How good is Danny Ainge?

[ScoobyDoo]

2008 > Champions
2009 > KG down
2010 > 3 minutes from 2 titles in three years
2011 > If we stay healthy? Two titles in four years
Three finals in four years?
2012 > We stay in tact & healthy? Possibly might just win 3 titles in 5 years. It's possible.

If Ainge can get us a good, physical decent defensive small forward behind Pierce ( I would still consider throwing in with that wiley vet Posey ) we will shread people this year if we stay healthy, always has to be a caveat with this team.

But here is the real judge of Ainge's GM acumen.

He has signed almost everyone to 2 year contracts, allowing them to make a run. Does everyone realise that at the end of the 2012 season we will bring nearly $55 mil+ off our cap?

Kevin Garnett: 2 years left > $21 Mil
Ray Allen: 2 Year left > $10 Mil
J. O'Neal: 2 years left > $6 mil
Rasheed: 2 years left > $6 Mil
Nate R: 2 years left > $4.5 Mil
Baby: 1 year left > $3 Mil
Daniels: 2 years left > $2.5 Mil
Shaq: 2 years left > $1.4 mil

That's $54.4 mil coming off the books.

I assume we'll have:
Perkins
Baby / Gody
Pierce
Bradley
Rondo 
Plus two othr first round picks...

Free agant class for 2012, as of right now?
D. Howard, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Josh Smith...

If you could add, say, Blake Griffin and Tyreke Evans to Rondo and Perk? And you had picked up a decent small forward in the draft?

Perkins
Griffin / Baby
Pierce / Gody
Tyreke Evans
Rondo / Bradley

Hello?

Yeah, it's optimistic, sure. But the key thing is that Ainge has positioned himself to be able to offer two max contracts in the summer of 2012 to rebuild with Perkins and Rondo..

Very nicely done Danny...!

We're loaded for the next two seasons and we're in position to score big if we're lucky, basically as KG, Ray et al are walkking out the door.   

[manl_lui]

Howard is top priority

I hope we can retain the players who expire in 2012 for a much cheaper price

imagine KG coming backing for MLE our big 3 becomes bench players behind two max players...Id like that =)

but Id give Danny Ainge an A+ for being a GM

we've been through 2 finals in 3 years...good signings for reasonable prices...

the dude is smart

[pearljammer10]

He certainly worried me when he first got the job, but it appears that he had a plan and a very good one at that. Cant help but put all my trust in him to make the right decisions for this team.

[KungPoweChicken]

From my understanding, Evans and Griffin will not be free agents in 2012. Their teams will pick up their options.

[housecall]

From reading Scooby Doo's first post it focused more on the bigger picture of what Danny has done for the team for the long term.I agree he has made some good moves in making sure that the roster will be open in 2012 to reload but i can't forget the medicore job he did in filling the bench this past season.Overall i give him a B+...he could have done a better job with the bench.(IMO)  

 The Sheldon Williams signing is still haunting me at night.

[Fafnir]

From reading Scooby Doo's first post it focused more on the bigger picture of what Danny has done for the team for the long term.I agree he has made some good moves in making sure that the roster will be open in 2012 to reload but i can't forget the medicore job he did in filling the bench this past season.Overall i give him a B+...he could have done a better job with the bench.(IMO)  

 The Sheldon Williams signing is still haunting me at night.

I think Sheldon was about as productive as you can expect/want out of a veteran minimum PF/C.

Which is why getting Shaq at that price is a steal.

[Mencius]

We are surprisingly in a position of great flexibility right now.  He can go the route of having cap space in two years, or, if he chose to (and found some team wanting to create cap space and part with a high priced player), he could put together salaries and draft picks to potentially get a real impact player who could go forward with Rondo in a couple of years.

Replacing Perk and Sheed with the O'Neals is probably a slight downgrade, but not a huge one, and it affords us the opportunity (by including Perk in a trade) to even get a max guy.  I don't know who that might be, but our greatest flexibility is before the season starts, when we still have the contracts of Gaffney, Lafayette, and Erden on the books (small though those contracts are).

So Danny really has as ton of flexibility right now.  A little bit like in 2007, in that had the ping pong balls gone in another direction, we could have gone forward with a young crew focused around a Durant.  Instead, the ping pong balls went the other way, and he still had the flexibility to instantly build a contender.

I like that he can either use the contracts for a true impact player this year, or just wait and have cap room in two years.  Still, given the age of our players, and that we are going for it all now, I'd rather he make an impactful trade, even if it means needing to throw Perk's contract into the mix.

