On June 17th, 1986, with the second overall pick in their possession, the Boston Celtics drafted Len Bias and projected him to eventually grab the flaming torch from Larry Bird’s hand and help keep it burning.

Less than 48 hours later, Bias was dead. In a pure basketball stance and not even speaking on the human aspect of the tragedy, the Celtics future became very much in limbo as they saw the worst 21-year span in the franchises history.

With no Bias to ease the aging big three into retirement, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bird played into their late 30’s, going up against younger, more athletic competition with various injuries to worry about.

Current general manager and former starting point guard Danny Ainge was witness to the Celtics decline as he was traded to Sacramento two years after Bias’s death. With no plan of action to keep Boston on top as a perennial championship contender, the organization floundered into a hole that they couldn’t dig themselves out of until the current Big Three was formed.

Ainge now faces a very similar situation in his attempt to keep the Celtics relevant even after Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are gone. Even with Garnett and Rasheed Wallace both under contract until the 2011-12 season, Allen’s contract is up at the end of the season and Pierce has a player option.

The window is closing quickly and the team needs a diagram.

Going off of comments made by Owner Wyc Grousbeck who said in June that the Celtics would have the financial flexibility to go after a top-tier free agent in 2010, and the more recent comments made by Miami Heat franchise player Dwyane Wade who enters free-agency at the end of next year, the two could cross paths.

“If I was gung ho about money I would sign back [with the Heat] right now,” Wade said. “It’s not necessarily about that for me, it’s putting myself in a position where I’m successful and can win.”

If Wade is as serious as he sounds about winning then Boston is the place for him. He’d have Rajon Rondo as a backcourt mate, Garnett and Wallace in the frontcourt and a legitimate shot at the title for the next few years.

The 27-year-old Wade is currently one of the best players in the world and once the Big Three retires Ainge could focus on building a championship contending team around him; keeping Boston afloat and avoiding the same mistake Red Auerbach made over 20 years ago.

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