A Modest Proposal

First of all, let's address some fan proposals. Recent comments have suggested that the Clippers could obtain Gerald "Crash" Wallace for a humble trade involving Rasual Butler, Craig Smith, Aminu, and a first round draft pick.

Some people might call this a bad deal, citing that Wallace, at the age of 29ish (?) is "only" a one-time all-star. They could say that he's not really a "glue guy," that his 18-20 PPG indicates that he's much more of a scorer. Someone might even say that when you combine his PPG and his 31% career average on 3P%, Wallace becomes an in-the-box type scorer who will clog the lanes and Griffin's spacing. People can say that Aminu will probably become a better player than Wallace.

To all of those naysayers, I say... Well, yeah. That's completely plausible.

But, I also say that Wallace isn't spelled G-o-m-e-s. So this would be a G-r-e-a-t trade. Change is NEEDED! We need to win NOW! (right?)

The arguments against Wallace can be modified and applied to all of the other candidates. Prince is too old, or Detroit would ask for Kaman. Granger would cost too much. Why would Houston trade Battier anyway? I hear these completely logical questions, but i defer them to my red and blue colored glasses. Because, as a Clippers fan, I know that Age doesn't matter. Pay doesn't matter. Whether or not the other team is actually willing to a trade a player, that doesn't matter!

Who needs patience? All I know is that the Clippers should be in the playoffs this year (What was last year’s record, 42-40?). And, if getting there means trading away some of the team's bright, tantalizing, delectable future (young players and draft picks), so be it. I mean, we were so close to the playoffs last year, so this year we should be entitled to a playoff run.

With all of this said, here's the plan. We may not be "one player away," but there's a way around that problem, and it’s better than acquiring any of the aforementioned players:

First, trade Baron Davis, Aminu and the "Minny" pick for Paul Pierce. Pierce fills the gap at small forward quite wonderfully. He's an all-star, an L.A. guy, and a champion.

Of course, trading Baron opens a hole at point guard. So we could then trade Eric Gordon and a first round pick for Rajon Rando.

I KNOW. BUT WHO'S GOING TO BE OUR STARTING SHOOTING GUARD IF WE TRADE GORDON? I'm a step ahead of you. We could offer DeAndre Jordan and expiring contracts for Ray Allen. A this point, Boston will be in a rebuilding mode, so they'd be willing to part with Ray as long as they got smaller contracts and expiring contracts.

Then, could trade Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman for Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Perkins is younger and a better defender than Kaman. And let’s face it, Garnett is a champion and a veteran. Rookie Blake can't compete with Garnett as a proven player. I KNOW. Blake will undoubtedly become a far better player than Garnett. But we're talking about winning NOW, remember?

Now, i have to admit, I'm not entirely sure that these numbers work. but, they do in a general sense. And both teams win.

The Clippers get a Starting line-up of Rando, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and Perkins.

The Celtics get Baron, Gordon, Aminu, Griffin, and Kaman (and don’t forget about DJ and the draft picks).

The Clippers will compete this year, the NOW. And, they'll probably be competitive for the next year or so.

The Celtics get a roster full of amazing young talent. They can take a year or two to fully groom Blake and Eric, and they can invest in DJ and Aminu. As long as Boston is patient, as long as they don't trade away their valuable youth, who know's how high their ceiling is?

I know one thing, Boston would have nothing to complain about. Remember, they wouldn't have to trade for Ryan Gomes... He'd make their team unbearable. He'd probably ruin the team chemistry and most definitely ruin the potential. They'd definitely have to make a change.