Danny Ainge: 2 steps ahead of everyone. Again.

[mctyson]

In my opinion, Danny Ainge has done it again.

Now that we know that KD was pretty much determined to join the Golden State Yankees, it is obvious to me that Danny had little expectation anything could be done to get KD here.  I believe he knew this for a long time.  There were no amount of trades possible that would make these Celtics better than the prospect of joining a 73-win championship team, with its young core completely intact.

I was at the NBA Draft party when Wyc literally cringed at the boos cascading from the rafters.  Of the couple thousand people in attendance, I was maybe one of 20 who loved the Jaylen Brown pick.  Apparently they knew something that Danny didn't, but again his critics have been left with little to complain about.

I cannot imagine what I would feel like as a Cs fan right now if we had traded that pick, other Brooklyn picks, and any one of Smart/Crowder/Bradley for Jimmy Butler.  I am not so sure that Al Horford would have even signed here if that happened.  Even if he did, we wouldn't be much better than the Raptors, and we would have mortgaged our entire future for the dim prospect of beating GSW to the Durant punch...and in retrospect there was never a shot of that happening. 

Instead, I sit here today saying to myself that - outside of GSW - I don't think there is a team that has had a better offseason than the Celtics.  Admittedly, I am biased.  But it is absolutely clear to me that Jaylen Brown was the best player available AND best fit for this team at #3.  I believe trading him for Butler (and especially Noel/Okafor) would be a mistake we would rue for years.  Picking Brown makes even more sense now, as we will need an army of defenders to have any shot of beating Cleveland and GSW.  The addition of Horford was such a major victory for this team as he is the absolute perfect fit for everything we needed in a big.  We may now have the best defense in the NBA.

Then you step back and realize that this is one of the youngest teams in the NBA and we legitimately have a shot at Top 5 picks for the next two drafts.  There is a chance they could even be #1 picks.  We could be adding the best talent on the planet to a team that may very well win 55 games and challenge Cleveland for a trip to the NBA Finals.

I hope those fans that booed Wyc that night are on their feet when the season starts.  This rebuild has been nothing short of remarkable. 
 

[Chris22]

Celtic fans would boo Santa Claus.
Oh......wait..........sorry..........that was the Philly fans.

[LarBrd33]

making a ridiculous trade for a fringe star like Jimmy Butler never made sense to me.  We could have just pitched it to durant that if he really REALLY wanted us to overpay for a guy like Butler, we could do it down the line.  He wanted to go bandwagon onto a 73 win team so he could ensure he got some jewelry. 

So with Golden State winning the next 10 championships, we might as well just wait it out.  Keep the picks.  A decade from now, Curry and Durant will be 37... Draymond and Klay will be 35.  And our youngins will be hitting their late 20s prime.   That's our window, assuming Joel Embiid and Karl Towns haven't teamed up by then to eat the league alive.

[PaulP34]

I agree with your post as far as Jaylen Brown goes but hold up. So if Danny Ainge knew Durant was going to the Warriors that long ago, then why set up a prestigious meeting and pay for Brady to fly out with him to his meeting ?

As much as I can't stand Steven A. Smith n think he's a waste of airtime on any national level, he was dead on about Durant and how he said this was the all time weakest move he's ever seen an all star make. Durant has lost all my respect as far as basketball goes he's made the absolute worse decision ever choosing the Warriors. I hope Durant breaks his ankle n misses the entire season. That's how I feel about that. Danny had no clue Durant would go to GS or he wouldn't of had that meeting

[i believe in brad]

I agree with your post as far as Jaylen Brown goes but hold up. So if Danny Ainge knew Durant was going to the Warriors that long ago, then why set up a prestigious meeting and pay for Brady to fly out with him to his meeting ?

As much as I can't stand Steven A. Smith n think he's a waste of airtime on any national level, he was dead on about Durant and how he said this was the all time weakest move he's ever seen an all star make. Durant has lost all my respect as far as basketball goes he's made the absolute worse decision ever choosing the Warriors. I hope Durant breaks his ankle n misses the entire season. That's how I feel about that. Danny had no clue Durant would go to GS or he wouldn't of had that meeting

This is a little bit of an overreaction.

[The One]

He's a top 5 GM.  I'm glad that he's running the Celtics.

We have a chance to top 50 wins for the next ten years and break through for a title in three.

[Scintan]

I was at the NBA Draft party when Wyc literally cringed at the boos cascading from the rafters.  Of the couple thousand people in attendance...  Apparently they knew something that Danny didn't...

...But it is absolutely clear to me that Jaylen Brown was the best player available AND best fit for this team at #3. 

Umm.....

[PickNRoll]

making a ridiculous trade for a fringe star like Jimmy Butler never made sense to me.  We could have just pitched it to durant that if he really REALLY wanted us to overpay for a guy like Butler, we could do it down the line.  He wanted to go bandwagon onto a 73 win team so he could ensure he got some jewelry. 

I don't think Butler is "fringe" anything.  He's one of the top 2 or 3 guys in the entire league at his position.  Maybe Klay and Harden edge him.

