In some circles it's going to look like a status quo decision, or action by inaction.

But if Danny Ainge really wants to get to the meat of the challenge facing the Celtics over the next year - finding talent with low draft picks and no cap space - then signing coach Jim O'Brien to an extension and accepting the fact that Antoine Walker wasn't going anywhere are indeed the first steps.

Ainge would love to pare down the salaries on this team, but faces one immovable boulder of a problem.

In Walker, Paul Pierce and Vin Baker, he has three maximum salaries and only two maximum performance players.