Winning the East will be no cinch for new-look Celtics

New teammates Ray Allen (left) and Kevin Garnett will need to stay healthy for a Boston team that figures to be short on depth. AP

Celtics Acquire Kevin Garnett Celtics obtain Garnett for five players, two picks BURNS: Ranking the 15 East teams after KG deal ASCHBURNER: McHale wasted Garnett's prime EKSTRAND: Potential trouble spots for Boston MANNIX: Supporing cast will be key for Celtics THOMSEN: Celtics are instant East contenders GALLERIES: KG in Minny | MVPs who were dealt

Danny Ainge has done what he had to do to shake despondent Celtics fans out of their lethargy, ripping up his seven-year plan of waiting for high school players to develop into All-Stars and instead fashioning a roster that should be able to at least make the playoffs and push aside some of the pretenders in the Eastern Conference.

And Boston's ownership group has to be commended for approving a trade that will instantly give the Celtics one of the league's biggest payrolls. The Celtics are far more relevant in NBA conversations today than they were yesterday.

But even though the deal that brings Kevin Garnett to the league's legendary franchise is a smart one by Ainge, Celtics fans might want to hold off on plans for a championship parade for a while.

Here are some reasons why the acquisition of Garnett might not catapult the Celtics into the NBA Finals:

Aging stars

On paper, the trio of Paul Pierce (who turns 30 in October), Garnett (31) and Ray Allen (32) should be enough to carry Boston to a contending position in the East. But although each of these aging stars is still among the best in the game when healthy, only Garnett enjoyed relatively good health last season (he appeared in 76 games). Allen played in only 55 of 82 games, while Pierce dressed for only 47.

At first blush, it might not seem like the terrific trio is so old, but all three players have played heavy minutes their entire careers. Considering the diminution of the Celtics' depth caused by the Garnett and Allen trades, if any of the three principles is injured for any significant length of time, Boston doesn't have much coming off the bench to fill the void.

Continuity

Most teams that contend for championships are not comprised of superstars thrown together who immediately function like a well-oiled machine. If this were the way championships were won, the last few amalgamations of USA Basketball teams would be looking at a stack of gold medals instead of bronze medals (or less). And a team like the 1998-99 Houston Rockets, featuring Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Scottie Pippen, would have made a run at a championship instead of going out meekly in the first round of the playoffs.

Perennial championship contenders such as San Antonio and Detroit have kept a core group of players together for years, adding a key veteran or youngster here and there to their playing rotations. Pierce, Allen and Garnett are three mature individuals and among the best character guys in the NBA. They will try hard to make this thing work. But chemistry doesn't develop overnight, and in this league, chemistry is a huge factor when you are talking about postseason, and not merely regular-season, success.

Furthermore, it's pretty clear Boston will now have to bring in a few more new players, veterans who fit the "win now" blueprint better than the three rookies currently on Boston's bench (second-round picks Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt and undrafted pickup Brandon Wallace). Even if the rookies are to be entrusted to fill rotation spots (unlikely), the Celtics have virtually a brand new team.

Defenseless

Each of this century's champions (San Antonio, Miami, Detroit, Lakers) has had a terrific team defense. Garnett is a superior defender, a perennial member of the league's All-Defensive Team. But neither Pierce or Allen has a reputation as a great individual or team defensive player, and players don't often become better defenders after turning 30.

Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have shown the potential to develop into solid defenders, but those type of younger players rarely get the benefit of the doubt from officials. Doc Rivers has always been able to get teams he has coached to score enough points to stay in games, but his credentials as a defensive strategist are nonexistent. Garnett is the type of rangy and committed defensive player who covers a lot of ground and can cover a multitude of defensive sins by his teammates. But he cannot be expected to single-handedly turn the Celtics into a good defensive team.

Eastern Conference rivals

The conventional wisdom is that the East is so weak that anybody in the NBA's weaker half has a chance to get to the Finals. That theory was supplied with plenty of credence when a so-so Cleveland team made it all the way to the Finals in June.

But the Pistons are still formidable, and might get just the rejuvenation they need with the addition of young, hungry players such as Jason Maxiell, Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson to their regular rotation. Chicago's young players are getting better every season, and so far, general manager John Paxson has resisted the temptation of trading young members from that nucleus of Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni. Ben Wallace is still a big defensive factor in the paint. Throw in much-improved Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrus Thomas and defensive-minded rookie Joakim Noah, and the Bulls look like a serious championship contender.

Ask yourself: Is Boston really better than Detroit or Chicago?