Gary Washburn: Blame Danny Ainge

[nickagneta]

Gary Washburn on what the Celtics should do in the 2017 NBA draft:

“ There is ample opportunity to improve, and the first step is taking skilled guard Markelle Fultz with the first overall pick. The Celtics need to upgrade their frontcourt, but they may be able to do that without sacrificing the first overall pick.

Unless the Celtics are able to land a potential franchise center, there is little reason to trade the first pick. Fultz, from those in NBA circles, has a chance to be special, and Ainge will not pass on the opportunity to draft possibly the next great Celtic.”

http://c.o0bg.com/sports/celtics/2017/05/27/celtics-must-take-next-step-this-offseason/FRDfFPYsPoyOJbA7pK5n9L/story.html

Nice job, Gary.

Gary was right about one thing, Fultz certainly turned out to be special....only not in a good way special.

[footey]

I think I was about the only Celtics fan at the time who didn’t like the Young pick.  Well, not in reality, but it was a very popular pic. I was all in on Gary Harris, and I know that some fans really liked Rodney Hood, but Young was a high upside pick.

The other guy I liked that year, strangely, was Joe Harris. I say strangely because I suck at drafting, but I actually found a diamond that year.

What a weird draft. I think you can make a strong argument that picks number 31 through number 41 were better than number one through number 10.

I liked Gary Harris too that year. Watched a lot of his college games. Had no clue about Joe Harris. Yeah it was a weird draft.

[SHAQATTACK]

I m kinda thinking DA will step down at the end of the season if things don’t go better for the team .  just a hunch is all. .....I never felt like this before . 

if he does maybe CBS stays and maybe he doesn’t ,  timing is right for Duke to have a new coach as well, ,  I think he d bolt for that job if offered.

maybe new leadership this time next year , not say n it will be better ,  maybe worse if anything ,  but ya can kinda feel an under current of change brewing. 

[TheReaLPuba]

Well Ainge has a weird way of signing max players then letting them walk for nothing.

For whatever reason the team alienates the veteran all-stars with their young core devotion and then expect the young guys to take the next step when they're not mature enough to lead.

Is it that hard to keep talented players with a mixed age for a consistent period of time?

[Sophomore]

Well Ainge has a weird way of signing max players then letting them walk for nothing.

For whatever reason the team alienates the veteran all-stars with their young core devotion and then expect the young guys to take the next step when they're not mature enough to lead.

Is it that hard to keep talented players with a mixed age for a consistent period of time?

I don’t know. Ask Atlanta (Al Horford), Utah (Hayward), and Cleveland (Kyrie). All those guys left their former teams to come to Boston. (Technically, Kyrie was traded, but he was available because he wanted out.)

[hardlyyardley]

Just a couple of re[lies to past posts on this subject:

With Archie Miller in disfavor at Indiana U, if Stevens bolts it'll be there

Joe Harris was a stiff with Milwaukee his first time around the league

[gouki88]

Gary Washburn on what the Celtics should do in the 2017 NBA draft:

“ There is ample opportunity to improve, and the first step is taking skilled guard Markelle Fultz with the first overall pick. The Celtics need to upgrade their frontcourt, but they may be able to do that without sacrificing the first overall pick.

Unless the Celtics are able to land a potential franchise center, there is little reason to trade the first pick. Fultz, from those in NBA circles, has a chance to be special, and Ainge will not pass on the opportunity to draft possibly the next great Celtic.”

http://c.o0bg.com/sports/celtics/2017/05/27/celtics-must-take-next-step-this-offseason/FRDfFPYsPoyOJbA7pK5n9L/story.html

Nice job, Gary.

Rofl.

Clearly an elite evaluator of talent!

[86MaxwellSmart]

Danny Ainge: "Blame Danny Ainge"

[kraidstar]

Well Ainge has a weird way of signing max players then letting them walk for nothing.

For whatever reason the team alienates the veteran all-stars with their young core devotion and then expect the young guys to take the next step when they're not mature enough to lead.

Is it that hard to keep talented players with a mixed age for a consistent period of time?

 Context is highly relevant here. If Hayward doesn't get hurt then his role on this team is vastly different the last few years.

 The team was set up to have 3 veteran all stars plus Smart and then two up-and-coming prospects in Brown and Tatum to take over once those players aged.

 The Hayward and Kyrie injuries changed everything, giving Tatum and Brown a chance to shine earlier than expected.  That basically put Hayward out of a job, and Kyrie was too immature to handle the pressure of leadership alone.

 If Hayward never gets hurt perhaps Ainge pulls the trigger and Davis ends up here on one of the most stacked teams of all time.  Due to the pure immediate talent of that potential club, Danny would have had more leeway to pick one direction or another as far as veterans or youth.

 But it wasn't to be. Hayward was a shadow of himself here, and Kyrie was crazy and homesick.  I suppose Danny could have traded Kyrie or Hayward in the last years of their contracts, but he was trying to compete for a championship which is supposedly what people on this site want.

I think he wanted those players to resign, but they had their own agendas. I'm not sure what he could have done differently to keep them, aside from trading our young stars for another veteran. And even then, as Ainge noted in an interview, he thought Kyrie would leave even if we landed Davis.

So he bet on our long-term prospects with the Jays instead.

