Draft is less than 36 hours away. Do you trust Danny Ainge?

[crimson_stallion]

I trust him.

If he does keep the pick, then the last I heard he had it narrowed down to Bender, Dunn, Hield and Brown.  For the most part, that was the same group of guys I had narrowed it down to in my head, with the only exception being Bender - who I really didn't like.

But if Danny does keep the pick and he drafts any of those guys, I'll take it and smile.  Even if it's Bender.  I don't believe Danny Ainge is the type of person to gamble with a pick this high - past history shows that he usually takes gambles with later picks, but with his highest pick he usually goes for low rsisk guys with proven talent (Sully, Olynyk, Smart, etc) so if he decides to draft Dragan, then that's enough for me to give Mr Bender a chance.

The most recent trade proposals that have been going around (Butler, Middleton, Noel, Hayward) are all guys who I think are fair enough value in return for #3, and I could live with either of those moves too.

Reports also state that he isn't high on Okafor and prefers Noel - another sentiment I agree completely with.

So at this point, I have no reason to have anything but trust in Danny.

[crimson_stallion]

I think everyone just needs to take a deep breath and chill. There are so many different threads discussing a millions of options the Cs have.

Danny will do whatever he can to get the best outcome for the Cs come draft night. He is the GM for a reason.

I trust him, and i'll be happy unless he does something very un-Ainge like and wastes all our picks and over pays for an average talent like Monroe!

I'm no fan of Monroe, but I ultimately think you're setup to overpay. You can afford it based on the assets he's accumulated.  So throw the chips out there & land the player that fits what you're doing. If it's Okafor, Noel, or Middleton, so be it.

You have to trust the man. He's darn good at his job.

Indeed.

I'd be perfectly happy with Monroe - he's a bonafide 16/10 guy, he doesn't seem to cause any locker room issues, he's an efficient scorer, an excellent rebounder and he's had a good health history his entire career.

I'd be pretty happy with Noel or Middleton as well - both guys offer important skills / talents that fill gaping holes in our team.

Okafor I would be not so happy about, but if Danny did make that move (and nothing else was available) then I would at least try to put on a smile and be enthusiastic about it...hope the kid proves me wrong.

[boscel33]

I trust him as long as he drafts a player taller than he is, i.e., not Dunn or Murray.   

[aingeforthree]

Any Celtic fan that doesn't trust him is the same Celtic fan who criticized him for the Brooklyn trade.

You'd think they'd learn by now instead of looking stupid time and time again.

[dannyboy35]

If he hits or whiffs I'm still glad Ainge is our guy. HE is the most valuable asset in the Celtic organization. I'd feel a little hopeless with someone other than Danny.

[aingeforthree]

I think his drafting ability may be his biggest weakness but ultimately yes I trust him to do what's best for the organization.

How's his 'drafting ability' with top 5 picks ?

[Donoghus]

Is there really an alternative?  Like him or not, there really isn't a choice.

I trust that he's done his due diligence regarding potential trades & scouting.  Now its just hoping that he makes the right call. 

[LilRip]

For me, it's gotten to the point where I'm expecting a trade, and it'll be for someone we really didn't expect or someone that wasn't even reported (like Otto Porter? I don't know). Whichever player he lands, I hope it's a good one.

Also, I'm putting us at less than 5% chance of landing KD as a FA. It hurts so good to hope but meh, I should learn to stop hoping.

[heyvik]

He's not a good drafter. Landed KG (and Ray) via McHale. Hit on Rondo and Perk, but with our big 3, several players could've equally contributed.

He has made several incremental improvements via trade. I'm just assuming a letdown -- trading #3 for Okafor or Noel. The rest of the picks will be insignificant, again, and we will have a very similar season to last year.

I would prefer to draft Dunn (or Brown, if he wowed in workouts and interviews) and build towards the future, given that we won't be contending for the next decade... but whatever.

Agreed somewhat - he's good at finding value later, and obvious choices such as Durant over Oden. I think mid 1st round (8-19 ish) is not his best. I think he's GREAT at established talent such as seeing DeAndre Jordan, Bledsoe as up and coming.

