(I realize the argument below may be weak, but then again, it could be plausible.)
Danny and his crew spent a lot of time and effort this past month trying to get a trade to work. Unfortunately, or fortunately nothing came of it.
The only roster move involved David Lee agreeing to a buyout. And, he later signed with the Dallas Mavericks.
So, what were we left with? One less player, who some/many argue we are better off without. (My personal feeling was that David Lee could have provided some insurance if we suffered another injury come playoff time.)
Although, to be honest, I’m not overly bothered by his departure. What does worry me is that another roster move wasn’t made. By this I mean why didn’t Danny and staff come up with an alternative should a trade not be made, e.g., signing a bought-out player or making a deal with bench players or draft picks? They did nothing to strengthen the team for the playoff run. If anything, they possibly made it weaker. (Please, this is not a case for keeping Lee. I’m not arguing that.)
Just like the Celtics, many other teams were looking to make a major deal during the same time frame. Most or all did not. However, a number of GM’s made moves to improve their roster.
Who are some of the players that other teams signed? Miami - Joe Johnson, San Antonio - Kevin Martin, Washington - JJ Hickson, Oklahoma City - Nazr Mohammed, Golden State - Anderson Varejao, Houston - Michael Beasley, Dallas – David Lee and after the deadline Indiana is in discussion with Ty Lawson.
I’m sure I may be missing a signing or two and didn't even mention minor trades. There may be disagreements as to the advantages of picking up player A or player B in each of the cases mentioned above. But, overall these teams did something to help themselves come the playoffs. As a last resort I thought maybe the return of Marcus Thornton might be something to consider for injury insurance purposes. Anything really….
Perhaps doing nothing other than buying out David Lee was the best option. It’s possible Danny put out feelers for some of the players mentioned and nothing came of it? Being outsiders we can only speculate.
Nonetheless it has me concerned…. What if Danny was unprepared for picking up a bought-out or released player? Is it possible that he was so dead set on getting “his man” that all else didn’t matter???
If so, how might this sort of mindset work come the June time draft and at the start of the July signing period? Will he and his think tank be so well prepared with option A that they’ll be ill prepared for options B, C, and D. Will they have plans ready should they don’t get the players they want? Will they be ready to react when or if other teams sign any or all our free agents?
My intuition is that this off-season is going to be challenging no matter who is in charge. There will be so much going on at once that it is going to take an astute and agile mind as well as one with nerves of steel and the ability to focus on many parameters at once. This is especially so because of the numerous picks, the change in salary cap, their own free agents, other teams jostling for key players, draft study, etc., etc.
Maybe I’m making too much of Danny not doing anything to pick up a player before the March 1st deadline. Even if I am, I feel this June/July time-frame may overwhelm him because of the many trading parameters going on at once. The net result could be other teams will make moves before the Celtics have a chance to react. Will Danny be prepared enough for what is to come? It's possible, I'm just not completely sold yet.
Topic: Will Danny be out-maneuvered in June and July? (Read 2665 times)