Draft looming

If the they know what’s best for them, and if the ping pong balls fall their way, the Celtics should select J.J. Redick with their first-round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. The Duke senior and the ACC’s all-time leading scorer is the best shooter on the planet, and he will compliment Paul Pierce and Boston’s core of young big men better than any other player in the draft.

With their record at 29-42, the Celtics trail Philadelphia by four games and appear destined for the lottery, meaning that they are likely to end up with a pick somewhere between six and 10 in this year’s draft. Hoopshype.com currently has Redick projected as the sixth pick in the draft; NBADraft.net has him at 11th. He will likely be chosen somewhere in between.

Redick’s detractors (does anyone in America have more detractors than J.J. Redick?) will argue that he is soft, cocky, and “only a shooter.” But all of that criticism is based on image rather than substance. I’ll admit, he annoys me, too, but personal feelings aside, all J.J. Redick does is bring it every night.

There isn’t a better shooter out there than Redick (Ray Allen may be the best shooter currently in the NBA, but he’s not likely to be available in this year’s draft). Redick averaged 28 points per game this season and shot 43.4 percent from beyond the arc. There’s no need to worry about him adjusting to the NBA three-point line; his range extends outside of the gym. Redick is also the career free-throw percentage leader in the NCAA.

Some question Redick’s ability to put it on the floor, but he’s gotten stronger, and tougher, playing four years of ACC basketball. If there is a player in the country who takes more physical abuse from opponents and more mental abuse from fans than Redick, I want to meet him. And despite all of that, Redick has still managed to fill it up. In a conference that has seen its share of great players, Redick’s 2,587 points are more than anyone else’s.

Celtics fans will view this draft class and pine for the freakish talents of UConn’s Rudy Gay, the untapped potential of Italy’s Andrea Bargnani, or the bulk and grace of Texas’s Lamarcus Aldridge. All are fine players, but all are likely to be gone when the Celtics come to bat with the eighth pick (or thereabouts).

With those players gone, the Celtics will be forced to choose between swingmen like Rodney Carney and Ronnie Brewer, point guards like Marcus Williams and Rajon Rondo, or unproven centers like Patrick O’Bryant. None of these players fits Boston’s needs as much as Redick.

Drafting a swingman makes absolutely no sense for Boston. They have one of the best in the NBA in Paul Pierce and two young slashers with tremendous upside in Tony Allen and Gerald Green. They don’t need another one.

The Celtics also don’t need a point guard. Delonte West has established himself as the point guard of the future in Boston, and the Celtics would be better served bringing in a veteran backup with NBA experience than another point man who will need 2-3 years of grooming.

And then there are the big men. Kendrick Perkins. Ryan Gomes and Al Jefferson are the future of the Celtics frontcourt, and the Celtics have invested a good deal of time and effort into their development. Boston is indeed weak up front, but there are two solutions to that problem that make more sense then drafting another young big man. If the Celtics are too impatient to wait for Perkins and Jefferson, they should trade one of them (along with Green) for an established big man like Chris Bosh.

When you whittle away all of these external factors, you are left with one glaring solution: Redick is the right man for the job. Just imagine opposing defenses doubling down on Pierce in the post with Wally Szczerbiak in one corner and Redick in the other. Think of how much more space Redick will free up for Perkins and Jefferson under the basket. And think of how much more effective the Celtics will be in crunch time with both Pierce and Redick ready to fire at will.

I know this will be an unpopular opinion here in Boston College country, but no other move makes sense for Boston this year. Danny, if you know what’s best for you, take the kid from Duke with your first-round pick.