Okay, so now what?

Sour grapes about the lottery? Pointless. Drawing up scenarios where Portland will trade the first pick to the Celtics? You’ve got to be kidding.

It’s time to move on. If you’ve read this far, I’m assuming you haven’t abandoned ship. You still care enough about the Boston Celtics to try to make the best of what is an increasingly sorry situation.

The Celtics have the fifth pick in a deep draft. They have a young nucleus of talent that the franchise has overvalued from the day it was drafted. They have a coach with a roster rife with role players who doesn’t know how to define roles, or how to teach the concept of team defense. They have a general manager who has now drafted three point guards in the first round and traded a first round pick for a fourth point guard and still hasn’t found a legitimate starter. He has also deluded himself into believing this team is only one player away from making the playoffs and, worse, thinks he can snow the fan base into believing the same thing.

Maybe I’m drunk on the suffering of New York Yankee fans now, but I’m slowly convincing myself that not getting Greg Oden or Kevin Durant doesn’t guarantee another decade of mediocrity. I mean, the Mavericks, Pistons, Nets and 76ers have made it to the Finals this decade without a dominant center, right? Okay, maybe not. But if the Celtics follow Huddle Up’s list of do’s and don’ts, they may still be losers, but at least they won’t be pathetic losers.

• Do fire Danny and Doc: Duh? They can’t even lose right.

• Do not hire Larry Brown: There’s enough misery in the Garden as it is.

• Do trade Paul Pierce: What purpose does it serve to keep him around? If they don’t compete for a playoff spot, he’s going to complain. If they do make the playoffs, they’re out in five games, tops, and he’s going to complain. Do him and yourself a favor and ship him to a contender, even if it’s for 75 cents on the dollar.

• Do not trade the pick: There’s still a good chance you’re going to get an all-star caliber player, maybe even a superstar. Hey, the Heat got Dwyane Wade as a consolation prize in LeBron James/Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes. And what are you gonna get for the fifth pick anyway? Kevin Garnett? Nuh-uh. Jermaine O’Neal? No thanks.

• Do draft either Mike Conley, Corey Brewer or Al Horford: Conley is the best pure point guard in the draft, and, at worst, he’s Oden’s best friend and could entice him to Boston when he reaches free agency. But he will probably be scooped up by Atlanta or Memphis. And word out of Boston is the D&D Dipsticks think Rajon Rondo is the man (ugh). So it comes down to Brewer or Horford. Brewer may be the next Scottie Pippen, especially at the defensive end. The C’s badly need that defensive stopper. If you trade Pierce, this guy will step in for him and, in a couple of years, have us asking “Paul who?” Horford is a banger with a strong inside game who, alongside Al Jefferson (the only legit potential All-Star on the roster), could give the Celts a powerful combination in the paint.

• Do not draft Brandan Wright or Yi Jianlian: Wright’s as athletically gifted as anybody in the draft, but he’s a dog, and a skinny one at that. Yi is a 7-foot wing player. Yeah, he could be Dirk Nowitzki (which is what, exactly? A shrinking violet under pressure if you ask me). He could also be Brad Sellers. He’s a project with a capital P. And incidentally, he’s either 19 or 23, depending on whom you ask.

Oh, and let the O.J. Mayo sweepstakes begin.