Danny Ainge Takes Full Responsibility for Celtics' Loss

[Meadowlark_Scal]

no idea what will happen now.....soo many things could happen.....

[ManUp]

I don't think it's fair to blame Danny for the roster. Going into the offseason last year. The only worth while players he had under contract were Rondo, Pierce, Bradley, and Green. He had two picks the MLE, LLE, and Vet min to fill out the roster. He resigned Bass and Wilcox, acquired Lee for scraps, and signed Terry for MLE and Darko with the LLE also drafted Sullinger, Joseph and Melo(maybe his only bad move).

Rondo Terry
Bradley Lee
Pierce Green Joseph
Sullinger Bass
Garnett Milicic Collins

That's a solid team and considering what he had to work with he couldn't have done much better. The only thing Danny did wrong was try to retool when he had nothing to work with.

Sidenote: Darko is a solid backup center Doc failed to play him. He was better than Collins all through preseason and looked almost dominant for a backup. No way the talentless career 3rd stringer Collins should've played over him. It's easy to dismiss this by saying it's Darko, but Darko passed the eye test with flying colors in pre-season while doing and saying all the right things.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

I don't really blame doc or danny...the injuries to Rondo, sully...then Barbosa.....what could we do anyway.

I agree with this. You could blame both Danny and Doc for their parts in the failures this season, but really it all comes down to the unfortunate luck of losing three key players to season ending injuries. Two of which were basically the only ones on the roster who could successfully run an NBA offense.

Ya, to me....I saw the absence of Rondo everywhere...I mean, none of the guys we had could bring the ball up...rondo made it look too easy....no one EVER stole the ball from rondo......never on the dribble....never....his passes....slashes....and then even shooting.....so much more to him.....I love that kid......we could use an enforcer I still say.....I hate to see us get hit.....hard.....without a sublte response......gotta send a message that it will be answered....then they will not do it...!

[BballTim]

I don't really blame doc or danny...the injuries to Rondo, sully...then Barbosa.....what could we do anyway.

I agree with this. You could blame both Danny and Doc for their parts in the failures this season, but really it all comes down to the unfortunate luck of losing three key players to season ending injuries. Two of which were basically the only ones on the roster who could successfully run an NBA offense.

Ya, to me....I saw the absence of Rondo everywhere...I mean, none of the guys we had could bring the ball up...rondo made it look too easy....no one EVER stole the ball from rondo......never on the dribble....never....his passes....slashes....and then even shooting.....so much more to him.....I love that kid......we could use an enforcer I still say.....I hate to see us get hit.....hard.....without a sublte response......gotta send a message that it will be answered....then they will not do it...!

  We've needed an enforcer for quite a while.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

I don't really blame doc or danny...the injuries to Rondo, sully...then Barbosa.....what could we do anyway.

I agree with this. You could blame both Danny and Doc for their parts in the failures this season, but really it all comes down to the unfortunate luck of losing three key players to season ending injuries. Two of which were basically the only ones on the roster who could successfully run an NBA offense.

Ya, to me....I saw the absence of Rondo everywhere...I mean, none of the guys we had could bring the ball up...rondo made it look too easy....no one EVER stole the ball from rondo......never on the dribble....never....his passes....slashes....and then even shooting.....so much more to him.....I love that kid......we could use an enforcer I still say.....I hate to see us get hit.....hard.....without a sublte response......gotta send a message that it will be answered....then they will not do it...!

  We've needed an enforcer for quite a while.

tp for that...amen.....but someone who can make it look like a play...but the other team knows it.....! In my experience.it is absolutely important.....guys like ron artest...ect..it is the only way...!

[eugen]

I do not know how no to blame Danny after miserable way he built the team. After 2007-08, tell me what great player he offered to the team? See NYK and HEAT how they year by year upgraded the team. He signed almost broken players or low quality players just to fill up the roster. I did not see any strategy and the consequence are facts and hard reality to be accepted.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I think Danny did a pretty good job.

