In scanning the grades below, one might take note of the fact there are some fairly high marks for a team that was clearly flawed in several ways.

That's because these grades are given in relation to the player's capability. And that means the Celtics roster as assembled wasn't good enough to win the East. The Celts took a step back from last season, and we knew even then they had a long way to go to catch up to the better clubs in the Western Conference. The way is now longer because previous ownership drew a financial line in the sand on Rodney Rogers and Chris Wallace decided getting Vin Baker was better than doing nothing.

Both premises seemed foolhardy at the time. Now they seem insane.