Doc reflects on the trade

[RJ87]

Angryguy, I wasn't a fan of Glen Davis this postseason either - but who could we have given minutes too instead? That's the issue that I think fans aren't realizing. Some may say Murph, but he seems like he forgot how to play completely.

With that said, Doc really hit the nail on the head - the biggest advantage we had was familiarity, continuity, and chemistry. The trade disrupted all of that. And whether we like or not, teams like the Heat and the Bulls can make up the lack of chemistry with pure talent, athleticism, youth - something we're in very short supply of around these parts.

[ben]

Angryguy, I wasn't a fan of Glen Davis this postseason either - but who could we have given minutes too instead? That's the issue that I think fans aren't realizing. Some may say Murph, but he seems like he forgot how to play completely.

With that said, Doc really hit the nail on the head - the biggest advantage we had was familiarity, continuity, and chemistry. The trade disrupted all of that. And whether we like or not, teams like the Heat and the Bulls can make up the lack of chemistry with pure talent, athleticism, youth - something we're in very short supply of around these parts.

How about Davis simply plays less minutes.  How about Jeff Green plays a couple minutes at the 4, especially if the Heat put Lebron at th 4 for any amount of time.  How about using our size, and Playing 2 7 footers out there, and using Kristic instead of BBD.  There are a lot of ways we could have reduced Davis minutes, and it would have helped us a lot. 

[BballTim]

I still come back to the biggest failure having been not signing a third guy (besides Pierce and Quis) who could have handled duties at the small forward.  That could have been TA.  That could have even been Scal (although not for the remainder of the season, after Quis went down).  Quis was a known injury risk, and they made the decision to *not* bring aboard someone else who could fill in if needed.  Certainly, the role of Von Wafer on this club was always questionable, and even moreso after Delonte became available.

Another backup SF on the roster since camp, no need to panic when Quis gets hurt.  

  I still think that expecting your third sf to play a big role in the postseason against Melo and LeBron is a reason to panic.

[the TRUTH]

IMO, this is a classless cop-out by Doc. It may have been a factor in our early exit, but a lot of our scoring droughts over the last two years have come with the Big 4 plus Perkins/Shaq/JO/Rasheed on the floor. Doc's best players often went 5+ minutes without getting a single good look at the basket.

Doc never did anything to fix that problem. That's coaching, plain and simple. I realize I've posted this in other threads, and am not trying to beat a dead horse here, but it baffles me that Doc isn't getting more heat for this. And now, for him to blame the trade? Super weak.

[hibbamax]

I can't believe people are blaming Doc for not assimilating the new players. Are you kidding? I am glad someone from the organization has come out and criticized the trade. Unlike the garbage we heard from Ainge on Weei -talking about how proficient Jeff Green was. It sounded just like Dan Duquette - "more days in first place". Most Boston fans are too smart for that sort of spin.


I hate excuses - Ainge should have taken a cue from Belichick - don't use injuries as an excuse and don't talk about them publicly.  It can only hurt you. After the Miami series, it sounded like AInge was trying to convince himself and the ownership that the trade was the right move- because very few others believed him, most importantly the veterans on his own team.

[ben]

IMO, this is a classless cop-out by Doc. It may have been a factor in our early exit, but a lot of our scoring droughts over the last two years have come with the Big 4 plus Perkins/Shaq/JO/Rasheed on the floor. Doc's best players often went 5+ minutes without getting a single good look at the basket.

Doc never did anything to fix that problem. That's coaching, plain and simple. I realize I've posted this in other threads, and am not trying to beat a dead horse here, but it baffles me that Doc isn't getting more heat for this. And now, for him to blame the trade? Super weak.

Thank you for saying this.  Agree 100 %  TP TP TP.  

[ben]

I can't believe people are blaming Doc for not assimilating the new players. Are you kidding? I am glad someone from the organization has come out and criticized the trade. Unlike the garbage we heard from Ainge on Weei -talking about how proficient Jeff Green was. It sounded just like Dan Duquette - "more days in first place". Most Boston fans are too smart for that sort of spin.


I hate excuses - Ainge should have taken a cue from Belichick - don't use injuries as an excuse and don't talk about them publicly.  It can only hurt you. After the Miami series, it sounded like AInge was trying to convince himself and the ownership that the trade was the right move- because very few others believed him, most importantly the veterans on his own team.

Wow.  Please please stop.  The Trade was the Right Move.  Trust me.  And even if it wasn't, without Danny Ainge, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen would not be Celtics.  Show some Respect!   

[hibbamax]

I can't believe people are blaming Doc for not assimilating the new players. Are you kidding? I am glad someone from the organization has come out and criticized the trade. Unlike the garbage we heard from Ainge on Weei -talking about how proficient Jeff Green was. It sounded just like Dan Duquette - "more days in first place". Most Boston fans are too smart for that sort of spin.


I hate excuses - Ainge should have taken a cue from Belichick - don't use injuries as an excuse and don't talk about them publicly.  It can only hurt you. After the Miami series, it sounded like AInge was trying to convince himself and the ownership that the trade was the right move- because very few others believed him, most importantly the veterans on his own team.

Wow.  Please please stop.  The Trade was the Right Move.  Trust me.  And even if it wasn't, without Danny Ainge, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen would not be Celtics.  Show some Respect!   