I disagre. In last 3 years the team is getting worse. Last season, regular season 41-40 and eliminated from 1 round of playoofs. I dont know where is the good job...I don like to takl about miserable financial managment, PP 15 mill/year at age of 35, minsteriosu tratment of Ray( letting him to go for free!!!), and getting junky players to fill up the roster(players not playing at all during playoff)
The ownership has to fire him, and get another GM

Youre blaming that on Danny?

Rondo was out for the season. It's not his fault Shaq and Jermaine could not stay healthy, which were lauded as good signings during those times. It's not his fault that David West bolted out on the same deal he offered and went to Indiana. And certainly not his fault that That Guy left. He offered more money and a no trade clause and that traitor chose to go somewhere cheaper with a lesser role that he's asking for in Boston.

You know where the good job is? Acquiring Courtney Lee who unfortunately didn't pan out but at the time he got traded every NBA analyst thought it was a great move, for a mistake known as JaJuan Johnson. He turned a bust into a very capable backup 2.

Drafted Jared Sullinger despite his red flags, which turned out to be a great pickup until the injury.

He acquired Jason Terry, again did not pan out but at the time everyone thought it a very good signing. He showed up (finally) in the Playoffs BTW.

Signed Darko for the vet. minimum, a Center who can play rough for fairly cheap, only to bolt out because of "personal reasons" but really we know what happened. Getting Shav who showed he can produce and T-Will who played great in the Playoffs.

Getting Jordan Crawford for the out for the season Leandro Barbosa? Sure he's a knucklehead but he was a body who can play and at times, showed good stuff.

How about trading Glen Davis for Bass who did not pan out this season but was mighty great in the Playoffs and a big reason we hung on in the first place, who by the way is making less money than BBD.

How about drafting Avery Bradley?

How about acquiring Jeff Green and signing him to a contract that at first, looks overpaid but now is looking VERY cheap?

Danny built a perfectly fine roster that on paper, can contend in the past three years that you are talking about with very limited room to work with. Injuries and players not playing to their abilities IS NOT his fault.


Cmon, now. If that's not a good job then I don't know what is.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

I agree a lot with that....but I say Bass is sorta like BBD in that...he could ALWAYS do all of the great things he did....he is like bbd who PLAYS hard when someone like SHAV threatened his minutes/playing time...!!!

[cltc5]

I'll echo my sediments again.  THIS IS DOC RIVERS' fault!  Danny gave him everything even when guys went down and what did doc do?  Shelled up, played only 7 guys, went small ball when we were getting killed on the boards with 4 bigs riding the bench.  He cant coach so he masks it by keeping talent in there to their detriment.  Danny's only mistake is not firing Doc Rivers.

[Tr1boy]

One of the biggest mistake Ainge did was get/overpay for Lee.

That cost the celts a chance to keep Stiemer, Pietrus and even Hollins would of been useful. Even without these guys, you lost Moore (who was coming into his own) and gave up a 2nd pick pick 

How many mins did Lee play in the post season exactly?

Small but big mistake

[Meadowlark_Scal]

steamer and pietrus would have helped.....

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

One of the biggest mistake Ainge did was get/overpay for Lee.

That cost the celts a chance to keep Stiemer, Pietrus and even Hollins would of been useful. Even without these guys, you lost Moore (who was coming into his own) and gave up a 2nd pick pick 

How many mins did Lee play in the post season exactly?

Small but big mistake

Not ONE dime of Lee's money could have gone to Stiems, Pietrus nor Hollins! We TRADED for Lee! We didn't have that money (like an exception), we had players and picks... you can't give players and picks to free agents which is what those players were! We NEVER had 3 million for Stiems... we were outbid. We didn't have more money for Pietrus either b/c he wasn't willing to take what we did have, the vet min. Hollins was no loss, sorry.


