Ainge - a look at GM draft performance

[Roy H.]

  Ainge also loved Durant over Oden. I'd take that pick.

Not according to Doc.  He said the "we would have taken Durant" stuff was revisionist history.

[hwangjini_1]

good thread with good comments. thanks everyone....

on swift, i too remember all the talk about ainge lusting after him. we will never know for sure, but before his injury he did seem to be developing in to a pretty good center.

he was (and probably still is) 7'1" and in his second season he started 20 out of 47 games, averaging 21 minutes, 6.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. those are pretty good numbers for a second year center who was straight out of high school.

maybe ainge is blessed. circumstances kept him from channeling sam bowie and possibly drafting two fragile centers with doomed careers. that would have really set this franchise back.

[BballTim]

  Ainge also loved Durant over Oden. I'd take that pick.

Not according to Doc.  He said the "we would have taken Durant" stuff was revisionist history.

  It was "revisionist history" that came out before the draft then.

[Roy H.]

  Ainge also loved Durant over Oden. I'd take that pick.

Not according to Doc.  He said the "we would have taken Durant" stuff was revisionist history.

  It was "revisionist history" that came out before the draft then.

Link?

Just because Danny sat next to Durant's mom at a game doesn't mean that we were going to take him.

I trust Doc on this; I can't think of any incentive to lie.

[BballTim]

  Ainge also loved Durant over Oden. I'd take that pick.

Not according to Doc.  He said the "we would have taken Durant" stuff was revisionist history.

  It was "revisionist history" that came out before the draft then.

Link?

Just because Danny sat next to Durant's mom at a game doesn't mean that we were going to take him.

I trust Doc on this; I can't think of any incentive to lie.

  Wyc's said that Danny was going to take Durant, do you find him to be less credible than Doc?

[Roy H.]

  Ainge also loved Durant over Oden. I'd take that pick.

Not according to Doc.  He said the "we would have taken Durant" stuff was revisionist history.

  It was "revisionist history" that came out before the draft then.

Link?

Just because Danny sat next to Durant's mom at a game doesn't mean that we were going to take him.

I trust Doc on this; I can't think of any incentive to lie.

  Wyc's said that Danny was going to take Durant, do you find him to be less credible than Doc?

Yes, especially when Doc essentially comes out and labels Wyc's comments as revisionist history.  Wyc has a vested interest in making his GM look like a genius; Doc had the luxury of being candid.

[BballTim]

  Ainge also loved Durant over Oden. I'd take that pick.

Not according to Doc.  He said the "we would have taken Durant" stuff was revisionist history.

  It was "revisionist history" that came out before the draft then.

Link?

Just because Danny sat next to Durant's mom at a game doesn't mean that we were going to take him.

I trust Doc on this; I can't think of any incentive to lie.

  Wyc's said that Danny was going to take Durant, do you find him to be less credible than Doc?

Yes, especially when Doc essentially comes out and labels Wyc's comments as revisionist history.  Wyc has a vested interest in making his GM look like a genius; Doc had the luxury of being candid.

  Believe what you want. They're both rumors. I'm fairly sure I heard talk of Ainge wanting to draft KD before the lottery happened. Anyways, Doc came out and said:

  "Even though everybody changes now, we were all for Oden, and I think 98 percent of the league,' Rivers said. "But now I hear it all over our staff, I hear it everywhere, ‘Oh, no, we were Durant guys.' I don't believe that. I think we would have drafted Oden."

  So at least we know Doc *thinks* we would have drafted Oden. Sounds like he doesn't know for sure.

[LooseCannon]

My guess is that Ainge was probably more willing to consider Durant over Oden than most people around the league.  Whether he would have pulled the trigger or whether he could have convinced ownership, coaching, etc. to get on board is an open question.

[Brendan]

I always regretted Gabe Pruitt over Marc Gasol.

[Moranis]

http://celticshub.com/2009/11/02/revisiting-the-07-draft-would-the-cs-have-taken-odendurant/

Sounds like to me that Ainge never even bothered to really look at Oden/Durant since he knew they were going to be 1 and 2 and he would have had 6 weeks from the draft lottery to the draft to make the determination (and then only if he had 1, since he knew he was taking the other one at 2) and was instead much more focused on 3 through 7 since those picks were totally up in the air. 

