With the new nucleus of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Boston opened the season going 29-3. Read that again — 29-3. They didn't lose their fourth game until Jan. 9, which was their 33rd game of the season.
This year, though Rajon Rondo's marked improvement makes him a member of the "Big Four," the Celtics lost their third game in … the third game of the year. They lost game No. 4 in just the eighth game of the season.
As the defending-champion Mavericks roll into Boston on Wednesday, the Celtics sit at an uncomfortable 4-4 record. They're obviously still loaded with talent, but they're missing a number of elements from that championship season — namely, youth.
While Garnett, Pierce and Allen aren't getting any younger, they still could be valuable on the trade market. Likewise, a youthful and explosive Rondo could net the Celtics a bevy of pieces that could help complete a team.
It's early in the season, sure, and you shouldn't be hitting the panic button, but do you think the Celtics would benefit by trading a member of the Big Four?
