Latest Simmon's Article on Celts

[birdbrady]

Simmons could just as easily write a column on Mitch Kupchak, a top 5 GM himself and absolutely shred him for brutal signings like Luke Walton, Ron Artest, and Steve Blake.  Those three guys are all signed through this year and next, and in Blake's case the year after that as well.  The three of them are combined taking up a max contract slot.  The Artest signing was particularly bad because he let Ariza go, who was younger, better and a far better fit.  Kupchak also has hit like one first round pick in the last 7-8 years, (Jordan Farmar.)  He also re-signed Derek Fisher to a not one, not two, but three year deal.  And Fisher is absolutely baked.

But the moves Kupchak did make? Hold onto Kobe despite trade demands.  Turn down deals for Andrew  Bynum that had the Lakers getting back either Jason Kidd or Jermaine O'Neal...much to Kobe's dismay.  Trade for Pau.  All that matters.

Again, moves like Simmons' Clippers made - trading the #1 pick in the draft for Mo Williams - are FAR more crippling.  Repeat, the #1 pick in the draft for Mo Williams.  Yet you don't hear a peep from that clown.

TP.  You've been churning out quality posts lately.  Keep it up.

Thanks man.  I've been following the Celts for 20 years, have owned season tickets for ten and have watched as many games as I could.  I've been registered around this forum since like 2005ish, although I remember having to re-register in 07 I think for whatever reason.  I'd pop in here and there, but only recently have I started posting regularly here.  I used to post on the old ESPN forums about 10 years ago, and that was just hardcore Celtics talk.  You better had be on your game, and if you didn't have freakish knowledge about the team and the game, you didn't belong there.

[birdbrady]

i thought the article was illogical

his hero sam presti build his franchise by having 3 top five picks and not trading for ageing talent (btw dannny won a title and reached a game 7 without one top 5 pick) ,

now how does he want ainge to do to redeem himself?

trade for ageing talent!? ha!

btw his hero sam presti also passed on jordon (he picked DJ White, one pick ahead of ainge, and so did every other franchise)

Btw don't know how presti is going to be able to keep either ibaka or harden is a small market after paying perk $7 mill a year.

Well Presti and Buford are the best in the game I believe.  But you are right.  No one would be giving two craps about Presti if his Sonics stayed at the 5 slot and picked someone like Conley, Jeff Green, or Corey Brewer, instead of moving up to the two spot and then not even have a decision to make to take Durant.

[mkogav]

Does anyone realized this article emulated his "Doc Rivers has been fired!" article that he wrote in 2006?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/061115

After the season, Danny traded for Ray and KG.... well u know the rest.

Bueller?

Bueller?

Bueller?


Mk

[cman88]

Whata rediculous article...ainge has been one of the best gms in the game. He took over a franchise mired in salary cap hell and turned them around into a cpntender...and while being in contention for 4 years..he never mortgaged our future...we are in a great position to rebuild. A lot of rebuilding teams would love to be in our place

Every team declines but ainge has put us in a good position going forward..acting like he's been some inept gm when he took a team that was a joke in the 00's and managing to a championship and not crippling them with large future contracts is rediculous

[FrDrake]

I think its funny/silly that a lot of people seem to love to bury simmons on this board and point out his mistakes but his columns are always read, discussed at great length, and usually funny.

Like others posted, this column was written with tongue planted firmly in cheek and Simmons probably deliberately contradicts himself all the time just for fun.

I thought the Tommy interjections were hilarious...especially "Heinsohn [in background]: "Or Dino Radja!"

Also, a lot of the analysis was pretty much dead on.  DA has preserved future cap space and picks to a fault while constantly picking up over the hill veterans most of whom did not work out post 2008.  Marbury, JO, Sheed, Shaq, T. Murphy, Pavlovic, Daniels...the list is long and mostly disappointing.   Not to mention multiple unproductive drafts in a row.

DA deserves criticism for these moves even if it is written as a reverse jinx.

[Moranis]

i thought the article was illogical

his hero sam presti build his franchise by having 3 top five picks and not trading for ageing talent (btw dannny won a title and reached a game 7 without one top 5 pick) ,

now how does he want ainge to do to redeem himself?

trade for ageing talent!? ha!

btw his hero sam presti also passed on jordon (he picked DJ White, one pick ahead of ainge, and so did every other franchise)

Btw don't know how presti is going to be able to keep either ibaka or harden is a small market after paying perk $7 mill a year.

actually 4 top 5 picks when you count Jeff Green.

[goCeltics]

i thought the article was illogical

his hero sam presti build his franchise by having 3 top five picks and not trading for ageing talent (btw dannny won a title and reached a game 7 without one top 5 pick) ,

now how does he want ainge to do to redeem himself?

trade for ageing talent!? ha!

btw his hero sam presti also passed on jordon (he picked DJ White, one pick ahead of ainge, and so did every other franchise)

Btw don't know how presti is going to be able to keep either ibaka or harden is a small market after paying perk $7 mill a year.

