Krause: There’s been a seismic shift in the landscape

Danny Ainge swears this is what the Celtics should have done in the late 1980s when it became evident that the Larry Bird-led era was coming to a close.Ainge, the current GM of the Celtics, felt the organization was way too slow on the uptake in recognizing the demise of the original “Big Three.”And he vowed he wouldn’t make the same mistake.He hasn’t. But to all those who say “blow it up” at the slighest sign of regression, you’ve got your wish. Is is about as thorough a “blowing up” as there is.It’s almost irrelevant to even worry about who the Celtics got in this trade to the Brooklyn Nets. The players coming here don’t matter. They’re not part of the rebuilding process. They are transitory figures to keep the chairs (and maybe even the court) warm while Ainge goes about the arduous task of rebuilding.It won’t be easy. The Celtics have a couple of things going against them when it comes to attracting free agents. First, the weather’s horrible in the winter. Nobody wants to spend three months out of the season shivering. The second is the city’s reputation – sometimes deserved, more often not – of being racist. And now, third, no Doc Rivers.Guys wanted to play for Doc. He was seen as an honest, fair and consistent man whose only expectations were that you do it his way. It wasn’t a lot to ask, even though – periodically – it seemed to daunt Rajon Rondo.Paul Pierce has been with the Celtics since the 1990s, and will probably have his number hung up, along with the other Celtics greats, on the rafters. It’ll be strange indeed to see them take the court next October without “The Truth” lealding the way (does anyone know where, or how, he acquired that nickname? It’s silly.).But the guy I’ll miss is Kevin Garnett. I loved is passion, his intensity, his sense of urgency, and his willingness to sacrifice personal stats for the cause. He could be a little rough around the edges, which was OK with me. He intimidated everyone, even his own teammates. And again, that’s fine with me. Sometimes, teammates need to be intimidated.So whose team is it now? Rondo’s? And do we want it to be Rondo’s team? That’s a tough question. He has all the talent in the world, but he has yet to learn how to be a leader. He hasn’t had to be one up to now, but provided Ainge doesn’t deal him, too, he’s going to have to take the reins. And he’s going to have to get used to a new coach as he’s going along.Lastly, who coaches this bunch? What established NBA coach is going to want to come here to pick up the rubble and try to reconstruct? We all know that this is going to be a long-haul project, but there’s plenty of evidence that would suggest franchises aren’t always patient when it comes to these things. This would be a perfect example of a coach he’s going to be hired to be fired.So I don’t see any Van Gundys coming up, or any Vinnie DelNegros. I just don’t see them taking the risk.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].