There also seems to have been the very real possibility that Boston would have traded the first or second pick for Garnett and would have been able to keep Jefferson in that situation, which would have been very interesting going forward (maybe they can still land Allen using West, Gomes, and a future pick or two).

[Beat LA]

I'd almost forgotten about Yi - that was a close one lol.  Pruitt over Gasol hurts (in hindsight for me especially, bc I didn't even know who marc gasol was at that time lol), but interestingly, it may have hurt the lakers more than people think.  It was great for LA that they drafted him, but when they traded for Pau with Marc and Kwame, it actually backfired in hindsight.  I don't remember when bynum started having knee problems, but it was pretty early on.  Chris Wallace would've taken any junk players from the lakers bc he's a moron, but if bynum and kwame were traded for Pau, LA's frontcourt could've been the best passing one since the Celtics of the 80s.  The lakers still could've made the finals in 08 and then gotten marc to team with his brother the next year, and that's scary.  Idt we could've beaten them, even with a healthy KG.  Who knows?

Then there's the gerald green fiasco.  I remember reading somewhere a few years later about how ainge had wanted to take Monta Ellis (no clue where that was though, sorry).  Uh, you're the flipping GM - so why didn't you?

The stuff makes you want to pull your hair out.  Ugh.

Oh, one other thing.  How do the lakers routinely get excellent big men for peanuts?  I know they're the lakers, but come on.  Mychal Thompson for junk, Pau Gasol for junk, they blatantly ripped off philly to get howard (the karma was great, though), and how did they manage to acquire Maurice Lucas before the 85-86 season for consecutive 2nd rounders in 88 and 89?  What a joke.  That's plain highway robbery.  Unbelievable.

[Cman]

  Ainge also loved Durant over Oden. I'd take that pick.

Not according to Doc.  He said the "we would have taken Durant" stuff was revisionist history.

  It was "revisionist history" that came out before the draft then.

Link?

Just because Danny sat next to Durant's mom at a game doesn't mean that we were going to take him.

I trust Doc on this; I can't think of any incentive to lie.

  Wyc's said that Danny was going to take Durant, do you find him to be less credible than Doc?

Yes, especially when Doc essentially comes out and labels Wyc's comments as revisionist history.  Wyc has a vested interest in making his GM look like a genius; Doc had the luxury of being candid.

  Believe what you want. They're both rumors. I'm fairly sure I heard talk of Ainge wanting to draft KD before the lottery happened. Anyways, Doc came out and said:

  "Even though everybody changes now, we were all for Oden, and I think 98 percent of the league,' Rivers said. "But now I hear it all over our staff, I hear it everywhere, ‘Oh, no, we were Durant guys.' I don't believe that. I think we would have drafted Oden."

  So at least we know Doc *thinks* we would have drafted Oden. Sounds like he doesn't know for sure.

Sour grapes by Doc? Or maybe he's not as much in the know?
Anyway we didn't end up with either of them.

[BballTim]

http://celticshub.com/2009/11/02/revisiting-the-07-draft-would-the-cs-have-taken-odendurant/

Sounds like to me that Ainge never even bothered to really look at Oden/Durant since he knew they were going to be 1 and 2 and he would have had 6 weeks from the draft lottery to the draft to make the determination (and then only if he had 1, since he knew he was taking the other one at 2) and was instead much more focused on 3 through 7 since those picks were totally up in the air. 

There also seems to have been the very real possibility that Boston would have traded the first or second pick for Garnett and would have been able to keep Jefferson in that situation, which would have been very interesting going forward (maybe they can still land Allen using West, Gomes, and a future pick or two).

  I'd guess that's another sign of Doc and Danny having different visions of the 2007 draft. I don't see Danny trading a top 2 pick in that draft in order to keep Al on the roster.

[Galeto]

http://celticshub.com/2009/11/02/revisiting-the-07-draft-would-the-cs-have-taken-odendurant/

Sounds like to me that Ainge never even bothered to really look at Oden/Durant since he knew they were going to be 1 and 2 and he would have had 6 weeks from the draft lottery to the draft to make the determination (and then only if he had 1, since he knew he was taking the other one at 2) and was instead much more focused on 3 through 7 since those picks were totally up in the air. 