Well Presti and Buford are the best in the game I believe.  But you are right.  No one would be giving two craps about Presti if his Sonics stayed at the 5 slot and picked someone like Conley, Jeff Green, or Corey Brewer, instead of moving up to the two spot and then not even have a decision to make to take Durant.

i like presti too (I unlike simmons and fellow ainge haters) don't hold against gm if they don't land talent in the late draft.
 
But the ironic thing is that if u like what presti done i don't understand how u can be a proponent of that the celtics should trade for ageing stars, epecially when u consider thing presti did when he was gm of the soncis is trade away rashard lewis and ray allen, who then are a probably more talented duo than any duo the celtics have now

Also the cheap shot at tommy heinson were quite sad and pathetic.

[Donoghus]

In the minority on these boards because I actually still like Simmons, for the most part,  but this partcular article was pretty awful.

[goCeltics]

i thought the article was illogical

his hero sam presti build his franchise by having 3 top five picks and not trading for ageing talent (btw dannny won a title and reached a game 7 without one top 5 pick) ,

now how does he want ainge to do to redeem himself?

trade for ageing talent!? ha!

btw his hero sam presti also passed on jordon (he picked DJ White, one pick ahead of ainge, and so did every other franchise)

Btw don't know how presti is going to be able to keep either ibaka or harden is a small market after paying perk $7 mill a year.

actually 4 top 5 picks when you count Jeff Green.

in fairness green was our pick that we traded way, so danny has had one top 5 pick, a 5th, while presti had had 2 lotto balls bounce his way to give him a second and thrid pick of the draft, plus having the fourth pick of the draft another year.

[FrDrake]

in fairness green was our pick that we traded way, so danny has had one top 5 pick, a 5th, while presti had had 2 lotto balls bounce his way to give him a second and thrid pick of the draft, plus having the fourth pick of the draft one year.

When you trade a pick on draft night, you're picking for the other team...so Green counts as DA's pick only if you consider Presti DA's boss since he told him to do it.

[goCeltics]

in fairness green was our pick that we traded way, so danny has had one top 5 pick, a 5th, while presti had had 2 lotto balls bounce his way to give him a second and thrid pick of the draft, plus having the fourth pick of the draft one year.

When you trade a pick on draft night, you're picking for the other team...so Green counts as DA's pick only if you consider Presti DA's boss since he told him to do it.

the pick was ours, but yes the choice of green was up to presti after it was traded away.

The point i was trying to make was to compare how many time each respective gm have gone to the lotto and had a chance to pick top 5 talent

[vinnie]

I think its funny/silly that a lot of people seem to love to bury simmons on this board and point out his mistakes but his columns are always read, discussed at great length, and usually funny.

Like others posted, this column was written with tongue planted firmly in cheek and Simmons probably deliberately contradicts himself all the time just for fun.

I thought the Tommy interjections were hilarious...especially "Heinsohn [in background]: "Or Dino Radja!"

Also, a lot of the analysis was pretty much dead on.  DA has preserved future cap space and picks to a fault while constantly picking up over the hill veterans most of whom did not work out post 2008.  Marbury, JO, Sheed, Shaq, T. Murphy, Pavlovic, Daniels...the list is long and mostly disappointing.   Not to mention multiple unproductive drafts in a row.

DA deserves criticism for these moves even if it is written as a reverse jinx.

+1

[jgod213]

I think articles like this from Simmons are just attempts made by him to stay relevent in Boston/New England.  He accomplished what he wanted - locals clicking his link and discussing the article.

He had a good run but you can only mantain your "I am the voice of Boston" credibility for so long.  Once you've moved yourself and your family to the other side of the continent and invested your time & money in another franchise it just kind of falls on deaf ears.

I do believe that he and his father are still die-hards, but when you only pop-in to Boston for an occassional Celts-Lakers game or for front row tix to a Bruins Stanley Cup game you can't speak for the pulse of the city anymore.  Sorry brotha.

[cman88]

So...instead of preserving capspace would you rather go into this year knowingwe are on the decline but capstrapped because danny signed people to rediculous contracts?

Sheed wasn't a bad pickup..we made it to the finals game 7!!! The decline was bound to come...and ainge planned it almost perfectly...I can't see how fans can complain about what ainge did with this franchise

[MetroGlobe]

I've read every post in this thread bashing Simmon's writing and every premise behind his criticisms.  Well, every premise except THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE - that marquee free agents will not sign in Boston!!!

Every comment so far has completely ignored this. But that's crazy, because if you really look at Danny's strategy, it's entirely based on our huge cap space.  But what good does that do us if we can't get any of the star players to sign here?

That's why Bill proposed the Odom and Bledsoe deals.  Because at least then we are able to acquire SOME talent, albeit way too old.  But he sees those types of trades as the only possibly way to acquire semi-top tier talent.

How is he that far off when he says no marquee free agent has ever chosen Boston before, and therefore are not likely to this time.  That logic seems totally sound to me.  Why will this time around be so different from all the years of prior history?