Since Al Jefferson was taken at #15, Danny has had only two picks in the top 15. The first one was the 2007 #5 (Jeff Green) who he traded for Ray Allen and the 2nd round selection of Davis. The other was this last year's #13 (Olynyk), which he got by trading our #16 and change to get.
Is there a reason that you count the trade of Jeff Green at #5, but don't count the trade of Randy Foye for Raef + Telfair at #6? Or why you begin your analysis after the Big Al pick, and disregard Marcus Banks at #13?
My statement was intending to just talk about 'since Big Al'.
I have to admit, I completely forgot about Foye + Raef for Ratliff + Telfair. The value extracted is a bit convoluted to measure out of that transaction, since he turned around a flipped both Theo & Sebastian as pieces in the Kevin Garnett trade.
Banks also is a convoluted valuation. Yes, Banks didn't amount to much, but he ended up with a hell of a lot better career than did Troy Bell, whose selection he traded up from. Ainge also got the Perkins pick with that transaction. And later, Banks was sent out in a deal that, among other things, brought in Wally and one of the 2 first round picks used, again, in the KG trade. Somehow, Banks lasted 8 years in the NBA, playing for 5 teams. Folks must have kept seeing something in him.
Except now you are talking about trading skill and not drafting skill.I think it bogus to credit Danny for good drafting skills simply because he found a GM dumb enough to take fairly mediocre to bad players in a trade for a superstar.
Well, yes and no.
The decision to trade out of (Foye) or up into (Banks) a pick is based on one's assessment of the draft. In the case of Foye, Danny valued getting Ratliff & Telfair more than he valued staying in that draft.
In the case of Banks, as a package, he valued moving up at the top (from #16, Bell, to #13) while moving down later (from #20, Jones, to #27, Perkins). Because there were a few players in the teens who ended up with better careers than Banks, it looks like Danny 'missed' with him. But he obviously read the latter part of the round better and scored big with Perkins. Overall, he probably came out ahead as a package.
The pick of Jeff Green at #5 didn't necessarily represent any great skill at player selection. At that spot, in that draft, it was a no-brainer to take him. However, the decision to trade Green, Wally & Delonte for Ray and the pick of Davis was 'GM skill'. That's recognizing what your team needs - and at that time he needed to show Kevin Garnett that he was serious about forming a contending team. Arguably, the selection of Davis with that late pick (#35) was probably the biggest use of 'draft' skill within all that.
In draft day trades the picks are made by the receiving team. So you have to choose if you are going to give credit for the player to the team that actually chose the pick or the team that technically drafted then traded the pick, then be consistent.
In '03, the Celtics chose Banks and Perkins. They were not responsible at all for Bell and Jones. So Banks and Perkins are who they should get credit for (but I believe it is still in question which individual wanted banks). In 2006 the C's did not choose a pick. They traded the pick and Portland decided who to take there.
In '07 same thing. Ainge was rumored to love Yi if they were going to keep the pick. They had no input in selective Green; they wanted Ray Allen, so they allowed Presti to pick Green. However, they got the second rounder and the C's were the ones who chose Davis, so great value there.
In sum: in terms of drafting grading alone, Ainge should get no credit or demerit for Jones, Bell, Green, Foye. But he does get credit for players not technically drafted by the C's but in fact chosen by the C's, like Davis, Perkins, Banks.
Topic: Ainge - a look at GM draft performance (Read 20561 times)