His argument seems to be more critical of the direction of the franchise. He even concedes the actual move at the deadline was good.

Ainge has long said "build through the draft" doesn't mean solely that you only use your draft picks to draft players.  It also means trading your draft picks for players who help out.  Draft picks are currency.  This trade is a great example of that philosphy, and anyone who thinks otherwise simply doesn't understand what Ainge's definition of that phrase is.

That cavs pick is more likely to be a jajuan johnson skill level than a IT skill level player

If C's way is the wrong way, then what is the right way? the 76ers plan? I dont see how their tankapalooza is going to guide them anywhere other than the basement for the next 10years.

the celtics at least seem to have a light(while dim) at the end of the tunnel

i'm neutral on the IT deal. it's reasonable money, and i think his skillset should complement smart and bradley well. but his size and similarities to nate robinson concern me. also at 26 years old i wonder if he has a lot of upside left.

but i don't get the whole "draft position doesn't matter" argument that seems to be sweeping across these boards.
it does.

if we pick 12th, and the last all-star gets picked 11th, then we literally can't get an all-star at that spot.

there's a finite amount of high-end talent in these drafts.

Grantland has always been a site that needs to be cynical for the sake of being cynical.  It's like WEEI was for a long time and Comcast sports net.  They seem to be changing their tune somewhat.  Hopefully that stuff will go by the wayside in general.  I've never been a proponent for tanking or losing purposely.  I think you have to build a team and like what Ainge is doing.  I like to think we are actually building something and chemistry still means something especially when it comes to the Celtics.  The Celtics have always been that way and not just a bunch of hired guns.

The way I see the trade is Ainge wanted to make a move and get a player who could help us now and in the future.  We are still missing pieces but we have so many draft picks it doesn't matter.  We still need a nucleus and a core team.  It's more about being smart to me.  Ainge is playing it smart. I don't think he has to go all in on the draft.  Trade all our good players etc.  It's not an either or situation.  I've never believed that. Teams that do that end up in the lottery year after year.

I'd like to think there are players on this team as well we wouldn't just trade for someone else either.  There has to be some loyalty and seeing the bigger picture. I think Ainge does a good job of that and going all in on a much more all emcompassing way.

This is why guys like Bill Simmons would never make it as a GM imo. Their petty debates and small mindedness shows.

Quote from: Moranis on February 20, 2015, 04:24:31 PM

I don't disagree with him.  What is the point in the trade?  On its face it is a clear win, but it doesn't make Boston contenders and hurts Boston draft pick status this year.

I don't think the needle moves much here. Right now the Celtics are looking at the 10th or 11th pick in the draft. I bet that's where they will be at the end of the year as well. Detroit should pass the Celtics.

They are and have been too good for a top 5 pick for some time now. philly, New York, LA, Minnesota have locked down the bottom 4. Utah, orlando, Sacramento, Denver, etc keep stinking things up as well.

The good of the trade is increasing the talent of the team. Sometimes you have to make small improvements before the big move can happen.

I agree. I think we're too good to be one of the worst teams coming in anyway, even with Rondo and Green. We got them out, and we played better, which to me is a better result as now we know how good a coach BS can be.

Grabbing another great asset for a cheap price that we can either have as a part of the future or someone we can move for better value than what we gave up is a win. So either we are tanking or we're making the Playoffs, I don't think IT moved the needle a ton in either direction, but it's nice to have him as a piece.