[Mattybriand]

I'm surprisingly confident that Danny won't make a bad trade.... I think he just picks someone he likes if he can't find the value he wants...

Now on the other hand I'm not confident we are going to pick the right player if we do make the pick.

Murray
Heild
Bender
Chriss
Dunn
Brown

One of those guys is gonna be really good maybe more then one, I've been high on each one of them the last couple weeks (expect Chriss). I'm actually pretty stressed I don't want to miss out on One of them and watch them light the league up...

With all that being said I'd be okay with trading the pick for Butler but that's looking less and less likely everyday

[Vermont Green]

I don't buy the argument that Danny is a bad drafter.  I think drafting is a crap shoot for everyone.  He has had his share of good and bad picks with his success rate within the statistical norm for drafting.  The exception to this was Fab Melo.  That was a major miss.  Remember, drafting is a game where you can have the #1 pick, take Greg Oden, and lose miserably.  Or someone like Draymond Green can be passed over by every team, some teams twice, then someone takes him in the second round and wins.

In terms of trading, Danny has done some great trades.  The risk is if you try too hard to make a trade, it can be a trap and you can end up with a bad trade.  I think Danny really wants to trade some or most of these picks and the whole league knows this.  You have to be willing to just make the picks and walk away and I think Danny understands this.

[ashanm10]

sorry because im very bad at calculations, can someone tell me how many hours left until the nba draft? (im from Greece lol...)

[CoachBo]

Not a yes/no black and white question.

To make a trade? Yes, I trust Ainge.

To use the #3? Absolutely not.

[kozlodoev]

I think everyone just needs to take a deep breath and chill. There are so many different threads discussing a millions of options the Cs have.

Danny will do whatever he can to get the best outcome for the Cs come draft night. He is the GM for a reason.

I trust him, and i'll be happy unless he does something very un-Ainge like and wastes all our picks and over pays for an average talent like Monroe!

I'm no fan of Monroe, but I ultimately think you're setup to overpay. You can afford it based on the assets he's accumulated.  So throw the chips out there & land the player that fits what you're doing. If it's Okafor, Noel, or Middleton, so be it.

You have to trust the man. He's darn good at his job.

Indeed.

I'd be perfectly happy with Monroe - he's a bonafide 16/10 guy, he doesn't seem to cause any locker room issues, he's an efficient scorer, an excellent rebounder and he's had a good health history his entire career.

I'd be pretty happy with Noel or Middleton as well - both guys offer important skills / talents that fill gaping holes in our team.

Okafor I would be not so happy about, but if Danny did make that move (and nothing else was available) then I would at least try to put on a smile and be enthusiastic about it...hope the kid proves me wrong.

If you can get Monroe without giving up a lottery pick, you have to go for it.

[heyvik]

I think everyone just needs to take a deep breath and chill. There are so many different threads discussing a millions of options the Cs have.

Danny will do whatever he can to get the best outcome for the Cs come draft night. He is the GM for a reason.

I trust him, and i'll be happy unless he does something very un-Ainge like and wastes all our picks and over pays for an average talent like Monroe!

I'm no fan of Monroe, but I ultimately think you're setup to overpay. You can afford it based on the assets he's accumulated.  So throw the chips out there & land the player that fits what you're doing. If it's Okafor, Noel, or Middleton, so be it.

You have to trust the man. He's darn good at his job.

Indeed.

I'd be perfectly happy with Monroe - he's a bonafide 16/10 guy, he doesn't seem to cause any locker room issues, he's an efficient scorer, an excellent rebounder and he's had a good health history his entire career.

I'd be pretty happy with Noel or Middleton as well - both guys offer important skills / talents that fill gaping holes in our team.

Okafor I would be not so happy about, but if Danny did make that move (and nothing else was available) then I would at least try to put on a smile and be enthusiastic about it...hope the kid proves me wrong.

If you can get Monroe without giving up a lottery pick, you have to go for it.

agreed