When Irish Eyes Are Not Smiling

For some reason I decided to subject myself to the 2007 NBA Draft last night. Normally, I would be very enthusiastic about the chance to watch future millionaires - many of whom I enjoyed watching play college ball - in colorful, ill-fitting suits with their large moms and entourage in tow on the biggest night of their lives. Throw in analysts such as Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas trotting out cliched terms such as "upside," "wingspan," and "athletic," a smirking Commissioner David Stern at the podium shaking hands and making awkward small talk with each selection, post selection interviews by Stuart "Booyah" Scott with foreign players sans translator (for Scott or the player), and Knicks fan Spike Lee in the audience and the unintentional comedy potential at this event is just off the charts.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers (above left) and G.M. Danny Ainge: Why are these guys smiling?

However, I must admit that my interest in the NBA in general has been adversely affected by the sinking fortunes of my favorite team, the Boston Celtics. The fact that this is the first time they have been written about on this blog should tell you something. Just in the last two weeks alone I have read that current stars Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion and Jermaine O'Neal had no interest in going to Boston via trade, as a desperate Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge tried to make a major deal to placate disgruntled star Paul Pierce. And even though I have long since accepted the fact that the C's are irrelevant in today's NBA, it still sucks to read that three star players don't want to play for your team. Heck, if I were Garnett, Marion or O'Neal I wouldn't want to go there either.

Since winning 16 NBA titles with legends such as Auerbach, Russell, Cousy, Havlicek and Bird, the last in 1986, it has been a steady decline for the C's. While still a contending playoff team in the early 90's and again in the early 00's when they went to the conference finals under Jim O'Brien, there have also been many sub par to god awful years including those under M.L. Carr in the mid 90's lowlighted by a 15-67 record in 1996-97, the worst in team history. Well chronicled by fellow Celtics fan and ESPN.com Page 2 writer Bill Simmons, whose 11th annual NBA draft diary I read earlier today, the franchise has endured one crushing blow after another in the 20 years since its last title. The highlights of the list read as follows:

1) The death of Len Bias (below, left), the 2nd pick in the 1986 draft, of a cocaine overdose.

2) The death of star forward Reggie Lewis (below, right) in 1993 of a heart attack.

3) Despite having the worst record in the league and TWO picks in the first round, not winning the draft lottery and the right to sign forward Tim Duncan (4 rings and counting with the Spurs) with the first pick in the 1997 draft.

4) Despite having the 2nd worst record in the league (and almost a 40% chance at one of the first two picks), falling all the way to the 5th pick and missing out on both Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft.

This list does not even include the disastrous tenures of G.M.'s Rick Pitino and Chris Wallace, where the team doled out mammoth contracts to players such as Vin Baker, Tony Battie, Kenny Anderson, Brian Scalabrine and Mark Blount and passed in the draft on the likes of Kobe Bryant (1996), Jermaine O'Neal (1996), Tracy McGrady (1997) and Richard Jefferson (2001). When Ainge took over as G.M. in 2004 he inherited a mess and to his credit improved things to the point where the team was just good enough to squeak into the playoffs on occasion but not good enough to do any damage. However, 3 years and like 6 rebuilding philosophies later they're just plain bad.

It is almost like the basketball Gods have decided that after decades of good karma and a boat load of titles, that the Celtics now must endure decades of misery. Maybe this is karmic payback for the Patriots recent run of Super Bowl titles and the Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004. If so, as a New England sports fan I'm OK with it. These things go in cycles and my teams can't all be on top at the same time. Right?