Danny on WEEI @5PM(won't give up best assets for players in their 30's)

[chambers]

anyone found this online yet?

http://media.weei.com/a/113009812/celtics-president-danny-ainge-with-dale-holley-and-thornton.htm

You da man. TP

[walker834]

I really like our team as it stands. We are coming into our own and starting to really make a run. Deals like this could be totally in left field but they are fun to prophesize about because they do potentially make us that much better.  All the pieces would have to fit.  We are a hot team right now and selling the farm for something that much bigger makes some sense.

Ainge did it with Pierce, Ray and KG.  Totally different situation and that was a perfect storm situation but they made it that.  This would have to become the same sort of thing.

[RockinRyA]

The more I hear, the more I'm convinced we'll do nothing unless a no-brainer option falls in our lap.  Ainge wants that double-max cap space so he can go after Durant + Horford this summer. 

Sure, we'll maybe take someone like Gallinari if we give up nothing to get him, but it's best to maintain our flexibility for this Summer.

And that's good to hear. I agree with that. If something like the Thomas deal comes along, we'll take it, but we wont make a move just for the sake of doing so.

[Surferdad]

I really like our team as it stands. We are coming into our own and starting to really make a run. Deals like this could be totally in left field but they are fun to prophesize about because they do potentially make us that much better.  All the pieces would have to fit.  We are a hot team right now and selling the farm for something that much bigger makes some sense.

Ainge did it with Pierce, Ray and KG.  Totally different situation and that was a perfect storm situation but they made it that.  This would have to become the same sort of thing.

Yes and yes.  With the team doing so well right now, I see no reason for Ainge to take the same approach as 2007. I think a lot of people assume he will, but he might decide to build a team through the draft given all the promising young pieces on the team + high picks coming up.

[walker834]

Teams may be onto us this time around where we aren't going to be able to do something like this and have to build some completely other way for all I know.  Houston could want a high draft pick for Howard but who knows.

[rondohondo]

Teams may be onto us this time around where we aren't going to be able to do something like this and have to build some completely other way for all I know.  Houston could want a high draft pick for Howard but who knows.

Danny has set us up to build through every possible way (trades,draft, free agency ) . He has all the options in the world to add talent .

[walker834]

If we can get a guy like Howard and keep our core, get a player  like Gallinari and entice a player like Durant though. Why wouldn't we do that?

We have a good young team and I almost favor building that way.  I think we can be really good.  But there has to be a plan somewhere with all these picks. We can keep just incremently drafting and getting better but like i said we are going to start losing assets.  That's just the truth of it. Ainge probably has that all figured out too.  But the reality is we only have so many roster spots.

That can be expanded.  Buying out David Lee or trading him elsewhere.  Letting some guys walk this offseason. Drafting overseas prospects.  That will open up some spots. Making other deals to consolidate.. Free agents.  Getting creative somewhere else etc. 

I really haven't heard much else that makes sense in that regard though. Free agency and the draft is good but it's also tough to build a contender that way as well.  It's a process either way. There are plenty of different ways to build though.

[esel1000]

Teams may be onto us this time around where we aren't going to be able to do something like this and have to build some completely other way for all I know.  Houston could want a high draft pick for Howard but who knows.

Danny has set us up to build through every possible way (trades,draft, free agency ) . He has all the options in the world to add talent .

To think we're 3rd in the East, have an all star and multiple other valuable players on ridiculously good contracts, have cap room, have a top pick... DA is literally on a different level as a GM we're lucky

[Surferdad]

Teams may be onto us this time around where we aren't going to be able to do something like this and have to build some completely other way for all I know.  Houston could want a high draft pick for Howard but who knows.

Danny has set us up to build through every possible way (trades,draft, free agency ) . He has all the options in the world to add talent .

To think we're 3rd in the East, have an all star and multiple other valuable players on ridiculously good contracts, have cap room, have a top pick... DA is literally on a different level as a GM we're lucky

and arguably the best coach in the East. 

[walker834]

We are.  Why i think he can maybe afford to make a move for Dwight for the right price.   Too much stress and I'm not being paid enough to process all this stuff like i do lol.  Ainge himself says he agonizes over this stuff and gave himself heart issues and I can see why. We want to do the right things and make the right moves and that involves a lot of things. If I'm wrong and Ainge comes up with something better great.

The best thing is to not stress it too much.  People take what I say too literally sometimes which is annoying. Fans used to do that to Ainge too and it was annoying. The guy works hard and is more relaxed of late it seems. He knows what he is trying to do and is willing to give up. Or he's happy that he doesn't and is just going to keep exploring things but knows what's good and what isn't ultimately as far as the big picture.  To be honest a lot of people don't.

As fans it's hard to know what other GM's are thinking or the celtics are even trying to do. Some fans are better at that than others. Some try harder than others etc.

