Drafting a star

[walker834]

I would honestly not listen to the media and would just build this team.  If you look around at teams in the league that are successful they were built through the draft.  They weren't necessarily built with the top pick either.  Steph Curry was not the #1 hyped guy that year.  Neither was Durant.  Neither was westbrook.  Duncan was.  Lebron was.  Kyle Lowry nope.  Dwade nope.  All drafted by their respective teams though minus lowry.  I honestly listen to talk radio and the internet face palming because the world is not flat people.  I get ratings and all that these people cater to the masses but having a mind of your own is good.  Just because some radio dj tells me we have to take so and so with a top 2 pick means nothing to me either.

It's not luck either. Some of it is. But some people are just smarter than the masses and are better at drafting and using their own brains than others.

 Throw all the hype out and look at each player and who would you pick.   Just because some dude tells me Ben Simmons is the next great thing means nothing to me.

[danglertx]

Good point.  How these players develop from when they are 18, 19, or 20 is pretty much a crap shoot. 

[walker834]

I just hope  DA uses his brain and goes with who he feels is best.  I listen to the media and talk radio and it's a bit much is all.  DA has a knack for p---ing people off and I like it. The media crazy train is a bit much.

How many people had Draymond Green ranked at the top of his class?  Really.  I liked him I know that much.  People usually think I'm the crazy one.

[KG Living Legend]

 Point taken, but Durant come on. He was by far the best player that year, Oden was still a time when the Center was over valued.Combined with his injury history. Durant should have gone #1.

 I believe Ainge when he said he'd had Taken Durant first.

 TP anyway Walker.

[walker834]

the point is Kobe, Dirk, etc were not the consensus top guys.  Kevin Garnett wasn't either. Neither was Pierce.   Magic johnson yes.   Larry Bird no.  Michael Jordan no. Bill Russell no.  Chris Paul no.  Paul George no.  The list goes on.  The masses are asses hehe.

Duncan, Lebron and some  others yes. But I'd say the majority weren't. Obviously the odds are higher in the lottery and the higher you get but it's pretty relative.

Having a high pick and being able to pick who you like is a plus.  Also being able to maneuver as far as value if you really like someone else and want to trade or whatever.

Kevin Mchale no.  Robert Parish no.

[alldaboston]

That's why when people say we should trade the pick outside top 2, I'm a little baffled. Murray for example is a very good prospect. He averaged 20 per game in his freshman year. That's more than Ingram and Simmons, believe it or not. Or Hield. Elite scorer. Could step in right away and help out. And seems to really have the drive to be great. Point is, we shouldn't overpay for a "star" or something in butler or (eek) Hayward if the pick is not top 2. We have other options.

[Celtics4ever]

Larry Bird no.

LOL.   You think that Bird was not a top player in draft that is laughable.    Auerbach drafted him a year early and that is why he went at 6.   Bird was so good that Red used the number 6 from the year before he was eligible using some arcane rule to do so.

Mychal Thompson from the University of Minnesota was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. Thompson, who was born in the Bahamas, became the first foreign-born player to be drafted first overall.[6] Phil Ford from the University of North Carolina was selected second by the Kansas City Kings. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team in his rookie season.[7][8] A college underclassman from Indiana State University, Larry Bird, was selected sixth by the Boston Celtics. However, he opted to return to Indiana State for his senior season before entering the league in 1979. He won the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to both the All-NBA First Team and the All Star Game in his rookie season. Bird spent his entire 13-year career with the Celtics and won three NBA championships. He also won three consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards and two Finals Most Valuable Player Awards. He was also selected to ten All-NBA Teams and thirteen consecutive All-Star Games.[9] For his achievements, he has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[10] Bird was also named to the list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[11] After retiring as a player, Bird went on to have a coaching career. He coached the Indiana Pacers for three seasons, leading them to an NBA Finals appearance.[9][12] He also won the Coach of the Year Award in 1998.[13]

Before the draft, Larry Bird had just finished his junior year at Indiana State. However, he was eligible to be drafted without applying for "hardship" because his original college class at the Indiana University had graduated.[9][14] He initially enrolled at Indiana in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. After sitting out a year, he enrolled at Indiana State.[15] Despite being eligible for the draft, he stated that he would return to college for his senior season. His hometown team, the Indiana Pacers, initially held the first overall pick. However, when they failed to persuade him to leave college early, they traded the first pick to the Blazers, who also failed to convince him into signing.[16][17] Five teams, including the Pacers who held the third pick, passed on Bird until the Celtics used the sixth pick to draft him. They drafted him even though they knew that they might lose the exclusive rights to him if he didn't sign before the next draft. He could reenter the draft in 1979 and sign with the other team that drafted him. Nevertheless, on April 1979, he signed a five-year, US$3.25-million contract with the Celtics, which made him the highest-paid rookie in the history of team sport at that time.[18]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_NBA_draft

[walker834]

He wasn't the consensus #1 guy that draft though.  5 other teams could have drafted him but didn't.

