Poll: If C's win title, does that make Danny right about not trading youth?

[nickagneta]

We all remember the possible targets that became available and that people were clamoring for. Kawhi, George, Harden, Davis. Danny kinda wanted a couple. Fans wanted most to all. Adding one of those guys meant a title, or so many thought. But Ainge refused to add a Smart, or a Brown or a Tatum.

Well, if the C's win the title, that vindicates Danny's unwillingness to trade the youth at that time, right? Multiple titles were always Danny's desired outcome and he chose the youth. His youth. The youth he drafted:

Smart
Brown
Tatum
Timelord
Grant
Pritchard

So was he right not to get those superstars by giving up his young guys?

[nebist]

I would say mostly yes he was correct, but a little no.

He was correct to not trade Tatum and Brown. Those two are legitimate stars that I believe can be the top 2 players on a champion. He was incorrect (or at least, it is far more debatable) when it comes to hoarding the litany of other first round picks we had after selecting Tatum and Brown. Several of those picks could have been used to make deals to improve the roster over the last 5 years (deals like the ones Brad made at the deadline this year). Most glaring as a missed opportunity was probably the 2020 season when we had Tatum and Brown established as future stars, a boatload of future assets, refused to upgrade at the deadline, and lost to a Miami team we could have beaten with a deeper roster.

[gift]

To me? Yes.

But I imagine some people might wait until the team wins 2 titles since a couple of those guys did win championships before this squad did.

[Goldstar88]

I don’t think Paul George was ever a superstar and none of those guys reportedly wanted to be in Boston. Also, the only player listed that has shown that he can put a team on his back in the postseason is Kawhi. Obviously he won a ring for Toronto, but Kawhi was never going to stay there and now the Raptors are a mediocre team once again.. So even if the C’s don’t win the championship this year, it was still the right call.

[Vermont Green]

This is hard to answer because you don't know what trade exactly he didn't do that he could have.  I was all for trading Brown or even Tatum for Anthony Davis back when he was on the market.  I know there was some rule that made this difficult but we could have had Davis and Irving which at the time seemed like a pretty good core team to me.

Davis has a title now but what does that mean?

I like where the team has ended up, thrilled actually.  We got here though a lot of smart moves and draft picking but also with some luck and serendipity.  Isn't that the case for every good team?

So I guess I can summarize it this way.  What this proves is that Ainge correctly valued the youth on the team.  It doesn't mean that if he had traded Brown for Davis, that it would have been a bad trade.  Ainge didn't make a bad trade with our youth.  But I think he would have traded pretty much anyone for the right deal and who is to say we wouldn't be even better for it if he had made some trade that was offered along the way?

[Roy H.]

Yes, I think a title won with a JB / JT core vindicates him completely. 

We *may* have won with Kawhi.  We also may have lost, and then watched him head to LA.

We *may* have won with George.  He also might have forced himself to LA.  I can't remember if the asking price definitively included JT or JB.

We *may* have won with Butler, but he may have been a hassle in the locker room.  He might have also left for Miami.

There was a time when I would have been okay moving Jaylen for the right piece, even a healthy Boogie Cousins.  But, there's no guarantee we would have won squat, and the players we're talking about seem to have a wandering eye for other franchises. 

If we win a title, I'm not sure you argue that in hindsight we should have done something differently (other than trading for that beta flake Kyrie).

[td450]

My gripe with Ainge was the opposite. He managed to get Tatum and Brown and then kept trying to hedge his bets, rather than put all his chips in with building around them.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Even if we don't. We've been contenders in the East and fringe championship contenders for several years now. All GMs can do is put the team in that position.

[A Future of Stevens]

There was a time when I would have been okay moving Jaylen for the right piece, even a healthy Boogie Cousins.  But, there's no guarantee we would have won squat, and the players we're talking about seem to have a wandering eye for other franchises. 

Man I was on the Boogie train too. I thought he had the right skill set to be relevant as the NBA moved towards its current state. Who knows, but given his injury woes, it is good we never pulled the trigger on that move.

[wdleehi]

At this point, I would say he was right not to trade them.   

[Roy H.]

My gripe with Ainge was the opposite. He managed to get Tatum and Brown and then kept trying to hedge his bets, rather than put all his chips in with building around them.

I hear you.  I wonder, what would have the ideal, realistic plan have been, starting with the summer of 2017.