A lot of hard work went into this and we don't want to blow it.  Why trading guys for no reason makes very little sense. These players. The coaches.  The entire organization works hard and there is work that goes into it. Some players work harder than others.  But the entire team deserves our respect.

Brad Stevens all these guys don't even read about rumors. They have enough on their plate as it is trying to win games and develop a team and a culture.  I don't blame them. They have a healthy working environment where they can do that. The internet to me is still a work in progress.

[sofutomygaha]

Nice to hear him give some straight answers to probing questions.

Are there any players you won't consider trading? No.
Is it true what people say that players don't want to come to Boston in free agency? Yes.

[86MaxwellSmart]

McHale had to guard Dominique Wilkins and James Worthy---who are much better scorers than Draymond Green.....NICE.

[crimson_stallion]

We are.  Why i think he can maybe afford to make a move for Dwight for the right price.   Too much stress and I'm not being paid enough to process all this stuff like i do lol.  Ainge himself says he agonizes over this stuff and gave himself heart issues and I can see why. We want to do the right things and make the right moves and that involves a lot of things. If I'm wrong and Ainge comes up with something better great.

The best thing is to not stress it too much.  People take what I say too literally sometimes which is annoying. Fans used to do that to Ainge too and it was annoying. The guy works hard and is more relaxed of late it seems. He knows what he is trying to do and is willing to give up. Or he's happy that he doesn't and is just going to keep exploring things but knows what's good and what isn't ultimately as far as the big picture.  To be honest a lot of people don't.

As fans it's hard to know what other GM's are thinking or the celtics are even trying to do. Some fans are better at that than others. Some try harder than others etc.

A lot of hard work went into this and we don't want to blow it.  Why trading guys for no reason makes very little sense. These players. The coaches.  The entire organization works hard and there is work that goes into it. Some players work harder than others.  But the entire team deserves our respect.

Brad Stevens all these guys don't even read about rumors. They have enough on their plate as it is trying to win games and develop a team and a culture.  I don't blame them. They have a healthy working environment where they can do that. The internet to me is still a work in progress.

Well said, and I have to agree.

Ainge has done such an amazing job building the team up to this point, and I think a lot of people don't grasp just how difficult it would be to fall into Ainge's shoes and build a bottom 6 team into a #4 seed in the space of three seasons, without the benefit of signing/trading for any star players.

Everybody that Ainge has brought in was more or less a nobody when they came here.  Thomas got no respect when he was in Phoenix - comes to Boston, and Ainge+Stevens build a team that makes him an All-Star.

Crowder came here as a nobody, and we all thought he was a 3rd string wing at best.  Now he's looking like a guy with future All-Star potential and one of our most valuable assets.

Ainge traded a near-retired Pierce, KG and Terry and in return we get three likely future lottery picks - one of which has the potential to be #1 and be out most valuable asset if things fall our way.   

Those are the three most valuable assets on this team by a mile, and all three were underdog moves that few people ever predicted would be this valuable.

I didn't like the Thomas deal at first - i thought it was a downgrade from Rondo.  But as  Rondo struggled after injury, I warmed to the idea.  I never expected him to have THIS much impact.

I didn't know who Crowder was when he came here, but first 5 or 10 games he played in, I liked what he brought.  Loved his tenacity, his toughness, his motor.  But he was also very limited, and I didn't expect him to ever become more than a good backup.  Now he's a top 2 player on this a top for team in the East - crazy.

Brooklyn pick I expected would be valuable.  I did the maths during the trade - between Deron, Johnson, Lopez, Pierce, KG and Terry the Nets had stupid amounts of cap space tied up with guys who (other than Lopez) were at the ugly end of their careers.  It was clear to me from the start that this was going to be Championship or bust for the Nets, and if it was a bust the it would have been a bad one.  But I expected them to maybe fall into the bottom 6 or 8, and for me that (having a top 10 pick) was exciting enough.  I never dreamed they would be THIS bad.

Then all the other moves - the Lee signing.  If we make any star deal before the deadline, Lee's $15M expiring contract is almost certain to be required to match salary and make the deal happen.  If we had Wallace's $10M expiring instead, then maybe that wouldn't be enough and we'd have to throw in solid players just to match salary.  Bold and brilliant move by Ainge, and an underrated asset.

The decision to extend Bradley - another great idea.  Everyone whined about that $7M-$8M a year deal at the time.  Now Bradley has become a really solid starter, the cap is rising like crazy, and his deal looks like one of the great bargains in the league.   

Signing or Brad Stevens is another - such a huge gamble, investing THAT much money for THAT long a term in a completely unknown coach.  But the gamble paid off in a huge way.