Thread Topic: His one mistake was not finding a "replacement" for RR. I think we beat NYK with a real PG and not only that we might not have been in the 7th seed to start with.

[cltc5]

Ainge constructed a poor team. His talent was heavy in the SG and SF positions and he created a team woefully short on size and rebounding. Also, he expected too much from players that would be returning from some serious off season surgeries(Green, Bradley, Wilcox).

Darko leaving, Bradley not back until January, Green not playing well until January, Wilcox never got back 100%, Lee seems never to have fit in properly, Terry had a poor year. Any way you look at it in hindsight, it was a poor off season.

After Rondo, Sully and Barbosa went down, there was zero chance of any playoff success. And poor Doc gets so much grief around here from small ball but the roster after those injuries consisted of exactly ONE PLAYER over the size of 6'9" that was a rotation worthy player, that being Garnett. Bass is 6'8", an undersized PF. Green is 6'9" but plays like a 6'5" SF. What else could Doc do but play a small lineup. That's not on Doc its on Danny.

And please, I don't want to hear about Shav and White and Wilcox. They all suck. White will not be in the league next year. Shav might get the 15th spot somewhere and bounce between the NBDL and the NBA. I think Wilcox might catch on with a team next year but there's no guarantee there either. He may have played his last NBA game.

With 100% health and Darko never leaving and contributing, this team may have had a chance in the ECFs. But 100% health can't be expected and wasn't last year by Danny because he obviously had three players(20% of the roster) that was going to be fairly hampered for at least half the year. Combine that with 20% more of your roster and 33% of your rotation being over 34 and you see why he now says it was his fault.

Yup. The bigs Ainge signed are all terrible, and blaming Doc for that is simply one of the most nonsensical things I've ever seen posted here.

It was the worst off-season of Ainge's career. No question about it.

Sorry but if you're not being sarcastic you're delusional.  Your telling me that a D league Greg Stiemsa, who actually got some playing time so he could learn woulda been better off for us last year then if we had the option of Darko or two guys that played international ball in White and Shav?  My point is, The bigs Danny got us could have been utilized and HELPED us, especially given what we saw with Steimsma last year.  But when you have an idiot coach that won't play them, so they can get better, and god forbid, at the least give our starters a blow, then yea, they are gonna suck...suck the primer right off the bench!  The C's have won in spite of Doc.  You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise, and therein lies the reason we lose!

[cltc5]

I have to agree with these thoughts.  Shav did hustle and he did try hard when he got minutes.  He wasn't an embarrassment.  I will give him that. 

But exactly who would he be matched up with that would have helped the C's in the series versus the Knicks?  I can't think of one one rotation Knick big that would have a good matchup for him.  I mean he would have gotten pounded by TC, way too small to defend Tyson.  He would have had his shorts handed to him by melo.  He doesn't have the strength to fight off Martin for rebounds.

The playoffs are really about matchups and where you can get an advantage.  It doesn't seem like there was any advantage with Shav in the lineup.

Shav Randolph is not some kid who has a bunch of upside or can learn all this new stuff. He will be 30 later this year. He's been around the league since 2005.

Shav is what he is. He is an inept offensive player, a horrible shooter of any kind, has little to no post game, is limited in his athleticism and can rebound above average for his size(meaning 6'10" but kind of thin and no vertical). I think he played well here for what was asked of him.

But he got lost on the defensive rotations, had trouble defending the pick and roll and didn't have the ability to defend perimeter PFs or close out on three pointers very well.

He had no business being on the floor in the playoffs. If he sticks, it will because Wilcox doesn't and nothing better presented itself. But with a non-guaranteed contract, and three others also on the roster(White, Pierce, Williams) I could see his waive-able contract being moved in a package like Sean Williams was last year.

And how did those matchups work out?   I guess we'll never freakin know what woulda worked when you play only 7 guys!

[Chief Macho]

Fire him.  He bet the farm.  He lost.