Unless the Celtics bring in another center before the 2011-12 season begins, 33-year old Jermaine O’Neal looks like the starter. O’Neal played in 24 games (10 starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 18.0 minutes, 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 886 games (656 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 28.1 minutes, 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game.  The Celtics hope that O’Neal has something left in the gas tank.

35-year old power forward Kevin Garnett is starting to show his age a little bit, but the Celtics hope he has enough left in the gas tank to have another solid year for them in 2011-12.  Garnett played in 71 games (all starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  He has now played in 1,195 games (1,158 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 36.7 minutes, 19.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  The Celtics drafted 22-year old power forward JaJuan Johnson out of Purdue in the first round of the NBA Draft last June.  They hope that he will be able to provide Garnett a break on most nights in 2011-12.

34-year old small forward Paul Pierce keeps rolling along for the Boston Celtics.  He played in 80 games (all starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Pierce has now played in 964 games (961 starts) in his career with the Celtics and he is averaging 37.0 minutes, 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Pierce is one of the best players in the history of the Boston Celtics and he will look to add to his legacy in 2011-12.

36-year old shooting guard Ray Allen is back for more in 2011-12 for the Celtics.  He played in 80 games (all starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 36.1 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Allen shot an amazing 44.4% from three point range last year for the Celtics as his shot is still there.  Allen has now played in 1,102 games (1,099 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 37.0 minutes, 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  I think he’s going to have another solid year for the Celtics.  As of right now, his backup would be rookie 2nd round pick E’Twaun Moore.  22-year old E’Twaun Moore was a solid offensive player in college, but it will be interesting to see how he handles playing in the NBA.

25-year old point guard Rajon Rondo is the player who makes it all go for the Boston Celtics.  He played in 68 games (all starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 37.2 minutes, 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.  Rondo has now played in 384 games (331 starts) in his first five years with the Celtics and he is averaging 32.0 minutes, 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  Rondo makes everyone on the Celtics better with his pinpoint passing and he is the best defensive player on the team without a doubt.

20-year old Avery Bradley had issues as a rookie last year.  He played in 30 games (0 starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 5.4 minutes, 1.7 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Bradley only shot 34.3% from the floor, 0% from three point range and 50% from the free throw line as a rookie last year.  In fairness to Bradley, he didn’t get consistent P.T. to show what he could do.  It will be interesting to see if the Celtics sign a veteran to back up Rondo, or if they give Bradley a shot to play more in 2011-12.

49-year old Doc Rivers thought long and hard before deciding to return as the head coach of the Celtics in 2010-11. He wanted to start spending more time with his family be he decided to postpone that decision for at least one more year. Rivers led the Celtics to a 50-32 (61%) record during the regular season and he was 15-9 (62.5%) in the post season as the Celtics lost in seven games in the NBA Finals. In Rivers six years with the Celtics he has compiled a 280-212 (56.9%) during the regular season and he is 41-30 (57.7%) during the post season. Rivers led the Celtics to the NBA Championship during the 2007-08 season and he’s hungry to get them back for another shot this year. Rivers has a career record of 451-380 (54.3%) during the regular season in his NBA career and he is 46-40 (53.5%) in the post season. Rivers’ biggest job will be watching minutes this year to have his team ready for another championship run.

32-year old Jermaine O’Neal and 38-year old Shaquille O’Neal will share the center position with Kendrick Perkins out for more than the first half of the 2010-11 season. Jermaine O’Neal will likely play more than half of the game at center. He played in 70 games (70 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 28.4 minutes, 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Jermaine O’Neal has now played in 862 games (646 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.4 minutes, 14.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Jermaine O’Neal will likely get 25-30 minutes at center this year.

Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t healthy most of the year for the Cavaliers but when he played he looked good still. Shaq played in 53 games (all starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 23.4 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 1,170 games (1,161 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 35.2 minutes, 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game. Shaq is likely only going to get 20-25 minutes a night but I think he will be effective.

25-year old Kendrick Perkins tore up his knee in the NBA Finals last season and he won’t be back for quite a while. Perkins played in 78 games (all starts) for the Celtics last season and he averaged 27.6 minutes, 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.7 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 442 games (328 starts) in his 7 years with the Celtics and he has averaged 22.2 minutes, 6.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.4 blocked shots per game. This injury was a bad break for Perkins as he had his best year of his career in 2009-10 for the Celtics.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CELTICS CENTERS IN 2010-11: B

34-year old Kevin Garnett is the present and 24-year old Glen “Big Baby” Davis is the future at power forward for the Celtics. K.G. played in 69 games (all starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 29.9 minutes, 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Garnett has now played in 1,124 games (1,087 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 37.1 minutes, 19.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Even though Garnett is nowhere near as good as he was with the T-Wolves, he’s still a very good power forward.

Glen Davis played in 54 games (1 start) for the Celtics last season and he averaged 17.3 minutes, 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 199 games (18 starts) in his three years with the Celtics and he has averaged 17.6 minutes, 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. “Big Baby” needs to stay healthy this year for the Celtics so that they can watch K.G.’s minutes and keep him healthy.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CELTICS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A-

33-year old Paul Pierce just keeps rolling along for the Celtics. He played in 71 games (all starts) for the Celtics last season and he averaged 34.0 minutes, 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has now played in 884 games (881 starts) for the Boston Celtics and he has averaged 37.3 minutes, 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. While Pierce might not be able to carry the Celtics anymore….he doesn’t have to as the team is loaded with veteran talent. I see no reason to think that he won’t have another good year in 2010-11.

22-year old rookie Luke Harangody could get a chance to back up Pierce this year. He played in 30 games (25 starts) for Notre Dame last season and he averaged 21.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He played in 129 games (108 starts) in his four years in college and he averaged 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Marquis Daniels also could get some playing time at small forward as well as shooting guard in 2010-11.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CELTICS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A-

The Celtics re-signed 35-year old shooting guard Ray Allen to a 2-year deal with the hope that he still has something left. He played well enough last season to warrant the risk that the Celtics are taking with him. Allen played in 80 games (all starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 35.2 minutes, 16.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Allen has now played in 1,022 games (1,019 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 37.1 minutes, 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. As long as Ray Allen still has his nice soft jump shot he will be a asset for the Celtics.

29-year old Marquis Daniels is back to give Allen a rest once in a while. Daniels played in 51 games (4 starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 18.4 minutes, 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He has now played in 402 games (113 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 22.9 minutes, 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Daniels probably could have gotten more money and minutes from another team but he came back to the Celtics to try to win a ring.

25-year old Von Wafer didn’t play in the NBA last season. He last played in the NBA in 2008-09 with the Houston Rockets. Wafer has now played in 109 games (11 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 13.3 minutes, 6.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. I think he will do a decent job for the Celtics whenever he’s on the court which likely won’t be much in 2010-11.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CELTICS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: B