This 'Danny Ainge' has made some of the most ballsy moves in the league this past 2-3 seasons, and just about every single one of them has paid off in a massive, massive way.  At first you call it luck, but when it keeps on happening it reaches the point where you eventually need to admit that there is more to this than good fortune - that man REALLY knows what he is doing.

Yet I (like all the rest of us silly fans) sit here all the time talking about what deals Danny SHOULD make, like I know better than he does.  I assure everybody that if there is a deal you have thought about, Danny has already come up with it, analysed the hell out of it, proven to himself that it's a bad idea (or that it's not achievable) and moved on.

[Dino Pitino]

We are.  Why i think he can maybe afford to make a move for Dwight for the right price.   Too much stress and I'm not being paid enough to process all this stuff like i do lol.  Ainge himself says he agonizes over this stuff and gave himself heart issues and I can see why. We want to do the right things and make the right moves and that involves a lot of things. If I'm wrong and Ainge comes up with something better great.

The best thing is to not stress it too much.  People take what I say too literally sometimes which is annoying. Fans used to do that to Ainge too and it was annoying. The guy works hard and is more relaxed of late it seems. He knows what he is trying to do and is willing to give up. Or he's happy that he doesn't and is just going to keep exploring things but knows what's good and what isn't ultimately as far as the big picture.  To be honest a lot of people don't.

As fans it's hard to know what other GM's are thinking or the celtics are even trying to do. Some fans are better at that than others. Some try harder than others etc.

A lot of hard work went into this and we don't want to blow it.  Why trading guys for no reason makes very little sense. These players. The coaches.  The entire organization works hard and there is work that goes into it. Some players work harder than others.  But the entire team deserves our respect.

Brad Stevens all these guys don't even read about rumors. They have enough on their plate as it is trying to win games and develop a team and a culture.  I don't blame them. They have a healthy working environment where they can do that. The internet to me is still a work in progress.

Well said, and I have to agree.

Ainge has done such an amazing job building the team up to this point, and I think a lot of people don't grasp just how difficult it would be to fall into Ainge's shoes and build a bottom 6 team into a #4 seed in the space of three seasons, without the benefit of signing/trading for any star players.

Everybody that Ainge has brought in was more or less a nobody when they came here.  Thomas got no respect when he was in Phoenix - comes to Boston, and Ainge+Stevens build a team that makes him an All-Star.

Crowder came here as a nobody, and we all thought he was a 3rd string wing at best.  Now he's looking like a guy with future All-Star potential and one of our most valuable assets.

Ainge traded a near-retired Pierce, KG and Terry and in return we get three likely future lottery picks - one of which has the potential to be #1 and be out most valuable asset if things fall our way.   

Those are the three most valuable assets on this team by a mile, and all three were underdog moves that few people ever predicted would be this valuable.

I didn't like the Thomas deal at first - i thought it was a downgrade from Rondo.  But as  Rondo struggled after injury, I warmed to the idea.  I never expected him to have THIS much impact.

I didn't know who Crowder was when he came here, but first 5 or 10 games he played in, I liked what he brought.  Loved his tenacity, his toughness, his motor.  But he was also very limited, and I didn't expect him to ever become more than a good backup.  Now he's a top 2 player on this a top for team in the East - crazy.

Brooklyn pick I expected would be valuable.  I did the maths during the trade - between Deron, Johnson, Lopez, Pierce, KG and Terry the Nets had stupid amounts of cap space tied up with guys who (other than Lopez) were at the ugly end of their careers.  It was clear to me from the start that this was going to be Championship or bust for the Nets, and if it was a bust the it would have been a bad one.  But I expected them to maybe fall into the bottom 6 or 8, and for me that (having a top 10 pick) was exciting enough.  I never dreamed they would be THIS bad.

Then all the other moves - the Lee signing.  If we make any star deal before the deadline, Lee's $15M expiring contract is almost certain to be required to match salary and make the deal happen.  If we had Wallace's $10M expiring instead, then maybe that wouldn't be enough and we'd have to throw in solid players just to match salary.  Bold and brilliant move by Ainge, and an underrated asset.

The decision to extend Bradley - another great idea.  Everyone whined about that $7M-$8M a year deal at the time.  Now Bradley has become a really solid starter, the cap is rising like crazy, and his deal looks like one of the great bargains in the league.   

Signing or Brad Stevens is another - such a huge gamble, investing THAT much money for THAT long a term in a completely unknown coach.  But the gamble paid off in a huge way.

This 'Danny Ainge' has made some of the most ballsy moves in the league this past 2-3 seasons, and just about every single one of them has paid off in a massive, massive way.  At first you call it luck, but when it keeps on happening it reaches the point where you eventually need to admit that there is more to this than good fortune - that man REALLY knows what he is doing.

