Does it bother anybody that Ainge apparently wanted Winslow over Porzingis?

[LilRip]

Not really. When you take into account how hard it is to find productive players in the draft, DA has generally been more hit than miss. Obviously guys like Fab Melo, JR Giddens and Jajuan Johnson were busts, but Big Al and Tony Allen were both great finds. Gerald Green has blossomed into a productive role player. Rondo was a steal.

Winslow, while not as productive as Porzingis (who might be ROY), would've been a great addition to this team. I've only seen a few Heat games this year but Winslow is the type of player who does things that don't always show up on the box score.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Ainge is 50/50 drafting at BEST...probably 75/25 on trades though...C's should hire somebody to help out with all these picks we have---Ainge has WIFFED Many times in the draft---it's really pathetic at all the guys he has passed up...

2007:Gabe Pruitt instead of Marc Gasol/Josh McRoberts/Aron Grey
2008:JR Giddens instead of D.Jordan/Pekovic/Dragic/Asik
2011:JJ Johnson instead of Jimmy Butler/C.Parsons/I.Thomas
2012:Fab Melo instead of Draymond Green/Jae Crowder/Khris Middleton
2015 Rozier instead of Portis (still up in the air-but doesn't look good)

There are some EPIC misses during Ainge's tenure--and I know lots of teams passed on those players too...BUT---Geeze---Gabe Pruitt--? JR Giddens-? JJ Johnson-? Fab freaking Melo--?...he has almost NO CLUE how to evaluate talent.

I'm kinda hoping Ainge trades ALL of our picks---cause he's just gonna BLOW them.

[Celtics4ever]

I trust Ainge more at picking guards than big men.

[obnoxiousmime]

I'm not trying to start a "he could have taken so-and-so" draft debate because I know it's impossible to hit on every pick. I'm just curious about his reasoning for coveting Winslow so much that he offered like 4 first-rounders to draft him. It seems like someone worth that many picks should be a star and not just a role player. I mean, he's got to end up a better player than Crowder to be worth that many picks, right?

Anyway, we don't know how Winslow will turn out. I just thought it was interesting he rated Winslow higher than Porzingis because we rarely get to see teams' draft boards and what they really feel about this player vs. that player.

Did we ever get confirmation on which picks were offered? Celtics 2015, Nets 2015, and Dallas 2016 I assume were included. Was the fourth pick the Brooklyn pick? I don't think I'd do the trade if that pick were included.  You'd have to project Winslow turn out to be a Kawhi Leonard-type guy for it to be worth it.

[pearljammer10]

I wanted Porzingis since before the draft but this doesn't upset me. Zinger came into a great NBA situation has been able to start and show his worth. Winslow has a lot more competition for playing time. He could still end up being a star but his development will probably take a little bit longer.

[moiso]

Ainge certainly loves tough as nails athletic defenders like Tony Allen, Marcus Smart, and Winslow.  Winslow might have been more of a sure thing than Porzingas but yes, you hope that the GM can recognize potential franchise players. 

I don't think it's fair to criticize Ainge for guys that he was rumored to have liked such as Swift and Jianlan, although Jianlan was much more of a Porzingas type than a Winslow type pick.

[SHAQATTACK]

The Ainges are very poor judges of big men talent.

[The One]

It certainly does. As I've started repeatedly, international scouting has clearly been a major weakness for this front office.

For sure...Ainge is a very good GM but this could certainly be beefed up!

[wdleehi]

I never get upset at draft rumors.






Is there any reporter out there that is lied to more then a draft insider? 

[ssspence]

No, hindsight is 20/20 Porzingis was a risky pick in the top 5.

Who isn't? A 7'2" big who can shoot from midcourt, rebound and block shots ia no higher risk than a PG with limited athleticism, or a center who can't defend.

It's clear that Porzongis should have been picked HIGHER than 4. And it's pretty clear as well than Winslow should have been picked lower than 4.

[moiso]

No, hindsight is 20/20 Porzingis was a risky pick in the top 5.

Who isn't? A 7'2" big who can shoot from midcourt, rebound and block shots ia no higher risk than a PG with limited athleticism, or a center who can't defend.

It's clear that Porzongis should have been picked HIGHER than 4. And it's pretty clear as well than Winslow should have been picked lower than 4.

Maybe it's clear now but it wasn't clear then.  Nobody thought Porzingas had the toughness or rebounding ability that he has shown.  Porzingas looks awesome, but I can't fault the first three teams for making the selections that they made.  Like Manup said, hindsight is 20/20.

[footey]

A LOT of guys on this board (you know who you are) thought Porzingis was going to be a dud in the NBA, saying he was like Bargnani, which I always thought was just an over-simplistic, and rather poor, comparison.

Some said we needed a shot blocker so should not waste our pick on him.   

The year before, when he started to climb in the draft, there was a risk he would not be there at 17.  I said I would be willing to take him with our 6th pick in that draft, before he withdrew, and was basically laughed off as crazy talk.  I had nothing to go on but his video. He reminded me of KG in a funny way.  Just very intense.  And highly skilled.

I doubt the rumor that Danny wanted to trade up to get the 4th pick to take Winslow in this draft. According to Chad Ford, Danny has been very keen on Porzingis going back a couple of years. Would not be surprised if he wanted to trade up to 4th to snare Porzingis. 

Wonder whether the Lakers and Sixers are cursing themselves right now?  Guys like KP are a once in a generation talent, when you combine that level of skill, size, length, intelligence, focus, and athleticism.  He is going to be very special. 

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Assuming it's true, yeah, it does kind of point to where Ainge's strengths and weaknesses are as a talent evaluator. 

I think he's really good at picking out guys who will compete and contribute to winning in the NBA.  I'm not sure how good he is at identifying players that have the potential to carry a team, though.

I like that assessment.

[acieEarl]

There's always that chance Porzingis is the next Bargnani, so drafting 4th for Barganani would be a huge miss.

[cltc5]

Since wiffed on Giorgi deng, Rodney hood, and Hollis Jefferson.  Danny's drafting acumen is fairly poor.  See our current state