Celtics take big step forward with Szczerbiak deal 

	Wally Szczerbiak's 41 percent shooting from the 3-point line should open up space on the floor for new teammate Paul Pierce. David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

One of my favorite movie lines comes from Dumb and Dumber, the scene in which Lloyd informs Harry that he just sold his pimped out "Shaggin Wagon" for a miniature crotch rocket. Harry responds by telling Lloyd, "just when I thought you couldn't be any dumber; you go out and do something like this ... and totally redeem yourself!"

That's how I feel about Celtics GM Danny Ainge right now.

I'll admit it, I've been down on Ainge recently. In my estimation, he took over a contending franchise and dismantled it by trading proven, veteran talent for promising youngsters with limited resumes.

Not this time. This time, Ainge made a move that made sense.

By dealing Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks, and Justin Reed (along with two second round picks) for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a conditional first-round pick, Ainge addressed a host of roster problems with one decisive move. They are as follows:

• Get Blount out of town. He had a fantastic finish to the 2003-04 season, averaging 12.4 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 55.2 percent from the field after Jan 1. That production earned him the six-year, $41 million contract that has been an albatross around the Celtics' neck from the moment he signed it. Blount was never on the same page as coach Doc Rivers, who loved Blount's offensive production, but couldn't live with his lackluster defense and anemic rebounding (4.2 rpg this season). Olowokandi (6.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg) is hardly an improvement, but his $5.9 million salary comes off the books at the end of the year and the 7-0 Kandi Man still has value in a sign and trade.

• Ricky Davis was not the answer. When Boston acquired Davis in '03, I asked an Eastern Conference assistant about the talented but troubled Davis. His response? "Has Ricky Davis ever been on a team that's won anything?" Davis is a superior athlete, arguably the most-skilled offensive player on the team, but his slashing game did not complement the aggressive Paul Pierce. Davis was a model citizen (relatively speaking) with the Celtics, but his history of flare ups in Cleveland and Charlotte, as well as the $13 million remaining on his contract the next two seasons, made this part of the deal a no-brainer.

• Get Wally. Szczerbiak isn't Larry Bird, but he might be the best pure shooter to come down Causeway St. since the Legend left town. Szczerbiak instantly upgrades the Celtics from the perimeter and his 3-point shooting should open up lanes for Pierce that were previously closed down by teams collapsing in the paint. Szczerbiak's contract ($36 million over the next three seasons) is a tough pill to swallow, but it'll be woth it if his exile from Minnesota motivates him to return to his '02 All-Star form.

• Gimme that first round pick. First rounders have value; no two ways about it. They can be packaged in trades or used to fill holes in a roster. The Celtics are hardly in need of more young talent, but with the Timberwolves in a free fall and Kevin Garnett rumored to be on the trading block, that pick could prove extremely valuable down the line.

Does the move make the Celtics contenders? Not a chance. But Ainge has taken a positive step in the right direction, both in the present and in the long term. Perhaps the only person Ainge owes an explanation to now is Celtics equipment manager/nickname guru John Conner, who is famous for dropping catchy monikers like "The Golden Boy" (Gerald Green) and "Roy Hobbs" (Paul Pierce) on his players. Can't wait to hear what he does with a guy named Szczerbiak.