Yet I (like all the rest of us silly fans) sit here all the time talking about what deals Danny SHOULD make, like I know better than he does.  I assure everybody that if there is a deal you have thought about, Danny has already come up with it, analysed the hell out of it, proven to himself that it's a bad idea (or that it's not achievable) and moved on.

What a post. What a GM. Tommy Point.

[hwangjini_1]

We are.  Why i think he can maybe afford to make a move for Dwight for the right price.   Too much stress and I'm not being paid enough to process all this stuff like i do lol.  Ainge himself says he agonizes over this stuff and gave himself heart issues and I can see why. We want to do the right things and make the right moves and that involves a lot of things. If I'm wrong and Ainge comes up with something better great.

The best thing is to not stress it too much.  People take what I say too literally sometimes which is annoying. Fans used to do that to Ainge too and it was annoying. The guy works hard and is more relaxed of late it seems. He knows what he is trying to do and is willing to give up. Or he's happy that he doesn't and is just going to keep exploring things but knows what's good and what isn't ultimately as far as the big picture.  To be honest a lot of people don't.

As fans it's hard to know what other GM's are thinking or the celtics are even trying to do. Some fans are better at that than others. Some try harder than others etc.

A lot of hard work went into this and we don't want to blow it.  Why trading guys for no reason makes very little sense. These players. The coaches.  The entire organization works hard and there is work that goes into it. Some players work harder than others.  But the entire team deserves our respect.

Brad Stevens all these guys don't even read about rumors. They have enough on their plate as it is trying to win games and develop a team and a culture.  I don't blame them. They have a healthy working environment where they can do that. The internet to me is still a work in progress.

Well said, and I have to agree.

Ainge has done such an amazing job building the team up to this point, and I think a lot of people don't grasp just how difficult it would be to fall into Ainge's shoes and build a bottom 6 team into a #4 seed in the space of three seasons, without the benefit of signing/trading for any star players.

Everybody that Ainge has brought in was more or less a nobody when they came here.  Thomas got no respect when he was in Phoenix - comes to Boston, and Ainge+Stevens build a team that makes him an All-Star.

Crowder came here as a nobody, and we all thought he was a 3rd string wing at best.  Now he's looking like a guy with future All-Star potential and one of our most valuable assets.

Ainge traded a near-retired Pierce, KG and Terry and in return we get three likely future lottery picks - one of which has the potential to be #1 and be out most valuable asset if things fall our way.   

Those are the three most valuable assets on this team by a mile, and all three were underdog moves that few people ever predicted would be this valuable.

I didn't like the Thomas deal at first - i thought it was a downgrade from Rondo.  But as  Rondo struggled after injury, I warmed to the idea.  I never expected him to have THIS much impact.

I didn't know who Crowder was when he came here, but first 5 or 10 games he played in, I liked what he brought.  Loved his tenacity, his toughness, his motor.  But he was also very limited, and I didn't expect him to ever become more than a good backup.  Now he's a top 2 player on this a top for team in the East - crazy.

Brooklyn pick I expected would be valuable.  I did the maths during the trade - between Deron, Johnson, Lopez, Pierce, KG and Terry the Nets had stupid amounts of cap space tied up with guys who (other than Lopez) were at the ugly end of their careers.  It was clear to me from the start that this was going to be Championship or bust for the Nets, and if it was a bust the it would have been a bad one.  But I expected them to maybe fall into the bottom 6 or 8, and for me that (having a top 10 pick) was exciting enough.  I never dreamed they would be THIS bad.

Then all the other moves - the Lee signing.  If we make any star deal before the deadline, Lee's $15M expiring contract is almost certain to be required to match salary and make the deal happen.  If we had Wallace's $10M expiring instead, then maybe that wouldn't be enough and we'd have to throw in solid players just to match salary.  Bold and brilliant move by Ainge, and an underrated asset.

The decision to extend Bradley - another great idea.  Everyone whined about that $7M-$8M a year deal at the time.  Now Bradley has become a really solid starter, the cap is rising like crazy, and his deal looks like one of the great bargains in the league.   

Signing or Brad Stevens is another - such a huge gamble, investing THAT much money for THAT long a term in a completely unknown coach.  But the gamble paid off in a huge way.

This 'Danny Ainge' has made some of the most ballsy moves in the league this past 2-3 seasons, and just about every single one of them has paid off in a massive, massive way.  At first you call it luck, but when it keeps on happening it reaches the point where you eventually need to admit that there is more to this than good fortune - that man REALLY knows what he is doing.

Yet I (like all the rest of us silly fans) sit here all the time talking about what deals Danny SHOULD make, like I know better than he does.  I assure everybody that if there is a deal you have thought about, Danny has already come up with it, analysed the hell out of it, proven to himself that it's a bad idea (or that it's not achievable) and moved on.

nice job cs....as usual. a tp for the interesting and well thought post.