The rebuilding phase, at long last, is over. The days of acquiring assets and praying for ping pong balls, finally, have come to an end. For the first time in over 15 years, the Boston Celtics are entering the NBA season with championship aspirations. Not simply playoff aspirations, mind you, but championship. It sounds odd, doesn't it? The lowly Celtics, inveterate losers and lottery mainstays...these guys are championship contenders now?

It was only five months ago that the organization's 15 remaining fans were rooting for intentional losses and chanting Sam Bowie's … excuse me … Greg Oden's name during every home game. Suddenly, the team's biggest concerns have become:

1. Chartering a bandwagon with enough seating capacity to accommodate the throngs of diehard fans that are sure to miraculously appear this year

2. Clearing a spot in the Garden's rafters to hang the 17th championship banner

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were brought to Boston for the sole reason of helping Paul Pierce win a title. For a team that hasn't yet stepped on the court, some lofty expectations have been set.  

Thus, the clock has begun ticking for Doc Rivers, the former Coach of the Year and holder of a measly .467 career winning percentage, and Danny Ainge, the crafty weasel who managed to trade for one of the game's most untouchable players. The careers of both will largely be judged on this upcoming, brief three year-window during which their superstar triumvirate plays out the final years of their prime. Doc no longer has the familiar crutches of youth, inexperience, and lack of veteran leadership to fall back upon if the team stumbles; the roster as it stands now has six players with seven or more years' experience. Ainge can no longer preach "patience" while referencing his long-term plan, as the pinnacle stages of that very plan have arrived. If this team remains healthy over the course of the season and still underachieves, then the failure must be attributed to poor coaching and lack of execution.

Throughout Ainge's tenure he has defended Doc as ardently and bewilderingly as Bush has defended the War in Iraq, despite the cries of repulsed fans and a hypersensitive media. Anyone who follows the team has heard the criticisms: he can't stick with a set rotation, has poor game strategy coming out of timeouts, can't get the team to play defense, hasn't developed the youth, looks like he's about to cry when the team is getting blown out ... let's just say that there haven't been many positive things written about Glenn Rivers over the past few years. While some accusations are unfair (he did help Al Jefferson develop into an outstanding power forward), many hold validity (there was nothing to lose in having Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo play regular, consistent minutes last season.).

With Rondo now slated to take over starting point guard duties for a playoff-bound team, River's coaching is even more critical. As the only true pass-first guard on the team, Rondo will be responsible for getting KG, the Truth, and Jesus the touches they need to be content and productive. For the C's to win 50-plus games and live up to those lofty expectations, Doc needs to let the kid play early and often, make a ton of mistakes, and allow Pierce and KG to bark at him until he's consistently making the right decisions with the unconsciousness of a Pavlovian dog. Rondo must be Doc's number one priority this season, as the second-year player has the talent and ability to advance considerably under the tutelage of the former all-star point guard. Rivers has recognized as much; while he had previously insisted that the Allens (Ray and Tony) were perfectly capable of handling quarterback duties, he recently backtracked, acknowledging that Rondo's development is essential, and hinting that he's ready to hand the reigns over to the dynamic, second-year player. This week in an interview with the Boston Globe, he gushed: "I really am proud and loved to watch what Rajon has done over the summer. His progression is obviously a key to our success, and I think he will be up for the task … I really think he's put in a lot of time and he'll be ready." 

All expectations aside, Doc's job should be considerably easier this year. This season, he'll be able to focus on game strategy and defense instead of teaching fundamentals to a group of millionaires barely old enough to drink. As an added bonus, the unhealthily-competitive Garnett will effectively act as a player-coach on the floor at all times, lessening the burden on Doc to motivate, and Pierce to lead. While the pressure is greater with the Celts' new star power, Rivers claims he embraces it: "This type of pressure is great … there are a lot of great coaches in our league who have never had an opportunity to coach players like this."

To the delight of those 15 remaining fans, the Celtics Brass has finally put a moratorium on waiting for the stars of tomorrow to mature. For Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers, it's win now start preparing for an inglorious return to the TNT broadcasting booth and Marv Albert.