So by saying it's a high priority to develop Tacko into a player, is Ainge saying he isn't a player now?
This sounds to me like they may not let him hit waivers, perhaps getting one of the two way contracts. I just don't see Danny giving a 15 man roster slot to a complete project, not when so much of the roster has so little NBA experience and are a bunch of projects in their own right.
But maybe Ainge puts a fire under Stevens to develop some of these guys under the fire of rotational playing time and, if the losses pile up, Danny will live with a so so record in this transitional year. Better to find out quickly what you have in a transitional year and live with the won loss record, even if it's not good(so maybe semi-tanking for just one year while the youth develops with Kemba leading them). It will be good to know by the draft next year whether Tacko and the Williams kids have what it takes to make up a highly functional frontcourt.
Hope for the best with this kid as he is genuinely a great story and, from what I have read and seen, a pretty nice guy. If he is to ever to become something in this league, I hope it's as a Celtic. I just don't expect it to happen.