselves in a myriad of emotions that I think fans in other NBA teams would find hard to relate.
Danny Ainge struck a nerve in the epicenter of the Celtic core.
You've probably heard one side say express their disgust for what happened. Rebuilding (more like revamping) midway in the season wasn't something that all of us were expecting. More so, involving someone like Kendrick Perkins. Nate, I probably can take. As for Semih, wow. KG lost one mentee there.
And just like that, a lot have been questioning the validity of "It's All About 18". One even kidded that maybe the Celtics were referring to 2018, and not an 18th championship. Point taken. From one angle, it's seemingly looking that way.
More than a day has passed since the dramatic turn of events that shocked the entire city of Boston and Celtic fans worldwide. Within 24 hours of the trade deadline, the Green and White community found themselves in a myriad of emotions that I think fans in other NBA teams would find hard to relate.
Danny Ainge struck a nerve in the epicenter of the Celtic core.
You've probably heard one side say express their disgust for what happened. Rebuilding (more like revamping) midway in the season wasn't something that all of us were expecting. More so, involving someone like Kendrick Perkins. Nate, I probably can take. As for Semih, wow. KG lost one mentee there.
And just like that, a lot have been questioning the validity of "It's All About 18". One even kidded that maybe the Celtics were referring to 2018, and not an 18th championship. Point taken. From one angle, it's seemingly looking that way.
Then there's the other side that says it was a good move by DA, because when you look at the bigger picture and come up with a thorough analysis ... Boston definitely needs a major shake-up. And someone to make the bold moves quickly. Danny's obviously not just preparing for this season, but two to three years down the road as well. Their call is for everyone to relax, take it easy and let's first give this roster a test drive before we all come to our conclusions.
Which brings us to this present moment ... with our "enhanced" roster.
While I personally didn't like what happened, the only way I could get on with it is to accept it and move on. None of those "ifs", "buts", or "maybes". As someone said, "embrace the change because change is all you've got."
Now that's hard if you're a Boston Celtic fan. Because we don't just have players. We have a family. We are a brotherhood. And "losing" an old reliable and new hotshots hurts us to the bone. Whether or not it was a smart decision isn't the issue in this case. And I'm very sure the players and even the management know what I mean.
But we've got to embrace the change, regardless of whatever happened and will happen in the weeks to come. It's still an uphill climb and it doesn't get any better from here.
Most, if not all of us still have questions, concerns and valid arguments to make - but perhaps just possibly, we could reserve that for a later date (the offseason maybe?).
But not now. Not when we're still leading in the East, not when the Heat are rolling, not when the Knicks are "melo-ing", not when the Spurs and Mavs are running, not when Dwight Howard looks a bit more frightening, and not when Kobe's cuddling his all-star MVP trophy and smiling. The playoffs are just around the corner and we have a mission to accomplish. The Big 4 is still here to stay and along with their supporting cast, the Boston Celtics still have more than a valid shot at an 18th championship.
All of us will have to roll with the punches. The past is the past for now, but it can still haunt us back (translation: Perk might just find himself back in Beantown) ... But for now, we've got to get all those hints and theories out of the picture. We've got a title to win. And I'm not going to sit here wondering and whining all day on what might have been.
Whatever happens, as Doc Rivers said, we still do this together. Together, together, together!
For a united Boston Celtics. For Banner 18.
(p.s. to Perk, WHEN we win in the Finals, you're still going to get your ring.)