one has to marvel over danny's skill

[GratefulCs]

TP rollie


I hope those ainge haters can appreciate his greatness as a gm

[JSD]

I've said repeatedly, there's no other person I'd want running this team.  He's the best GM in the business.  Anyone who has ever said "fire ainge" doesn't understand what Ainge has accomplished since taking over this team.

or doesn't understand that it's a marathon not a sprint.

[Snakehead]

What a difference on here from draft day haha

Always been a believer in him.  Also credit to Zarren.  The team has 3 of the 5 best contracts in the NBA I'd say.  Golden State has showed how important that kind of value is (you can afford to and be deep enough to have Iggy on their bench and try to sign Durant or max out Barnes). 

I was not loving the idea of paying Horford max at his age but seeing free agency play out: I'd rather pay Horford than other options and clearly he makes us much more appealing to other players.  This team could also add two more top three picks (more cheap talent) and/or trade for better players.

He will fit right in and I am excited for his all-around game.  I have high expectations for our defense.  Three of the very best perimeter defenders in the NBA, Horford, Brown who has a lot of potential, Mickey hopefully getting time, and the good team defense of guys like Olynyk and Jerebko last year. 

Just imagine Horford getting those touches Sully would get that could be so hit or miss.  Sully can pass but Horford is even better than him.  Plus top level defense on the other end.

[CelticPride2016]

Danny Ainge did what he had to do to put together title #17. It dragged out badly with Danny and Doc about to sit on the hot seat of tanking and mediocrity. It's amazing that the Nets became so terrible, but Red said that Danny is extremely lucky.

Whether it was luck or skill, it happened. We have the #3 pick on the roster. Even the first year with Stevens and Humphries was kind of fun. To make the playoffs in year two was remarkable. The team won 48 wins last year only two years removed from rock bottom.

Signing Horford has erased the myth that no highly sought after free agent will come to Boston.

Danny was a genius the way he set this up.

He made it so we were ready to sign two free agent all-stars in one off-season. He also set it up so the team could go slow and steady if no big named players wanted to join us.

I'm so glad I didn't waste much time on any of the speculation.

No one saw this coming. I saw a million threads on Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmy Butler, but I don't recall anyone saying we could end up with both Horford and Durant.

Maybe I am jinxing it, but I expect any hour to hear that Kevin Durant has been signed by the Boston Celtics.

And then it will become even more clear how much time people waste whining about draft picks, snow, and treadmills.

The only treadmill talk I would have liked to see was of Sullinger on a treadmill and not sticking his face into a large pizza box.

[passesofftodj]

Ainge is the Larry Bird of GM's. He sees things a few moves ahead of most others.

This is what happens when you are born with the rare genetic gift of having eyes all around your head.

[passesofftodj]

If we get Durant, Danny will easily be the second best GM in the NBA behind only RC Buford. If we win 3 or 4 championships in the next 5 years, he will be able to overtake Buford.

Have to disagree on this. I think that this whole thing around the Spurs being glorified as the untouchables is little bit overrated. Yeah Pop is hell of a coach, one of the best in history of the game, yeah RJ is great at his job of GM-ing and stuff, but if you go back to that '97 draft and say they go second and select somebody else instead of Duncan, there would be no championships in that city, I guarantee you. Timmy is the heart and soul of that ball club. As I said, all praise to Pop, RJ, Tony, Manu and others, but if you left out Duncan they are still average in this league. Part of that reasoning is last season playoffs and the team with Kawhi and LMC at the helm. They were humiliated against very good OKC team. LMC is not near what Duncan was, so I predict the Spurs era is over... Back to my point, RJ has done nothing special last two to three years to be considered best GM in the league. Of course he picked Kawhi, and before Tony and Manu, but so did Sam Presti of Oklahoma, and look at them ever since, a bunch of chaotic moves regarding coaches and players... The thing that DA has managed to do when he was practically backs against the wall, is amazing and in such a short period of time. In three years he got us to 48 wins, one win from third best team in the EC, got us bunch of very good players (who are good locker room guys and great citizens), a bunch of great young mens with great potential, a boatload of cap room and he still didn't have to use his main assets and that is BKN picks in 17 and 18. So I'm asking you guys who the hell in the league is better then he is at doing this stuff? He ressurected this franchise and he, along with owners and Brad, is leading us back to the promissed land. Now go out there and bring us the Durantula!!!