There also seems to have been the very real possibility that Boston would have traded the first or second pick for Garnett and would have been able to keep Jefferson in that situation, which would have been very interesting going forward (maybe they can still land Allen using West, Gomes, and a future pick or two).

  I'd guess that's another sign of Doc and Danny having different visions of the 2007 draft. I don't see Danny trading a top 2 pick in that draft in order to keep Al on the roster.

Yeah, no way Ainge would've traded either Oden or Durant for Garnett.  Both were too highly thought of to trade even for someone like Garnett who was 12 years older.  Regardless, Garnett wouldn't have accepted the trade anyway since Ray Allen wouldn't have been joining them to form a great trio.  On the other hand, maybe Seattle takes Jefferson for Ray Allen.  Still, no way Ainge or Celtics ownership okays dealing two of the most hyped prospects ever.

On another note, I don't think Pierce would've asked for a trade either.  I think one would've been granted if he was adamant that he was tired of rebuilding and wanted to win now but I remember reading about how Pierce was very intrigued with both guys.  I mean, who wouldn't have been but he sounded pretty excited about the possibility, especially a big like Oden.  He must have been heartbroken like everyone else. 

If we had gotten Oden, I can't imagine how painful it would've been.  That draft was supposed to rectify the misfortune of the Duncan draft.  Even Popovich quipped about how he hoped Celtics fans could finally move on from Duncan if they got Oden.  And then to see Oden break down and hardly play?  Ugh.  After Bias, Lewis, Duncan, Pitino, Gaston, etc, it would've been too much.  I'm sure it's been rough on Oden but it might have been worse if he broke down in a big media market like Boston too.  In that regard, he was a bit lucky as well. 

[jambr380]

http://celticshub.com/2009/11/02/revisiting-the-07-draft-would-the-cs-have-taken-odendurant/

Sounds like to me that Ainge never even bothered to really look at Oden/Durant since he knew they were going to be 1 and 2 and he would have had 6 weeks from the draft lottery to the draft to make the determination (and then only if he had 1, since he knew he was taking the other one at 2) and was instead much more focused on 3 through 7 since those picks were totally up in the air. 

There also seems to have been the very real possibility that Boston would have traded the first or second pick for Garnett and would have been able to keep Jefferson in that situation, which would have been very interesting going forward (maybe they can still land Allen using West, Gomes, and a future pick or two).

  I'd guess that's another sign of Doc and Danny having different visions of the 2007 draft. I don't see Danny trading a top 2 pick in that draft in order to keep Al on the roster.

Yeah, no way Ainge would've traded either Oden or Durant for Garnett.  Both were too highly thought of to trade even for someone like Garnett who was 12 years older.  Regardless, Garnett wouldn't have accepted the trade anyway since Ray Allen wouldn't have been joining them to form a great trio.  On the other hand, maybe Seattle takes Jefferson for Ray Allen.  Still, no way Ainge or Celtics ownership okays dealing two of the most hyped prospects ever.

On another note, I don't think Pierce would've asked for a trade either.  I think one would've been granted if he was adamant that he was tired of rebuilding and wanted to win now but I remember reading about how Pierce was very intrigued with both guys.  I mean, who wouldn't have been but he sounded pretty excited about the possibility, especially a big like Oden.  He must have been heartbroken like everyone else. 

If we had gotten Oden, I can't imagine how painful it would've been.  That draft was supposed to rectify the misfortune of the Duncan draft.  Even Popovich quipped about how he hoped Celtics fans could finally move on from Duncan if they got Oden.  And then to see Oden break down and hardly play?  Ugh.  After Bias, Lewis, Duncan, Pitino, Gaston, etc, it would've been too much.  I'm sure it's been rough on Oden but it might have been worse if he broke down in a big media market like Boston too.  In that regard, he was a bit lucky as well.

The Lewis and Bias situations are totally different than the bad 'luck' and poor management that plagued us in the 90s. I'm sure every NBA team was heartbroken that it might be a while until the lowly Celtics finally get their 17th championships.

The Blazers of the last 10 years will go down as one of the biggest 'what-ifs' in NBA history. They go from the Jail-Blazers with so much talent and so little brains to the shining gems of the future NBA (Aldridge, Oden, Roy, etc). Talk about a team that could have been competing for championships year after year...if they only stayed healthy.