(My Sportsbook) - Don't sleep on the Boston Celtics.

Nearly all of the NBA's pundits are debating whether the Los Angeles Lakers will repeat as champions or LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will finally climb to the top of the mountain.

Well, the C's are also pretty good people. The 2007-08 champs saw their dreams of a second straight title go up in smoke when Kevin Garnett went down with a right knee injury and missed much of the stretch last season. Boston was able to weather the storm in the regular season without its star and still came within a game of the Eastern Conference finals.

The "Big Ticket" is now back and the Celtics were able to add another impressive piece to the "Boston Three Party" of K.G., Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, playoff-tested veteran big man Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace's impressive low-post defense and outside shooting should fit nicely into Doc Rivers' system and you won't find a more impressive fourth or fifth offensive option in the league.

When healthy, Boston is as good as anyone and the C's championship window should remain open for a few more years. Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Wallace give Rivers the veteran leadership he needs, while Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis bring the young legs and energy.

"I'm feeling great," Garnett said at training camp. "I'm not all the way back but it's going good. I think everything is right on schedule to where it should be. Eighty-five percent, 90 percent would be pretty accurate."

2008-09 Results: 62-20, first in Atlantic; Lost in Eastern Conference semifinals to Orlando.

ADDITIONS: F/C Rasheed Wallace, F Shelden Williams, G/F Marquis Daniels, G Lester Hudson

SUBTRACTIONS: F Leon Powe, F Mikki Moore, G Gabe Pruitt

PROJECTED STARTING FIVE:

PG- Rajon Rondo SG- Ray Allen SF- Paul Pierce PF- Kevin Garnett C- Kendrick Perkins

KEY RESERVES: F/C Rasheed Wallace, F Glen Davis, G Eddie House

FRONTCOURT: The heart of this team remains Garnett and Pierce. Garnett is the C's leader and the rarest of breeds in today's NBA, a true superstar who isn't concerned about numbers, save the one in the "W" column.

Before the 2007-08 season many wondered how Garnett, Pierce and Allen would co-existent. It was never an issue because Garnett is secure and virtually ego-less on the floor. However, Garnett played in just 57 games last season, the fewest he has played in a decade, and is scheduled to become just the 21st NBA player in history to have played 40,000-plus minutes if he stays on the floor this season. So, there is tread on the tire, making the Wallace acquisition even more important.

"What I'm pretty excited about is on defense. (I am) able to move laterally and recover," Garnett said. "I can react to that, where in the past I would have had some problems. Strengthening and conditioning of my leg is going to take patience on my part, but I push it to the limit."

On the other hand, Pierce is a scorer and needs his touches or he can sulk, affecting his play on both ends of the floor. A superlative offensive player, Pierce is the man of 1,000 moves, who uses his brilliant body control to abuse defenders and parade to the free throw line at will. He's also an underrated defender when motivated.

Perkins is an afterthought to most but has developed into a reliable interior defender, a more than competent rebounder and a decent shot blocker. His jump hook inside the lane is also a nice little weapon.

BACKCOURT: Despite several trade rumors surrounding both Rondo and Allen, who is in the last year of his contract, the Celtics kept the status quo. Entering the final season of his contract Allen is clearly on the downside but he is still one of the three or four best pure shooters in pro basketball and that needs to be accounted for. His presence on the floor insures that the Celtics will be able to generate great spacing in the half court game.

"There are times when my body's feeling great that I have to take advantage of it," Allen told the Boston Globe when asked about his advancing age. "I always said the more we run, the better it makes the rest of our game so I'm just trying to just remember to get up and down the floor. I focused on getting my body fat low but putting more muscle weight on and having my legs good. I think of all the goals during the season, one of the biggest for us is to stay healthy."

Rondo is a lightning fast player, who can get to the rim at will but struggles to hit the jumper consistently. That said, he put up Oscar Robertson type numbers in last year's postseason and is an incredibly gifted player. His attitude, however, gave birth to a number of rumors in the offseason. Maturity is the only thing keeping the former Kentucky star from stardom.

"I want to be wherever I'm wanted the next 10 years," Rondo told the Boston Globe; "If [general manager] Danny [Ainge} wants me, I'll be here the next 10 years. I have sat down with Danny, but we didn't speak about a contract, we talked about expectations for the season. I try to focus on -- trying to get a ring, got to get one this year."

BENCH: Depth was a big problem for the Celtics last season, especially on the wing. Davis really blossomed in Garnett's absence and the team was able to re- sign him. But, Wallace's presence will likely mean far less minutes for "Big Baby."

The real problem was a reliable wing backup. Tony Allen was far too inconsistent to rely on and Rivers was forced to play Piece and Ray Allen fat too much. Enter Marquis Daniels, who gives the team a versatile slasher that can handle the ball and provide the team a perimeter defensive option for the first time since losing James Posey.

Veteran sharp-shooter Eddie House is also back to knock down threes while former first round pick Shelden Williams was brought in when the team was unwilling to re-sign the injury-plagued Leon Powe.

COACHING: Rivers doesn't get a ton of credit since this team is so talented but he's done a spectacular job managing some pretty big egos. He's never been regarded as the best X's and O's guy but this veteran laden team doesn't need the inventive mind of a Larry Brown or Stan Van Gundy.

STEVE SCHWARZ'S FANTASY FOCUS: Pierce is the closest this team has to a fantasy superstar, but they are too much into winning to have any one player think about statistics. Garnett doesn't have to carry this team as he did in Minnesota, consequently he's a good player not a fantasy anchor. Rondo and Ray Allen are also "fantasy-worthy."

OUTLOOK: The Celtics were 41-9 and ahead of both the Lakers and Cleveland with the best record in the league when Garnett went down the first time. They finished a more than respectable 21-11 but obviously something was missing.

Boston is a veteran team that will likely be hungry to prove its a legitimate title threat again. Staying healthy will be a key. Garnett is coming off the knee injury and there is no guarantee he will bring the same explosiveness back to the court while Allen and Wallace are another year older.

If the Celtics can sport a finishing five of Garnett, Pierce, Wallace, Allen and Rondo on a consistent basis, it will be tough for anyone to match up.

A third straight Atlantic Division crown and 60-win season is virtually assured. Meanwhile, Wallace's presence may make the Celtics the favorite in the Eastern Conference over both the Orlando Magic and Cavaliers.

"It brings a lot," Rivers said of Garnett's return. "Offensively, he helps us with ball movement because he's so unselfish, sometimes to a fault. Defensively, he's so verbal and he's so versatile that it allows us to do things defensively that we couldn't do in the playoffs and down the stretch at the end of the season."