[guava_wrench]

We are surprisingly in a position of great flexibility right now.  He can go the route of having cap space in two years, or, if he chose to (and found some team wanting to create cap space and part with a high priced player), he could put together salaries and draft picks to potentially get a real impact player who could go forward with Rondo in a couple of years.

Replacing Perk and Sheed with the O'Neals is probably a slight downgrade, but not a huge one, and it affords us the opportunity (by including Perk in a trade) to even get a max guy.  I don't know who that might be, but our greatest flexibility is before the season starts, when we still have the contracts of Gaffney, Lafayette, and Erden on the books (small though those contracts are).

So Danny really has as ton of flexibility right now.  A little bit like in 2007, in that had the ping pong balls gone in another direction, we could have gone forward with a young crew focused around a Durant.  Instead, the ping pong balls went the other way, and he still had the flexibility to instantly build a contender.

I like that he can either use the contracts for a true impact player this year, or just wait and have cap room in two years.  Still, given the age of our players, and that we are going for it all now, I'd rather he make an impactful trade, even if it means needing to throw Perk's contract into the mix.

It is interesting how Danny went with old guys instead of picking up younger guys with longer contracts. He seems to want to have a clean slate in 2 years.

His approach seems to be go for a last chance roster and future flexibility.

[LooseCannon]

Or there were no young guys that Ainge liked.  Youth for the sake of youth isn't a good strategy.

[slamtheking]

I originally gave him a D for the offseason in another thread.  since that time he's resigned Nate, Quisy, signed Wafer and Shaq.  At this point, I'd give him an A- for getting some good quality players with what he had available.  Now if he can turn Sheed's deal into a really solid backup SF or better yet a 3/4 player, he'll deserve an A+.

The fact that he's arranged to have almost all of the contracts expire in 2 years is a great accomplishment.  I'm interested in seeing how he'll make out with handling BBD and Perk next year when he has to resign them.  They're not the type of players he should be signing (or will be likely to sign) for just another 1 year deal.

[ScoobyDoo]

Good point manl_lui / slamtheking, and others. Main thing I love about What he's done:

1. If we stay healthy this year and next ( and the way we're dialed in with everyone for two years ) no one should have to play big minutes anymore - there is no reason we couldn't
conceivably win two straight titles - health permitting.
We are that stacked if we can stay healthy.

Getting a good small forward with Sheed's contract is now the main priority, to keep Pierce's minutes down. I still would consider Posey for that reason, another two year deal...

2. Therefore, we will be ultra competitive for the next two years, possbily putting up two more titles.

3. Ainge can then reload instantly if he can sign two max players around Perk and Rondo...if yuou add the right two players - you get lucky and get Griffin and Evans or the like, let's say, you might find yourself right back in the finals the next season....un-beleivable.

4. Like you mention Manl_lui, if KG and Ray want to keep playign but basically take a load off, they could easily resign for medium money and just enjoy the ride, contribute 15-20 a night and extend their careers with a good, fighting chance at a nother title if Ainge is able to land two max guys...

5. Look for hi to draft good utility guys in his next two drafts, leading up to 2012. Maybe a swing 3/4 and a good swing 4/5.   

[Surferdad]

I think DA built in that flexibility 2 years from now due to the CBA expiring, correct?  If so, he will come up looking like a rose and have a huge advantage over teams that tied themselves to longer-term contracts.

At this point in DA's tenure, I give him an A- for two trips to the Finals and one title.  Just hard to give him a perfect grade just yet, but if the C's win one more title I'll consider upgrading him.

[LilRip]

holy crap. Dwight Howard?!?! yes please! Rondo-Dwight would make a beast of a defensive team!



- LilRip

[nickagneta]

I really wanted Danny to draft Damion James but having seen Avery Bradley play alongside James a lot this year, it was a very very good pick for the future.

The signing of players to two year contracts and leaving open the ability to be tremendously cap flexible in the 2012 off season is brilliant.

With the resources available to him Danny did an excellent job of attempting one final shot at the title next year.

He, more than just about any other GM in the league this off season showed outstanding financial restraint and was able to show a frugality that most owners only wish their GMs could have exhibited. When the lockout occurs, Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics will NOT be one of the people/teams that should be blamed for overspending and being unable to control their free spending ways.

BTW, next year will be the last year that the Celtics be able to go all out for the title. After an off season and extensive layoff do to a long and protracted lockout that no one will be sure when it will end, do not expect the Celtics very important and aged players to be able to bounce right back and be able to bring it in a shortened season and playoffs. That won't be happening.

[LooseCannon]

holy crap. Dwight Howard?!?! yes please! Rondo-Dwight would make a beast of a defensive team!

Imagine a close game.  Both teams are in the penalty, and the game comes down to drawing fouls and knocking down free throws.