He hoodwinked Bird into trading Kawhi and has done an AMAZING job with overseas guys, vets, and picking later in the draft.  Danny is great, and yeah it all started with Timmy coming in to lift the Admiral, but you are SEVERELY underrating RJ.

[fairweatherfan]

Danny GMs like most good card players play poker - patient but aggressive.  Wait for the spot and pounce.  Constantly balance long-term goals with short-term maneuvers.  He's much more patient than we lot here at CB, at least   

It's much more impressive because of the short-term nature of so many GM jobs, too.  Credit to ownership for giving him enough job security to be able to plan multiple years ahead.

[passesofftodj]

Danny Ainge did what he had to do to put together title #17. It dragged out badly with Danny and Doc about to sit on the hot seat of tanking and mediocrity. It's amazing that the Nets became so terrible, but Red said that Danny is extremely lucky.

Whether it was luck or skill, it happened. We have the #3 pick on the roster. Even the first year with Stevens and Humphries was kind of fun. To make the playoffs in year two was remarkable. The team won 48 wins last year only two years removed from rock bottom.

Signing Horford has erased the myth that no highly sought after free agent will come to Boston.

Danny was a genius the way he set this up.

He made it so we were ready to sign two free agent all-stars in one off-season. He also set it up so the team could go slow and steady if no big named players wanted to join us.

I'm so glad I didn't waste much time on any of the speculation.

No one saw this coming. I saw a million threads on Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmy Butler, but I don't recall anyone saying we could end up with both Horford and Durant.

Maybe I am jinxing it, but I expect any hour to hear that Kevin Durant has been signed by the Boston Celtics.

And then it will become even more clear how much time people waste whining about draft picks, snow, and treadmills.

The only treadmill talk I would have liked to see was of Sullinger on a treadmill and not sticking his face into a large pizza box.

The general consensus was that Durant/Horford was Plan A.  It is just that most of us thought the chances were somewhere between 5 and 15%.  It looks like that chance is more like 25 to 40%.  That is a credit to Danny and the entire city stepping up.

[hwangjini_1]

You are right rollie, Ainge has massive skills as a GM and is one of the top 2-3 best GMs in the business. Whether you think Ainge is a bad draft, good drafter or average(I think he is ever so slightly above average given the positions he drafts in), no one can claim he doesn't have skill in delivering quality free agents and making tremendous trades.

His free agency acquisitions since 2007 have been great considering the cap space he has had. He filled out the championship squad with James Posey, Eddie House and PJ Brown. Later Rasheed Wallace was added for just the MLE and helped bring the 2010 team to within a horrible 4th quarter of another title. His marginal signings, like those late in the year that have been for the rest of the year for a player but with non-guaranteed years after that have helped him to use that non-guaranteed money in trades very well. Amir Johnson was an excellent signing last year and this year he signed Horford and was one of just 6 teams to get a sit down with Durant, a former MVP and probably the 3rd best player in the league. It wouldn't surprise me if they landed Durant.

Unfortunately rollie, Ainge's distractors will soon see this thread and arrive to bash him. We will here about how he wasted valuable space on a 30 year old declining player, how he never makes trades that people make up as being available and he will get trashed for his drafting. Its unfortunate that they will come but make a Danny Ainge appreciation thread, and they will come

i am not sure why people simple posit thoughts or feelings about ainge drafting.

try this standard for assessing any GM, including ainge. this article broke down the draft over a twenty year period. it then looked at how many stars, solid, rotation players, bench players, bust/gone came from each draft slot.

http://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm

the key is to compare the selected GM with the league average to see whether or not they are, well, above league average. for many GMs this is hard since they dont have a long track record to view.

for ainge the key is the 15-30 range since most of his picks are from there. from #21 on, most of the players picked are role players, deep bench, or gone as we would expect.

i leave it to folks with more time than i have to do the numbers and then compare ainges' percentages to those of the rest of the league. but a quick and dirty look shows he is above average in finding talent in the later part of the draft. he also has success in the second round.

