History teaches us some old lessons

People are wondering what, if anything, Danny Ainge is going to do. Is this season salvageable? Does he play it out with the Big Three? Does he break it up, blow it up, or simply market somebody - specifically Ray Allen, who is not the consistent player of even last season, but who has that juicy expiring contract in a year when teams are eyeing the free agent crop of 2010?

If Danny allows this group to age together, can they get through the rest of this season with heads held high, let alone survive the next one?

As always in this town, history serves as a handy guide. Once upon a time, there was another Big Three, all over 30, coming off a championship. And there was a far more sentimental attachment to that trio than there is to this one. For in that instance, two of the Big Three were megastars on their way to being Celtic lifers while the third guy was a pretty darn big star on his way to spending 14 years in a Boston uniform, and was absolutely as beloved a family member as the other two.

There was even a Rasheed figure in the mix by the name of Bill Walton. In 1985-86, the 33-year-old Bill Walton, who had not been able to suit up for more than 65 games in any previous NBA season because of a variety of lower-extremity injuries, played in 80 of 82 regular-season games and all 18 playoff games as the Celtics went 67-15 and 15-3, respectively, winning the championship. Walton was the Sixth Man of the Year, the extra ingredient that, in my view, made the 1985-86 Celtics squad the greatest in NBA history.

The following fall, Walton somehow injured his ankle while riding an exercise bike in the preseason and missed all but 10 regular-season games. He was essentially useless in the playoffs - had he been even 60 percent of his old self, the Celtics might have defeated the Lakers in the Finals - and he retired.