The Celtics were a pretty good team last season, even though their season didn't end with the same outcome it did in 2008: they didn't win the championship. They started the season with an unbelievable 27-2 record and during the process, they had a 19-game winning streak. However, we already know what happened to Kevin Garnett's knee and the Celtics with a short rotation couldn't go through a tough and deep postseason. Before analyzing the new Celtics' roster for this season, let me praise the toughness and team chemistry that the Celtics showed last season after Garnett's injury. They ended up the regular season with a 18-7 record without KG and in the playoffs, they lost against the eventual Eastern Conference champs Orlando Magic in a game 7, despite playing the whole series with a rotation of just 8 players, with Stephon Marbury being the 8th player. Also in the first round, they battled 7 games against the Bulls in the most remarkable first round series ever, so we have to praise this team for what they did last season.

Going now for this season, there are two main areas where the Celtics are worried about: aging and lack of depth. Their main core (and I am including Rasheed Wallace in here) has another year on their belts and let's not forget that Paul Pierce is 31 years old, KG 33, Allen 34 and Sheed 35 and these guys have a lot battles and miles on their backs. Unfortunately the injuries are an enemy for these guys and the Celtics fans are praying for everything to go right this season, as they won't have many opportunities to bring another Championship to Boston soon.

Last season's lack of depth was a huge problem for the Celtics and GM Danny Ainge had the challenge to equip the Celtics with a better and deeper bench. This problem is vital for the Celtics because Doc Rivers knows that the "big 3" will need some rest and the goal is for them to end the season averaging in the low 30's minutes per game. For that purpose, Ainge signed free agent Rasheed Wallace and he can be a great addition to the Celtics' bench. Technically, the Celtics just swap Leon Powe for Sheed Wallace, but while Powe is a young kid with a lot to learn, Wallace is a proved veteran player who can score inside and out and he is also a resilient defensive player. The Celtics aren't a developing team and Wallace will have an immediate impact, as let's also not forget that although Kevin Garnett is apparently healthy going into this training camp, he will need some time to be the "old" KG and Wallace is a safe play to cover KG's numbers early on the season.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis will complement Wallace in the strongest frontcourt in the league coming off the bench. Davis assumed a key roll last season since Kevin Garnett got injured and in the playoffs, he averaged 15.8 points per game and 5.6 rpg, while shooting almost 50% from the field. Certainly we all remember that buzzer beat shot from him against the Orlando Magic. He will continue his maturation this season and the Celtics will count with him to belong in the future of the organization.

For the backcourt, Danny Ainge re-signed Eddie House and also signed former Pacers forward Marquis Daniels, who is coming from a solid season with the Pacers, in which he averaged 13.6 points per game. His versatility should provide a nice mix of size and ball handling for the Celtics coming off the bench. Eddie House is a terrific 3pts shooter, but he can't guard bigger guards and he isn't a good ball handler as well, so Marquis will surely help the Celtics in these areas. The Celtics had only in Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen serviceable backups for the backcourt last season and so, this unit will be a better and deeper unit this season than it was last season.

The Celtics' starting unit will be the same of the last couple of seasons and this is a sign of their consistency. I think that I don't need to 'waste' much time in speaking about the Big 3 because we already know how good Pierce, Allen and Garnett are and how well they complement each other. Paul Pierce topped last season the mark of 20 ppg once again and he shot 83 % from the charity line and almost 40% behind the arc. Ray Allen shot 40.9% behind the arc and set a career high of hitting 95.2 % from the charity stripe and Kevin Garnett shot 53.1 % from the field, with a remarkable 84.1 % clip from the charity stripe. The only condition in here for these guys to have another great season is their health and that's the vital key of this franchise.

Kendrick Perkins is the most underrated player in this team and he should deserve more respect and attention from the media. To make things easy on him, I need just to say that the Celtics didn't need any extra guy to keep it up with Dwight Howard in the Eastern Conference semis last season. Perkins went 1 on 1 with Howard and did a solid job (The Cavs certainly wished Perkins to be in their roster in the ECF). In 10 of 14 postseason games, Perkins scored in double figures even though his shoulder was never at 100%. The fact that Doc Rivers said that Perkins will be their starting center even with Sheed Wallace on the team is the proof of how important Perkins is for the team.

Finally the Celtics have Rajon Rondo and Rondo was the player that most developed since the Big 3 arrived in Boston. Probably there isn't in this league a player with the same speed and decisiveness as Rajon Rondo. He finished the regular season with 11.9 points per game shooting above the 50% clip mark, he averaged 5.3 rebounds per game, had 1.9 steals per game and 8.2 assists per game - he finished the season ranking fifth in the assists rate. In the playoffs, Rondo exploded and he was the most decisive player of the Celtics: 16.9 points per game, 9.8 assists per game and 9.7 rebounds per game are insane numbers! However, he desperately needs to improve his mid/long range shots, as he has career numbers of 63.5% from the charity stripe and only 27.1 % behind the arc. At some point of the season, the Celtics' opponents decided to let Rondo alone in the perimeter because they knew that Rondo wasn't reliable far from the basket. Rondo has the tools to become an all star player, but in this system he has a different role and the Celtics will need him to be consistent in each given night.

The Celtics are a secure lock in their division and they will for sure battle for the best record in the East along with the Cavs and the Magic. They have the pedigree to fight for the Championship, but the health of their best players will be one of their toughest opponents this season.