(and for those doing the work, dont forget that you need to remove ainge's picks from the numbers before calculating. )

[aingeforthree]

You are right rollie, Ainge has massive skills as a GM and is one of the top 2-3 best GMs in the business. Whether you think Ainge is a bad draft, good drafter or average(I think he is ever so slightly above average given the positions he drafts in), no one can claim he doesn't have skill in delivering quality free agents and making tremendous trades.

His free agency acquisitions since 2007 have been great considering the cap space he has had. He filled out the championship squad with James Posey, Eddie House and PJ Brown. Later Rasheed Wallace was added for just the MLE and helped bring the 2010 team to within a horrible 4th quarter of another title. His marginal signings, like those late in the year that have been for the rest of the year for a player but with non-guaranteed years after that have helped him to use that non-guaranteed money in trades very well. Amir Johnson was an excellent signing last year and this year he signed Horford and was one of just 6 teams to get a sit down with Durant, a former MVP and probably the 3rd best player in the league. It wouldn't surprise me if they landed Durant.

Unfortunately rollie, Ainge's distractors will soon see this thread and arrive to bash him. We will here about how he wasted valuable space on a 30 year old declining player, how he never makes trades that people make up as being available and he will get trashed for his drafting. Its unfortunate that they will come but make a Danny Ainge appreciation thread, and they will come

i am not sure why people simple posit thoughts or feelings about ainge drafting.

try this standard for assessing any GM, including ainge. this article broke down the draft over a twenty year period. it then looked at how many stars, solid, rotation players, bench players, bust/gone came from each draft slot.

http://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm

the key is to compare the selected GM with the league average to see whether or not they are, well, above league average. for many GMs this is hard since they dont have a long track record to view.

for ainge the key is the 15-30 range since most of his picks are from there. from #21 on, most of the players picked are role players, deep bench, or gone as we would expect.

i leave it to folks with more time than i have to do the numbers and then compare ainges' percentages to those of the rest of the league. but a quick and dirty look shows he is above average in finding talent in the later part of the draft. he also has success in the second round.

(and for those doing the work, dont forget that you need to remove ainge's picks from the numbers before calculating. )

It's bunk when they talk about his drafting. In a crap shoot game like the draft, he's well above average considering where he's picking.

[CelticPride2016]

The general consensus was that Durant/Horford was Plan A.  It is just that most of us thought the chances were somewhere between 5 and 15%.  It looks like that chance is more like 25 to 40%.  That is a credit to Danny and the entire city stepping up.

I believe you, so kudos to those who saw this one coming.

I'm leaning Durant signs with Boston because Kevin grew up hearing about Larry Bird and went on to study his game. People claim New York, Los Angeles and Miami for various reasons have the advantage over cold Beantown. I agree with them, and for the same reasoning, I believe Boston has the edge over Oklahoma.

I figure if Durant is a student of the game's history, then it's obvious our team is a brand new Rolls-Royce compared to Oklahoma's used Camry.

They've got one year left of Westbrook and no titles after years and years.

The Celtics are stacked now with Horford and Isaiah to go with quite a number of other solid NBA pros.

We have two more years of Brooklyn picks.

Is Durant related to Westbrook?

It seems a no-brainer Kevin Durant is mere hours away from becoming a Boston Celtic.

I will not be disappointed if it doesn't happen. That would make me question Durant's alleged BB IQ. I am going all-in with Durant is already on the team.

It was a bit odd the teams he picked to visit. If he so loves Oklahoma, you'd think he'd maybe pick one or two. Why is he visiting Golden State? Miami? The Celtics are fresh, exciting, and only just beginning. Those other teams are stale. If he does go to Golden State, that is an attempt at cheating, to add an MVP to a team which won 73 games.

If he signs with Oklahoma, it better be for five years. If he goes for one, then he is just another drama queen like LeBron.

I am against speculating, yet here I am doing precisely that. I am predicting that one year from today we will be past the duck party for #18 and speculating if we're planning on keeping or trading the #1 pick we received through the Brooklyn Nets.

I definitely saw this coming, albeit not the specifics. I didn't expect the final fireworks. I knew we would become a great team either immediately or after up to two or three more years of team growth.