I give Danny a ton of credit from the great drafts he has had and bringing together the Big 3. It was great to have a Celtics team we can all be proud of after suffering through the down years.

But is he beyond criticism? That's ridiculous. I will never be a blind homer. Ainge messed up here big time. The 2010-2011 season will always be defined by the Perkins trade and the failure that ensued.

I can't remember a first place, veteran team that made a move before the trade deadline and got worse. Can you? In any sport? It just doesn't happen very often and especially not in Boston. For that alone, Danny deserves to be slammed.

[wahz]

 I swear we are having much more Doc criticism recently here and the guy just signed a VERY long term contract. I mean I just don't want to go there. We are stuck with the guy. Its not gonna be healthy to start hating on him

[PortCelt]

Doc objected at the timing and the palpable results of losing some cohesiveness that late in the season. He did not object to the incoming parts. From Danny's perspective it was better to deal Perk now then come away with nothing since Perk rejected his best offer. Meanwhile PP did not have a capable back up. The question no one seems to ask is would they have made the trade for Green, or perhaps Harden, if Quis were healthy?

For those who beleive it was based on financial reasons and Shaq's record with the starters (22-4 playing 21+ minutes) the answer is yes. But management miscalculated on the severity of Shaq's injury, and there is some credence that Davis would be easier to resign than Perk. Davis was having a solid year (35-15, +161 with the starters), but hit a wall.

Nevertheless, the trade was not the reason they lost the series. The overarching problem in the finals last year, and now the Miami series, has been their offensive weapons could not create their own shots consistently, and Rondo wasn't able to fill the vacuum because of his jump shooting short comings.

[nickagneta]

Everybody deserves their fair share of the blame for not winning a championship this year. The players for their, at times, uninspired play and poor concentration and ball handling, the medical staff for not insisting JO get surgery right  away and doing a better job handling Shaq. Doc for his coaching and Danny for his poor player management. I think the medical staff and Doc deserve the least responsibility and the players  and Danny the most. Just my opinion.

I love that Doc is saying what so many knew was true, that the trade happened at the wrong time and was bad for the  team for this year. I agree with others that Doc did what he could do with what he was given and the injury situation but sometimes management, injuries, age and luck have other things in mind. Clearly they did this year.

[jambr380]

I guess it's just a coincidence that Doc inks a huge new deal and is now coming out with this. People felt differently about the trade when it happened...and still do. With the Celtics going out early, the side that hated the trade feel like they knew best and those against think it wouldn't have made any difference (I guess I am leaning this way, as I believe it was injuries and lack of athleticism really hurt us against the Heat).

I guess I just think that Doc should keep his mouth shut. He is usually very diplomatic and I like him a lot, but totally disagreeing with your boss right after you get a guaranteed 35 million dollar contract seems a little suspicious to me.

[RJ87]

ben: krstic had both of his knees bruised and JO was playing through a broken wrist - handing them more minutes wouldn't have helped. Not to mention is a solid offensive player, but his defensive is worse then Glen's. Playing him at 4 against Lebron James would have been disastrous. Green was good for us for stretches, but clearly needs more time/practice within the system.

Its always entertaining to me how people think professional coaching & managing players' egos is so simplistic - if that's the case, go out and get Doc's job.

[hibbamax]

Doc objected at the timing and the palpable results of losing some cohesiveness that late in the season. He did not object to the incoming parts. From Danny's perspective it was better to deal Perk now then come away with nothing since Perk rejected his best offer. Meanwhile PP did not have a capable back up. The question no one seems to ask is would they have made the trade for Green, or perhaps Harden, if Quis were healthy?

For those who beleive it was based on financial reasons and Shaq's record with the starters (22-4 playing 21+ minutes) the answer is yes. But management miscalculated on the severity of Shaq's injury, and there is some credence that Davis would be easier to resign than Perk. Davis was having a solid year (35-15, +161 with the starters), but hit a wall.

Nevertheless, the trade was not the reason they lost the series. The overarching problem in the finals last year, and now the Miami series, has been their offensive weapons could not create their own shots consistently, and Rondo wasn't able to fill the vacuum because of his jump shooting short comings.

I agree that moving Perkins was probably a good move before his contract was up. He was a solid player with limitations but he had a clear, defined role. But why Jeff Green? I was never a fan of his game at Georgetown or OKC. He always needed a lot of shots and minutes to be effective. How was he going to get those minutes here? He is not the type of guy you bring off the bench for instant scoring or defense. A solid player but a bad fit for this team. Maybe a good fit for the future, but why are we doing this for the future? What message does that send Garnett, Allen and Pierce? Couldn't we find a backup small forward with a similar skill set to Green for a lot cheaper?

I sort of feel bad for Green. As long as he is here, we will represent the trade and all of the bad feelings around it. Unless he develops into a really good player, he will be a target for the fans (JD Drew). I hope he can handle it.
The last thing is relying on Shaq. Relying on a 39 year old center? Does that need more explanation? Ridiculous.
Wait for the stories that are going to come out in the offseason about the Perkins trade. I have a feeling that Doc's comments today are only the beginning.

[vinnie]

Thank you, Doc, for finally saying what many of us have been saying since the trade was made. It doesn't make losing in the second round feel any better, but it confirms what a lot of us were feeling.