[Bobshot]

On thursday's Celtics Beat podcast, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe laid the blame for the Celtics' problems primarily on Danny Ainge and the front office scouting team. He said that have done horribly in the draft, and singled out the Yabusele, Zizic and Young picks. Said if they liked Herro so much they should have moved up in the draft.  Basically said that they are poor talent evaluators, and should add a former NBA player to the scouting team, and someone like Mike Schmidt of ESPN who specializes in scouting.  He also was confounded by the Bane trade with the 30th pick, and said if we had cleared roster space we could have drafted and signed him, or the Michigan State kid.

He also was somewhat dismissive of Mike Gorman's take that the two stars are ball stoppers, saying they have no one to pass it to, singling out Theis and Semi as inadequated shooters or scorers.  He said that Brown's "no comment" frustration is with his untalented teammates.

Said that the Celtics need to cut their losses for bad draft picks, again singling out keeping guys like Yabu way too long.  He said the best organizations are not sentimental about their players, and noted the Lakers and Nets as two teams that are very effective is signing/cutting guys quickly until they find the right mix.

I don't agree much with his assessments. He was especially critical of Theis, which seemed a bit odd and off putting. 

Curious what you guys think.

I agree with Washburn. Danny's strategy, sorry to say, over the past 13 years, hasn't worked. Partly because of bad luck with GH (they miss him right now), partly because he has failed to find a dominant center  (Horford was closest, but no cigar). And he has a small ball coach who could care less about dominant centers.  Stevens also has a significant say in personnel, by the way. Heard Danny say that. He also has failed to make trades for significant players when given the opportunity. Way too conservative on this. The latest was the GH fiasco with Indiana.

Theis? A nice sign, but way overexposed in Stevens system. A backup 4. Can't jump, and can't defend against good bigs. Robert Williams' paucity of minutes, considering his productivity, is a mystery, although his durability is questionable. And Tacko Fall  seems to be treated like a novelty, instead of a guy who could dominate the paint. Wonder what Austin Ainge, who signed him, thinks about that.

I like Danny. He's an original Celtic, and he should know the basics of Celtics winning: know your roles,  pass for the best shot, and get easy shots with a fast transition game.
I don't see that in the present team.  Maybe it's the coach. I don't know.

If I'm the owner, with this team currently in last place, I'm wondering if I need to make any changes if I want to win again.

[wiley]

On thursday's Celtics Beat podcast, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe laid the blame for the Celtics' problems primarily on Danny Ainge and the front office scouting team. He said that have done horribly in the draft, and singled out the Yabusele, Zizic and Young picks. Said if they liked Herro so much they should have moved up in the draft.  Basically said that they are poor talent evaluators, and should add a former NBA player to the scouting team, and someone like Mike Schmidt of ESPN who specializes in scouting.  He also was confounded by the Bane trade with the 30th pick, and said if we had cleared roster space we could have drafted and signed him, or the Michigan State kid.

He also was somewhat dismissive of Mike Gorman's take that the two stars are ball stoppers, saying they have no one to pass it to, singling out Theis and Semi as inadequated shooters or scorers.  He said that Brown's "no comment" frustration is with his untalented teammates.

Said that the Celtics need to cut their losses for bad draft picks, again singling out keeping guys like Yabu way too long.  He said the best organizations are not sentimental about their players, and noted the Lakers and Nets as two teams that are very effective is signing/cutting guys quickly until they find the right mix.

I don't agree much with his assessments. He was especially critical of Theis, which seemed a bit odd and off putting. 

Curious what you guys think.

I agree with Washburn. Danny's strategy, sorry to say, over the past 13 years, hasn't worked. Partly because of bad luck with GH (they miss him right now), partly because he has failed to find a dominant center  (Horford was closest, but no cigar). And he has a small ball coach who could care less about dominant centers.  Stevens also has a significant say in personnel, by the way. Heard Danny say that. He also has failed to make trades for significant players when given the opportunity. Way too conservative on this. The latest was the GH fiasco with Indiana.

Theis? A nice sign, but way overexposed in Stevens system. A backup 4. Can't jump, and can't defend against good bigs. Robert Williams' paucity of minutes, considering his productivity, is a mystery, although his durability is questionable. And Tacko Fall  seems to be treated like a novelty, instead of a guy who could dominate the paint. Wonder what Austin Ainge, who signed him, thinks about that.

I like Danny. He's an original Celtic, and he should know the basics of Celtics winning: know your roles,  pass for the best shot, and get easy shots with a fast transition game.
I don't see that in the present team.  Maybe it's the coach. I don't know.

If I'm the owner, with this team currently in last place, I'm wondering if I need to make any changes if I want to win again.

Nice post overall, TP.  Though I think Danny's done much more right than wrong. 

And Theis CAN jump!!   

[colincb]

Washburn will be gone before Danny or Brad.

[Roy H.]

Joe Harris was a stiff with Milwaukee his first time around the league

Never played for Milwaukee.

He didn’t get playing time in Cleveland, and then Brooklyn picked him up.

[Uncle_Stingfinger]

He should have gotten Halliburton this draft. 

[wdleehi]

He should have gotten Halliburton this draft.

Because he was available when the Celtics picked?   

Because you would have traded up when no team traded down?