by By GERRY CALLAHAN , The Boston Herald

And your Boston Celtics ? They drafted a kid out of Tennessee-Martin who is older than LeBron James and Kendrick Perkins, two grizzled veterans who are heading into their SEVENTH YEAR IN THE NBA. Many people would like to see players stay in school, but Lester Hudson, who will turn 25 in August, has taken it to a new extreme. The Celts' second-round draft choice spent more time in college than John Blutarsky.

Not that the Celtics could have done any better with the 58th pick in the draft. Indeed, the balance of power in the Eastern Conference is shifting beneath Danny Ainge's feet, and there is very little he can do about it. The Celtics sent their first-round pick to Minnesota as part of the Kevin Garnett deal. They are way over the salary cap so they cannot make an offer to any of the top free agents. And they are not even sure if they can hold on to the role players who helped them to 62 wins last season.

By tomorrow Eddie House may decline to pick up the player option in his contract and be gone. Big Baby Davis, meanwhile, will be free to field offers from other clubs, and if he strikes gold, there is no guarantee the Celtics will match. And we won't speculate on poor Leon Powe, a restricted free agent who will be attempting to come back from a torn ACL.

So it is silly to think the Celtics as currently constituted still are favorites or even co-favorites in the East. That train has left the station, and many sentimental Celts fans are content to sit there like saps and wave goodbye. Oh, we'll just keep the boys together one more season and hope for the best. It is a loser's mentality that has failed this franchise in the past.

The Cavaliers added Shaquille O'Neal and gave up nothing. The Magic acquired Vince Carter, and gave up next to nothing. The Celtics , meanwhile, staggered to the finish line, injured and out of gas, and now many fans would just like to cross their fingers and hope Garnett's surgically repaired knee holds up for a full season.

Not good enough for Ainge, who clearly has the most important characteristic in any successful general manager: He is not a fan. He does not fall in love with his players or his team. He may have been an emotional player, but he checked that emotion at the door when he moved into the front office. He is focused and he is fearless, and more than anyone in the organization, he gives the Celtics a chance at another championship, the same way Bill Belichick gives the Patriots a chance.

There are some big decisions to be made, and here is one thing every Celtics fan can count on: Ainge won't waste a minute wondering how they'll play in the morning papers or what they'll say on the talk shows. In this town, that's a very good thing.

Many Celtics fans were thrilled when Ainge last week said he wasn't trading Rajon Rondo, but why would anyone want his GM to slam the door shut like that? Do you want him falling in love with his players like some kind of pathetic, Mark Cuban-like superfan? Unless he is Chris Wallace or Isiah Thomas - in other words, unless you don't trust the guy - why would you NOTwant him to explore every angle to improve the team?

If he doesn't sign a contract extension before Oct. 31, Rondo will become a restricted free agent one year from tomorrow. And you know all that talk about how stubborn and headstrong the guy is? Well, that's not just on the court or at practice. The problem is that he looks in the mirror and sees Chris Paul - a superstar and max contract guy.

Well, a year ago, Paul signed a three-year contract extension with New Orleans that will pay him $15 million a year. He has a player option for the fourth year at $23 million. Would you give Rondo $68 million over four years GUARANTEED? Ainge would not.

So when Ainge starts talking about a contract extension that will pay Rondo, say, $8 million or $10 million a year, you can expect the Celtics point guard to say, ``Thanks anyway, Dan. We'll wait.''

Ainge doesn't want to wait. He can't afford to wait, which is why he is exploring all the angles right now. Two years ago, the rumored Garnett deal came and went before draft day. The Celtics acquired Ray Allen, but Garnett's agent said his client didn't want to come to Boston. The trade kind of died on the vine.

A month later, out of the blue, Ainge closed the deal. He convinced Garnett to come to Boston, he shipped out then-22-year-old stud Al Jefferson and he rolled the dice. One hundred and eight games later, the Celtics had their 17th banner.

In the end, maybe Ainge won't trade Rondo, but Ainge will do something. He has to. The Cavs and Magic are getting better. The Celtics are getting older. Old Lester Hudson probably won't make the difference. That's up to Ainge.

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