Celtics finally have the Cool Factor

I'm not as convinced as others that the Boston Celtic trades for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett will automatically return them to their glory days of the 60s or even the 80s. If you look at Allen and Garnett's +/- numbers, neither has been much of a difference maker on the court throughout their careers, and that includes the times when they have had decent supporting casts. Besides which, of the new Big Three of Allen, Garnett, and Paul Pierce, Pierce is the only one who has shown any propensity to take the ball to the basket or do the dirty work necessary to win games.

That said, the one thing the Celtics will certainly be is cool. If you asked me last season to name the 3 coolest players in the NBA, I would have said Garnett, Allen, and Dwayne Wade (for some reason, I just don't find Kobe, LeBron, or Shaq all that cool. Kobe and LeBron are too self important, and Shaq, at this point, seems like a caricature of himself). The first two, especially, have that sort of effortless charisma on the court that makes them compelling to watch. And now the Celtics have both of them in Kelly Green.

The New Cool Celtics, of course, will stand in stark contrast to those who remember the Old Uncool Celtic teams of the 80s. The 80s Celtics were rugged, dynamic, talented, successful... but they were the very antithesis of cool. I remember because I used to tool around the playgrounds in a #33 Larry Bird jersey and used to catch extreme hell for it. And remember how odd Larry Bird looked in the early 90s when he succumbed to fashion and started wearing those baggy shorts? Ugh! Its brutal to look at even now on ESPN Classic.

So next season, to see such a huge cool factor sporting the same kelly green and white of those great, but uncool, players of the past will almost be something of a culture shock for me.

Footnote: I'm sure many will question my ranking of Ray Allen amongst the top 3 coolest players in the NBA. I admit some bias there. But remember, he was Jesus Shuttleworth, so he's got that whole Hollywood thing working too.