Danny Ainge, Draft Wizard + Celtics Draft Preview

[Jferrari401]

Hey guys, I have been running a local website for about a month now and our most recent article is about the Celtics draft and Ainge's history as a GM when it comes to draft night. I thought I would share it incase anybody was interested. Here's an excerpt:

"With the NBA draft just two days away, the Boston Celtics have some big decisions to make. Will they keep all four draft picks they own this year or trade up to make a splash? New rumors are flying around every day, with big names like DeMarcus Cousins and LaMarcus Aldridge being tossed around. Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck has promised fireworks this offseason, leaving fans hoping for the best. With all of this uncertainty, there is one thing we can be sure of: with GM Danny Ainge in charge, the team is in good hands."

The seconds half of the article discusses possible scenarios for the Celtics tomorrow:

"That leads us to Thursday’s draft, an important one for Ainge and the Celtics. After bottoming out in 2013 to draft Marcus Smart, the Celtics shocked the NBA by posting the second best record in the Eastern Conference after the all star break last season, a surge that pushed them into the playoffs. The unexpected turnaround was sparked by the trade for point guard Isaiah Thomas and the teams decision to finally move on from star point guard Rajon Rondo. Now the Celtics are in an interesting place, smack in the middle of the weak Eastern Conference. With respected young coach Brad Stevens, a young core and lots of cap space, the Celtics have a chance to make good on Wyc’s promise of fireworks."

Check it out if you are interested at http://watertrash.com/2015/06/24/danny-ainge-draft-wizard-celtics-draft-preview/. We have many more cool articles too, especially for if you are living in the Providence-Boston area. Thanks

[kne]

Hi, thanks for sharing. I'm pretty sure Wyc's fireworks comment was re the previous offseason, though...

[Jferrari401]

Hi, thanks for sharing. I'm pretty sure Wyc's fireworks comment was re the previous offseason, though...

Was it really? My mistake, I'll have to make some edits

[celticinorlando]

I think Boston stays put and drafts 2 average guys in the first round that really don't have much impact. There isn't much at 16 left that makes me think highly.

[Csfan1984]

Also Rondo was moved early and had little to do with the team winning more past all-star break. The way it is mentioned in first post makes it sound vital to the turn around. They weren't related.

[Jferrari401]

I think Boston stays put and drafts 2 average guys in the first round that really don't have much impact. There isn't much at 16 left that makes me think highly.

At this point I would be kind of shocked if they stayed put with everything Danny has said recently

Also Rondo was moved early and had little to do with the team winning more past all-star break. The way it is mentioned in first post makes it sound vital to the turn around. They weren't related.

I would argue that it let some of our younger players come into their own once Rondo was gone. Didn't the improvement begin around the Rondo trade and then really take off once we added Thomas?

[Csfan1984]

I think Boston stays put and drafts 2 average guys in the first round that really don't have much impact. There isn't much at 16 left that makes me think highly.

At this point I would be kind of shocked if they stayed put with everything Danny has said recently

Also Rondo was moved early and had little to do with the team winning more past all-star break. The way it is mentioned in first post makes it sound vital to the turn around. They weren't related.

I would argue that it let some of our younger players come into their own once Rondo was gone. Didn't the improvement begin around the Rondo trade and then really take off once we added Thomas?

No they were struggling and just clicked after trade deadline. Most likely it was IT and just relief they were not being moved. DA is such an active gm hard for some players to focus and enjoy playing.

[Jferrari401]

What do people think about the trade up prospects? I think Cauley-Stein is the best option and it seems like he may drop a bit due to that injury

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I think Boston stays put and drafts 2 average guys in the first round that really don't have much impact. There isn't much at 16 left that makes me think highly.

At this point I would be kind of shocked if they stayed put with everything Danny has said recently

Also Rondo was moved early and had little to do with the team winning more past all-star break. The way it is mentioned in first post makes it sound vital to the turn around. They weren't related.

I would argue that it let some of our younger players come into their own once Rondo was gone. Didn't the improvement begin around the Rondo trade and then really take off once we added Thomas?

No they were struggling and just clicked after trade deadline. Most likely it was IT and just relief they were not being moved. DA is such an active gm hard for some players to focus and enjoy playing.

We started to look better and turn it around after the RR and Green trades. It seemed as if the young guys did what CBS wanted where maybe Green and RR were moping and mad about how we started. They just didn't fit into what CBS wanted and you could see it (Green) bring people's mood down. Don't know what went on behind the scene but you can just imagine how a winner like RR was handling being in that situation early season, especially with him being the leader/face of it all. After RR was gone it was Green's attitude, I can only imagine how he was off camera but in every interview he looked dejected and almost like he was over it, you could also see it in his play he looked like he didn't care anymore. I bet the young guys felt more pressure to be good when we had top tier talent but were able to relax and just play when they were gone. People are giving IT4 way too much credit as if it wasn't a team effort, he made us better, no doubt, but we were trending upwards when we had Prince coming in and doing his thing off the bench.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

What do people think about the trade up prospects? I think Cauley-Stein is the best option and it seems like he may drop a bit due to that injury

I would be fine with mainly staying put, we aren't taking 4 players so I don't think we will. Danny (wth auto-correct Lol) pretty much said it as clear as day, we aren't staying put with all picks but to what picks will be moved, who knows. I would be happy with a few of the top 9 projected, as long as they aren't all about offense types. I want Winslow over anyone though, outside of the top 3 of course.

[Jferrari401]

We started to look better and turn it around after the RR and Green trades. It seemed as if the young guys did what CBS wanted where maybe Green and RR were moping and mad about how we started. They just didn't fit into what CBS wanted and you could see it (Green) bring people's mood down. Don't know what went on behind the scene but you can just imagine how a winner like RR was handling being in that situation early season, especially with him being the leader/face of it all. After RR was gone it was Green's attitude, I can only imagine how he was off camera but in every interview he looked dejected and almost like he was over it, you could also see it in his play he looked like he didn't care anymore. I bet the young guys felt more pressure to be good when we had top tier talent but were able to relax and just play when they were gone. People are giving IT4 way too much credit as if it wasn't a team effort, he made us better, no doubt, but we were trending upwards when we had Prince coming in and doing his thing off the bench.

Yea that's how I feel too, letting go or Green and Rondo took some pressure off the rest of the team and allowed them to grow. Replacing them with Crowder and IT brought in very positive attitudes and the team really bought into Stevens philosophy.

What do people think about the trade up prospects? I think Cauley-Stein is the best option and it seems like he may drop a bit due to that injury

I would be fine with mainly staying put, we aren't taking 4 players so I don't think we will. Danny (wth auto-correct Lol) pretty much said it as clear as day, we aren't staying put with all picks but to what picks will be moved, who knows. I would be happy with a few of the top 9 projected, as long as they aren't all about offense types. I want Winslow over anyone though, outside of the top 3 of course.

Yea Winslow is another good possibility. As long as our picks are willing to buy in on the defensive side I'll be happy.