He has won nothing. Except the hearts of the Boston faithful.
I guess the turnaround this team has experienced since the Rondo trade is 'nothing' then? Or in your estimation, the only way to get to a championship-level team is the way it was done with the RA KG trades? Instant gratification?
I can't find the stats to back this up quickly, but I recall that from the time of that trade, the Cs had the best or 2nd best record in the league for the rest of that season, and got into the playoffs as the 7th seed in a year that had started with predictions of a high lottery pick. And obviously have gotten better both seasons since then.
The real world isn't fantasy sports or video games. You can't just plug stats into holes in a roster and win. Personalities matter. That's why replacing a malcontent like Rondo with a leader like Crowder made such a big difference, and it's why I'm glad Danny and Brad are making such an effort to build a long-term roster made up of coachable, smart, high character guys and are avoiding talented but unstable players like Cousins.
Here's an example from another sport. In the mid-90s, there were three great shortstops in the American League... ARod, Jeter, and Nomar.
One of them was arguably the best player in the game, but was an unmitigated jerk who teammates hated and was all about himself. He got the biggest contract in history and won the MVP twice for a last place team. His team then paid another team to take him away.
Another was one of the best pure hitters in his generation, but had a prima donna attitude. He didn't seem well-liked by his teammates or management, and was eventually unceremoniously dumped from his team, which went on to win a historic championship the year he was traded.
The third guy has 5 rings and will be a first ballot hall of famer after playing his whole career with the same team, which had zero losing seasons in his 20 year career. His teams weren't always filled with huge stars, and he never put up the best numbers at his position, but he made all the right plays, said all the right things, and came through in the clutch. He's known as The Captain, and inspired his teams to victory.
I see Crowder as this team's Jeter. His leadership and attitude makes everyone else work harder and better. Smart is similar. You can't take a guy like that away and expect the winning to continue, just because you plug in a guy who scores a few more points or grabs a few more rebounds.