We're coming off a loss in the ECF.  We land the #1 pick in the draft.

Our team already has Horford, Smart, Jaylen, IT, Rozier, Crowder, and Bradley.  Here are our next steps:

June 19, 2017: Traded a 2017 1st round draft pick (Markelle Fultz was later selected) to the Philadelphia 76ers for a 2017 1st round draft pick (Jayson Tatum was later selected) and a 2019 1st round draft pick (Romeo Langford was later selected). (Future 1st-Rd pick will either be LAL's 2018 pick if it falls between 2 & 5, or the better of PHI & SAC's 2019 picks, unless it is the #1 pick)

June 22, 2017: Selected Jayson Tatum (1st round, 3rd pick), Semi Ojeleye (2nd round, 37th pick), Kadeem Allen (2nd round, 53rd pick) and Jabari Bird (2nd round, 56th pick) in the 2017 NBA Draft.

July 1, 2017: Signed Jayson Tatum to a multi-year contract.

July 1, 2017: Signed Ante Žižić to a multi-year contract.

July 7, 2017: Traded Avery Bradley and a 2019 2nd round draft pick (Isaiah Roby was later selected) to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris.

July 14, 2017: Signed Gordon Hayward to a multi-year contract.

July 15, 2017: Signed Abdel Nader to a multi-year contract.

July 17, 2017: Signed Paul Pierce. (Ceremonial Contract)

July 19, 2017: Signed Semi Ojeleye to a multi-year contract.

July 19, 2017: Signed Aron Baynes.

July 19, 2017: Signed Kadeem Allen to a two-way contract.

July 20, 2017: Signed Daniel Theis to a multi-year contract.

July 20, 2017: Signed Guerschon Yabusele to a multi-year contract.

July 31, 2017: Signed Shane Larkin.

August 30, 2017: Traded Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas, Ante Žižić, a 2018 1st round draft pick (Collin Sexton was later selected) and a 2020 2nd round draft pick (Skylar Mays was later selected) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving. (2020 2nd-rd pick from BOS to CLE is MIA's pick, and was added as compensation for Isaiah Thomas's injury)

The next summer was mostly quiet:

June 21, 2018: Selected Robert Williams (1st round, 27th pick) in the 2018 NBA Draft.

July 3, 2018: Signed Brad Wanamaker.

July 5, 2018: Signed Robert Williams to a multi-year contract.

July 6, 2018: Signed Aron Baynes as a free agent.

July 19, 2018: Signed Marcus Smart as a free agent.

July 23, 2018: Traded Abdel Nader and cash to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Rodney Purvis. $450,000

July 25, 2018: Signed Walt Lemon Jr. to a two-way contract.

July 26, 2018: Signed Jabari Bird to a multi-year contract.

August 20, 2018: Signed PJ Dozier to a two-way contract.

What do you do differently?

[Roy H.]

There was a time when I would have been okay moving Jaylen for the right piece, even a healthy Boogie Cousins.  But, there's no guarantee we would have won squat, and the players we're talking about seem to have a wandering eye for other franchises. 

Man I was on the Boogie train too. I thought he had the right skill set to be relevant as the NBA moved towards its current state. Who knows, but given his injury woes, it is good we never pulled the trigger on that move.

Yeah, he became a completely different player after his multiple injuries.  He broke down quickly.

But, back in the day the man was averaging 27 / 11 / 5 with almost two steals and two blocks, on good (not great) efficiency and 36% 3PT shooting.

[Big333223]

If we win a championship with 4 starters drafted by Ainge and 2 more in the regular rotation, yeah I'd say that validates Ainge. Especially given the ages of them all.

That doesn't mean he always did everything right but winning a championship with a core group where all but one guy is under 28 years old is a heck of a thing.

Let's hope it comes to pass.

[nickagneta]

So interesting side question. If the current core drafted group win a title or three, given Ainge's work in putting that core together, does it cement his inclusion into the Hall of Fame as an NBA team executive? Being directly responsible for multiple titles with the same franchise, but by building two completely different teams in different eras has to get him inducted, right?

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

So interesting side question. If the current core drafted group win a title or three, given Ainge's work in putting that core together, does it cement his inclusion into the Hall of Fame as an NBA team executive? Being directly responsible for multiple titles with the same franchise, but by building two completely different teams in different eras has to get him inducted, right?

YES