It's hard to overpay for a guy like that.  You definitely can't overpay him in salary terms because he's a clear max player for the next 5-8 years.  It'd be hard for the C's to wind up on the wrong side of a Butler trade.  I'd sell the farm.

[i believe in brad]

making a ridiculous trade for a fringe star like Jimmy Butler never made sense to me.  We could have just pitched it to durant that if he really REALLY wanted us to overpay for a guy like Butler, we could do it down the line.  He wanted to go bandwagon onto a 73 win team so he could ensure he got some jewelry. 

So with Golden State winning the next 10 championships, we might as well just wait it out.  Keep the picks.  A decade from now, Curry and Durant will be 37... Draymond and Klay will be 35.  And our youngins will be hitting their late 20s prime.   That's our window, assuming Joel Embiid and Karl Towns haven't teamed up by then to eat the league alive.

Do people really think this?  After these last playoffs, I now think GSW would have lost that first finals if Kyrie/Love weren't injured.  2 finals in a row I now am starting to think Steph has no balls.  Durant is no different, and he just proved it by putting his tail between his legs and crawling to the GSW. 

Draymond, Klay, and Iggy are the heart and soul of this team.  Iggy is old as hell I honestly don't see him getting through this entire season on this thin of a roster, and Draymond is a ticking time bomb mental case.  Steph and Durant are both mental midgets.

I think they are beatable.

[GratefulCs]

IB4


Coach bo/clench

[LarBrd33]

making a ridiculous trade for a fringe star like Jimmy Butler never made sense to me.  We could have just pitched it to durant that if he really REALLY wanted us to overpay for a guy like Butler, we could do it down the line.  He wanted to go bandwagon onto a 73 win team so he could ensure he got some jewelry. 

So with Golden State winning the next 10 championships, we might as well just wait it out.  Keep the picks.  A decade from now, Curry and Durant will be 37... Draymond and Klay will be 35.  And our youngins will be hitting their late 20s prime.   That's our window, assuming Joel Embiid and Karl Towns haven't teamed up by then to eat the league alive.

Do people really think this?  After these last playoffs, I now think GSW would have lost that first finals if Kyrie/Love weren't injured.  2 finals in a row I now am starting to think Steph has no balls.  Durant is no different, and he just proved it by putting his tail between his legs and crawling to the GSW. 

Draymond, Klay, and Iggy are the heart and soul of this team.  Iggy is old as hell I honestly don't see him getting through this entire season on this thin of a roster, and Draymond is a ticking time bomb mental case.  Steph and Durant are both mental midgets.

I think they are beatable.

They are a 73 win team that came a minute away from being back-to-back champions and just added arguably the best basketball player alive.  Yeah - barring injury, they will own the league for the foreseeable future.

[PaulP34]

I agree with your post as far as Jaylen Brown goes but hold up. So if Danny Ainge knew Durant was going to the Warriors that long ago, then why set up a prestigious meeting and pay for Brady to fly out with him to his meeting ?

As much as I can't stand Steven A. Smith n think he's a waste of airtime on any national level, he was dead on about Durant and how he said this was the all time weakest move he's ever seen an all star make. Durant has lost all my respect as far as basketball goes he's made the absolute worse decision ever choosing the Warriors. I hope Durant breaks his ankle n misses the entire season. That's how I feel about that. Danny had no clue Durant would go to GS or he wouldn't of had that meeting

This is a little bit of an overreaction.

No that's exactly how I feel.

[i believe in brad]

making a ridiculous trade for a fringe star like Jimmy Butler never made sense to me.  We could have just pitched it to durant that if he really REALLY wanted us to overpay for a guy like Butler, we could do it down the line.  He wanted to go bandwagon onto a 73 win team so he could ensure he got some jewelry. 

So with Golden State winning the next 10 championships, we might as well just wait it out.  Keep the picks.  A decade from now, Curry and Durant will be 37... Draymond and Klay will be 35.  And our youngins will be hitting their late 20s prime.   That's our window, assuming Joel Embiid and Karl Towns haven't teamed up by then to eat the league alive.

Do people really think this?  After these last playoffs, I now think GSW would have lost that first finals if Kyrie/Love weren't injured.  2 finals in a row I now am starting to think Steph has no balls.  Durant is no different, and he just proved it by putting his tail between his legs and crawling to the GSW. 

Draymond, Klay, and Iggy are the heart and soul of this team.  Iggy is old as hell I honestly don't see him getting through this entire season on this thin of a roster, and Draymond is a ticking time bomb mental case.  Steph and Durant are both mental midgets.

I think they are beatable.

They are a 73 win team that came a minute away from being back-to-back champions and just added arguably the best basketball player alive.  Yeah - barring injury, they will own the league for the foreseeable future.

Well I for one will be laying a fairly large field bet this year.  I'll bookmark this so I can post my winning ticket in June, 2017.

[Bobshot]

Danny better have a plan B. I don't see it yet. Everybody is signing with the Spurs or the Warriors for chump change. And they are shedding players like confetti.

[BadNewsBarnes]

So with Golden State winning the next 10 championships, we might as well just wait it out.  Keep the picks. 

This kind of sums of the way I feel.  Unless we get blow away by some crazy offer let's keep the picks and see how things pan out.