BunkoSquad

12 (tie). Jumaine Jones and Yogi Stewart. Thanks for the memory, guys. If you're still on the team next year, I give up.

11. Chris Mihm. Proving there's always room in the NBA for a 7-foot white guy, Mihm provided a list of season highlights I can count on one hand. He's big and willing to bump people down low, though, so I guess there's a job for him somewhere next year. I frankly don't care if it's here, though.

10. Kendrick Perkins. All upside. Played only 35 minutes this year. I'm a little leery of Celtics youngsters who don't get any minutes, and whose names start with "K" and end with "drick".

9. Walter McCarty. We all love Walter. Really. But he's gone from a great defensive player with suprising shooting range, to a decent defender who will only take one shot. When your starting power forward (and that says something right there) won't take the ball inside the 3-point line, you've got issues.

8. Brandon Hunter. I'd like to keep the kid around; he's a fearless big guy who seems to love to rebound. That said, if the right trade comes along, I won't gripe.

7. Jiri Welsch. Showed flashes of brilliance early in the year. Just flashes. Then he settled down into a fairly dull routine of 4-for-11's and head-scratching turnovers. Danny seems to think of Jiri as a young Czech version of himself; maybe if Jiri played alongside the '86 Celtics, we'd see that's true.

6. Raef LaFrentz. Incomplete grade. Get healthy, big guy.

5. Chucky Atkins. There's not a chance he'll still be here when the Celtics get back to the Finals (I wonder if the Fleet Center will still be here for that), but he showed enough skill and leadership for me to want him to stay around for the transition. He may be a good mentor for Banks; after the Era of Shoot-First Point Guards, Chucky was a refreshingly unselfish floor general.

4. Marcus Banks. I've said it, but I'll go on record here. Banks is two years away from being one of the league's elite point guards. Tons of speed, and learning to play at an NBA level. So, the Celtics being what they are, the fans in Seattle or Toronto should have a great chance to watch Marcus after he gets traded.

3. Ricky Davis. Globe columnist Bob Ryan says Ricky is the Continental Divide between old-school, traditionalist basketball fans and hype-jaded kids. I disagree. Ricky's brash, energetic, unafraid, cool -- all the kinds of things old-schoolers are supposed to disdain -- but my Dad and I (both old-school fans) look at him and see hustle, nonstop energy, and ferocious defense. Sure we're wary of the fact that Ricky's been traded about 56 times since he came in the league. But when he's in the game, you pay a little closer attention.

2. Mark Blount. Hardly worth writing about, since the second the season's over, he's likely to be on the phone with Jim O'Brien (who nurtured Blount into a bona-fide starter), making plans to go to Philly next season. And it's a shame. Blount has made one of the most remarkable transitions I've ever seen, going from garbage-time fodder to (seriously) the third best center in the East. His natural skills aren't up there with Jermaine O'Neal or Ben Wallace, but his hustle and his determination keep him focused and contributing. We'll miss you, Mark.

Finally, 1. Paul Pierce. I don't know what to say. It's written on Paul's face that this season has been as trying and as glum for him as it has for us. I hope Danny's not instituting the 90's Red Sox "Let's Make Our Superstars Miserable" plan, or we'll see him out the door the first chance he gets. The plan, as late as 8 months ago, was to build a team around Pierce and Walker -- two guys who really seemed to like and feed off one another. Now Antoine's gone, they haven't built anything around Paul, and teams can zero in on him (like Ron Artest), shut him off, and destroy the Celtics. And Paul looks like he wants to go home so badly, it's depressing.

I hope Ainge has a plan. This is his team now, for better or worse. He's got exactly six months left of the benefit of the doubt. I hope he has a plan.