Ainge on Toucher & Rich 3/11/21

[todd_days_41]

Ainge did an extended interview this morning on T&R that was pretty candid, pretty good. Can someone with a little extra time post key excerpts? Among other things he said:

~ that he's always known they're far more likely to use the TPE this summer (as opposed to before the deadline)
~ alot of the current trade rumors are fake plants by agents and other teams because the Cs are perceived to need a trade and want to boost heat from other teams for their own purposes.
~ that they're really unlikely to make a trade with any major player on an expiring deal and / or use the TPE or real assets for that
~ reiterates: no band-aid moves. not sacrificing key young players for PR-ish moves that won't move actually the needle.
~ phone lines are as busy as they've ever been
~ that often fans are more interested in trades than the games themselves (like who?) 
~ that he lives in a "different world" where making the 1-2 moves he thinks they need to win a championship is really really hard and you can't be impatient and make moves that won't change their championship profile.
~ that the fake media reports on what the Cs were offering for Jrue Holliday might have faked the Bucks out and caused them to raise their offer (overpay?)

Those are what I recall.

[Goldstar88]

Here’s the link if anyone is interested:

https://985thesportshub.com/episodes/danny-ainge-joins-toucher-rich-the-stack-hour-4-3/

[Moranis]

Wouldn't ring so hollow if Ainge had actually pulled the trigger on legit top 5 (or even top 10) players when they've come available in the last few years. 

[Jiri Welsch]

Wouldn't ring so hollow if Ainge had actually pulled the trigger on legit top 5 (or even top 10) players when they've come available in the last few years.

There have been 3 Top 5 players available in recent years.

One was AD, who wasn't an option because Kyrie was on the roster and there's a rule that prevented AD and Kyrie from being on the team together that year.

Another was Kawhi, who was a 1-year rental. And although it worked out amazingly for Toronto, Danny decided it wasn't worth mortgaging the future (Tatum and Brown) for one year. We didn't have a Derozan type to trade.

The last is Harden, but again I think it comes down to not overpaying for guys that don't want to be here and who might not be better than Tatum or Brown in three years.

This narrative that Danny just needed to pull the trigger is wrong, imo. I think it's more complicated.

[Who]

Ainge did an extended interview this morning on T&R that was pretty candid, pretty good. Can someone with a little extra time post key excerpts? Among other things he said:

~ that he's always known they're far more likely to use the TPE this summer (as opposed to before the deadline)

That is a bummer. I was hoping for someone new who could add some excitement to this group this season.

[todd_days_41]

Ainge did an extended interview this morning on T&R that was pretty candid, pretty good. Can someone with a little extra time post key excerpts? Among other things he said:

~ that he's always known they're far more likely to use the TPE this summer (as opposed to before the deadline)

That is a bummer. I was hoping for someone new who could add some excitement to this group this season.

He didn't rule it out. He was just candid that there would be fewer options this time of year, and that the hard cap makes it tougher. But one got the sense he's not a big TPE move available right now (or he's smoke screening -- less likely IMO).

[Celtics2021]

Ainge did an extended interview this morning on T&R that was pretty candid, pretty good. Can someone with a little extra time post key excerpts? Among other things he said:

~ that he's always known they're far more likely to use the TPE this summer (as opposed to before the deadline)

That is a bummer. I was hoping for someone new who could add some excitement to this group this season.

But it’s also not surprising, in that the team is limited by the hard cap this year, meaning they cannot take advantage of the full value of the TPE nearly as easily as they could next summer.

[todd_days_41]

Ainge also said something to the following effect:

we kick tires on trades all the time where we don't have any true interest in the player but want to gauge value, or our interest is very low but we just wanna see if we can get them at a very low price.

I think this goes without saying, but interesting to have a major sports GM come right out and say it.

[Moranis]

Wouldn't ring so hollow if Ainge had actually pulled the trigger on legit top 5 (or even top 10) players when they've come available in the last few years.

There have been 3 Top 5 players available in recent years.

One was AD, who wasn't an option because Kyrie was on the roster and there's a rule that prevented AD and Kyrie from being on the team together that year.

Another was Kawhi, who was a 1-year rental. And although it worked out amazingly for Toronto, Danny decided it wasn't worth mortgaging the future (Tatum and Brown) for one year. We didn't have a Derozan type to trade.

The last is Harden, but again I think it comes down to not overpaying for guys that don't want to be here and who might not be better than Tatum or Brown in three years.

This narrative that Danny just needed to pull the trigger is wrong, imo. I think it's more complicated.

It is his statement about not making moves unless it changes the championship profile, that I was objecting to, because there were clearly moves that would have elevated Boston into the championship class that Ainge didn't pull the trigger on.  That is why I said it rang hollow because we've seen him not make those moves time and time again.  And you are correct, those are the 3 top 5ish players, but there have been a bunch of top 10ish players come available that Ainge has passed on as well (Butler, George come immediately to mind).  The one time he pulled the trigger he pulled it on the worst "superstar" that has come available and then didn't follow it up when he could have. 

[BringToughnessBack]

Well, the comment about not making a PRish move kind of rules out Horford returning. I could have seen us dealing Romeo and Nesmith and Edwards for Horford and a first back to us from them(the Denver first) . Sounds like he is waiting for the summer for sure.

[liam]

My problem with what Angie is saying now is that last year we could've been in the finals had Danny make a couple of tweaks and had more players who could actually play in that Miami series. Sometimes little tweaks and good role players are what get you over the hump. Singles and doubles are import too. They don't all have to be home runs Danny.

[todd_days_41]

My problem with what Angie is saying now is that last year we could've been in the finals had Danny make a couple of tweaks and had more players who could actually play in that Miami series. Sometimes little tweaks and good role players are what get you over the hump. Singles and doubles are import too. They don't all have to be home runs Danny.

He said if Hayward had been healthy he thinks they could / would have gone to the finals. That's not a single or double. He was the best player Danny's ever signed here.

[todd_days_41]

Well, the comment about not making a PRish move kind of rules out Horford returning. I could have seen us dealing Romeo and Nesmith and Edwards for Horford and a first back to us from them(the Denver first) . Sounds like he is waiting for the summer for sure.

I can't think of a major move I think is less likely than Ainge trading for Al Horford. If he wanted him so badly he would have just paid him when he was a Cs Bird Rights FA. 

[86MaxwellSmart]

My problem with what Angie is saying now is that last year we could've been in the finals had Danny make a couple of tweaks and had more players who could actually play in that Miami series. Sometimes little tweaks and good role players are what get you over the hump. Singles and doubles are import too. They don't all have to be home runs Danny.

He said if Hayward had been healthy he thinks they could / would have gone to the finals. That's not a single or double. He was the best player Danny's ever signed here.

Best player he ever signed, who couldn't make an open layup.

[liam]

My problem with what Angie is saying now is that last year we could've been in the finals had Danny make a couple of tweaks and had more players who could actually play in that Miami series. Sometimes little tweaks and good role players are what get you over the hump. Singles and doubles are import too. They don't all have to be home runs Danny.

He said if Hayward had been healthy he thinks they could / would have gone to the finals. That's not a single or double. He was the best player Danny's ever signed here.

That Miami series was really close. A couple of solid role players off the bench would've put us over the top. Anyone who could make an open jump shot would've put us over the top.