Posted By: LYNN WORTHY, Sun Staff

You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t shed tears over the trade that sent Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, and Justin Reed to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, and Dwayne Jones.

Short and sweet: the Celtics got better and the trade should allow them the flexibility to continue to improve as a basketball team.

Now, if you actually believe former teammates Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale made the trade just for the sake of making a trade, you’re just plain wrong. And I mean drafting Sam Bowie before Michael Jordan, trading Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac, selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees, wrong.

First, the Celtics turn the ball over more than any other team in the NBA besides the New York Knicks. Turnovers are the most multifaceted ways to lose games. They kill comebacks, cough up leads, allow weaker teams to stay in the game, and they pave the way for blowouts. The fact of the matter is, Paul Pierce, Davis, and Blount were all among the top 25 players in the NBA for turnovers per game.

Sorry folks, the blame for all those turnovers can’t be placed at the feet of Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, and no one was going to ship Pierce out.

Next, Blount and Banks had both been rumored to be on their way out of town for weeks. Banks could see the writing on the wall with Tony Allen getting more minutes. Rivers admitted during a pre-game interview on AM 680 that it had gotten to a point where having Blount and Marcus Banks in the locker room, amidst reports that trades were imminent, was having a negative impact on the team. A young team isn’t going to benefit from the influence of unhappy and unwanted players.

Also, don’t overlook the fact that the trade also resulted from a numbers crunch. Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Brian Scalabrine, Ryan Gomes, Raef LaFrentz, Blount, and Reed, were all front court players that the Celtics wanted to see play. The only solution was to thin out the pack, or as Celtics general manager Danny Ainge says, eliminate the “clutter.‿ Now, the Celtics can put guys like Jefferson, Perkins, and Gomes on the floor, and all those fans who were begging for a consistent rotation can finally get their wish.

As far as dollars and sense (yes sense, not cents), the Celtics got rid of Blount’s contract that would have run roughly $5 million annually through 2009-2010. They added Olowokandi, a.k.a. 7-feet and 270 pounds of underachieving former first overall draft pick, but his contract will be off the books after this season. Szczerbiak’s $9 million per year will run through 2008-2009, but he’s also bringing 20.1 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, 49 percent field goal percentage, and 40 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. He’ll be a pure shooter that can force defenses to defend the entire court, opening some room for Pierce as well as Jefferson in the post. Dwayne Jones will spend the season in Florida of the Developmental league.

Szczerbiak supposedly had a rift with Kevin Garnett in Minnesota, and only time will tell if that rears it‘s head in Boston, but he said the right things tonight after his first game with the Celtics. “We’re going to make each other better,‿ Szczerbiak said of Celtics captain Paul Pierce.

For those fans still weeping in their beer, dry your eyes. It won’t take long for the first reunion. The Celtic play at Minnesota on Monday night.

Side Notes:

- During the Celtics telecast, Danny Ainge said a trade for Ron Artest was explored, but the Pacers' asking price would have included guys like Jefferson and Delonte West.

- Ricky Davis had 26 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 36 minutes during his first game with the Timberwolves. Wally Szczerbiak had 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists in 24 minutes in his Celtics debut.