I could see it now.  Don't draft bird because we could lose our rights for him.  All the red flags etc..

The pacers got cold feet and traded the pick probably because the consensus was telling them that was the smart thing to do vs worrying about signing him later.

But some owners have more balls than that.

I know Russell just wouldn't play for certain teams because certan areas were very racist.  His situation was that.  He wouldn't play for St. Louis but they still took him and traded him to boston.  Rochester could have taken him though.

[billysan]

TP for thought provoking analysis.

I was just thinking, how good is Hield going to be? will he be a 'regret we didnt draft him' guy? He could be the next Ray Allen at the SG, or not.

Ingram could just as easily be the next Mike Beasely as he could the next KD. Odds are more in Durants direction but still a risk at his his age and level developmentally.

For me, unless you are sure of your guy at the top of the draft then you try to trade and get someone you are sure of. Absorbing excessive risk is not a good formula for success. Too many Sam Bowie and Darko Milicic players out there.

[CoachBo]

How many stars has Ainge drafted?

I'll wait.

[jambr380]

How many stars has Ainge drafted?

I'll wait.

I know this is sarcasm, but Rondo counts, as polarizing as he is. Even moreso when you consider his playoff performances and his ability to facilitate the Cs team to a championship.

[ahonui06]

How many stars has Ainge drafted?

I'll wait.

I know this is sarcasm, but Rondo counts, as polarizing as he is. Even moreso when you consider his playoff performances and his ability to facilitate the Cs team to a championship.

Although Ainge hasn't drafted any "superstars" he does have a solid draft history since he took over as Boston exec in 2003.

2004, Pick 15 - Al Jefferson (Solid rotation player)
2004, Pick 25 - Drafted Tony Allen (would consider him a defensive superstar)
2010, Pick 19 - Avery Bradley (Solid rotation player)
2012, Pick 21 - Jared Sullinger (Solid rotation player)

The only Top 10 pick Boston has had since 2008 was 2014 when the Celtics drafted Marcus Smart at 6 and he's developing very nicely; just needs work on his perimeter shooting.

[The Rondo Show]

How many stars has Ainge drafted?

I'll wait.

I know this is sarcasm, but Rondo counts, as polarizing as he is. Even moreso when you consider his playoff performances and his ability to facilitate the Cs team to a championship.

Although Ainge hasn't drafted any "superstars" he does have a solid draft history since he took over as Boston exec in 2003.

2004, Pick 15 - Al Jefferson (Solid rotation player)
2004, Pick 25 - Drafted Tony Allen (would consider him a defensive superstar)
2010, Pick 19 - Avery Bradley (Solid rotation player)
2012, Pick 21 - Jared Sullinger (Solid rotation player)

The only Top 10 pick Boston has had since 2008 was 2014 when the Celtics drafted Marcus Smart at 6 and he's developing very nicely; just needs work on his perimeter shooting.

He's a decent drafter. Not many home runs, but he misses far less than most GM's. Some other notable picks:

2006, Pick 21 - Rajon Rondo (multiple-time All Star)
2007, Pick 32 - Glen Davis (solid rotation piece on contender/championship winner)
2011, Pick 55 - Etwaun Moore (solid bench player, did a commendable job in Chi-Town this year)
2013, Pick 13 - Kelly Olynyk (Very solid rotation piece)

[hwangjini_1]

How many stars has Ainge drafted?

I'll wait.

I know this is sarcasm, but Rondo counts, as polarizing as he is. Even moreso when you consider his playoff performances and his ability to facilitate the Cs team to a championship.

Although Ainge hasn't drafted any "superstars" he does have a solid draft history since he took over as Boston exec in 2003.

2004, Pick 15 - Al Jefferson (Solid rotation player)
2004, Pick 25 - Drafted Tony Allen (would consider him a defensive superstar)
2010, Pick 19 - Avery Bradley (Solid rotation player)
2012, Pick 21 - Jared Sullinger (Solid rotation player)

The only Top 10 pick Boston has had since 2008 was 2014 when the Celtics drafted Marcus Smart at 6 and he's developing very nicely; just needs work on his perimeter shooting.

He's a decent drafter. Not many home runs, but he misses far less than most GM's. Some other notable picks:

2006, Pick 21 - Rajon Rondo (multiple-time All Star)
2007, Pick 32 - Glen Davis (solid rotation piece on contender/championship winner)
2011, Pick 55 - Etwaun Moore (solid bench player, did a commendable job in Chi-Town this year)
2013, Pick 13 - Kelly Olynyk (Very solid rotation piece)

my favorite second round pick by ainge was powe. if his knees had held up he would have been a very nice rotation player.

[Csfan1984]

DA is an average drafter but he did say he has 8 mulligans. I'm hoping he strikes gold 3x.