Kudos to Ainge and the FO

[Wretch]

Long time lurker infrequent poster but i felt the need to comment.

Cleveland is obviously the class of the East but to build a team this good with only 2 players that are top 10 picks is pretty incredible. I know there were missed opportunities in the draft with the Greek Freak, etc., but DA and the FO staff are an impressive group. It's all the more impressive when you consider the team will have a top 4 pick and the opportunity to sign a max free agent. 

Regardless of the outcome of this PO series, well done.

[ManUp]

Absolutely right.

4 years after blowing up the big 3 we are right back in the fray of the eastern conference.

If you look at the big picture of things and stop nit picking Ainge has done a ridiculously amazing job.

[fairweatherfan]

Yup, and we lose sight of this a lot in fretting about the next challenge. During this rebuild the front office have played their hand incredibly well, better than anyone could've hoped for. We still need to make those next two strides to contender and champion, but it's amazing what we've accomplished while still being set up for the future.

[Moranis]

Horford, Smart, and Brown are all top 6 picks. Horford and Brown were both top 3 picks.

[WMark]

Horford, Smart, and Brown are all top 6 picks. Horford and Brown were both top 3 picks.

The FO should be recognized for finding so many players who were chosen outside the lottery, like Rozier, IT and Crowder, who became rotation players and in IT's case, an MVP candidate.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Long time lurker infrequent poster but i felt the need to comment.

Cleveland is obviously the class of the East but to build a team this good with only 2 players that are top 10 picks is pretty incredible. I know there were missed opportunities in the draft with the Greek Freak, etc., but DA and the FO staff are an impressive group. It's all the more impressive when you consider the team will have a top 4 pick and the opportunity to sign a max free agent. 

Regardless of the outcome of this PO series, well done.

there is a reason DA is the 4th best ranked GM in the association.  we all said after 2013 we are staring down the barrel of a possible 5 year rebuild. we are in year 4. making great progress. might take 3 more years to load this team up to be good enough to beat lebron. people have to continue to be patient. It is tough but it beats 22 years in NBA hell.

[Rakulp]

People tend to forget that every GM at one time or another can be criticized for not drafting "Superstar A" or "Great Player B".  Being the GM is a lot more than playing NBA 2K.

I believe that Ainge has done a very respectable job in getting us to this point.  Combined with a great coach and players playing at or over their potential, this team is one win away from meeting the Cavs in the East Finals! 

Here's hoping Danny sticks to his plans and doesn't get distracted by any other "shiny" trade possibilities that go against that plan.  Organize the team YOU want Danny!

Rak

[celticinorlando]

Cleveland has the oldest roster in the NBA. They are cap strapped and will have to make decisions. Danny with the high picks is positioning Boston the outlast the Cavs in the east. Boston's window is just now being unlocked.

[Ilikesports17]

Cleveland has the oldest roster in the NBA. They are cap strapped and will have to make decisions. Danny with the high picks is positioning Boston the outlast the Cavs in the east. Boston's window is just now being unlocked.

Lebron James is so Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.n good tho.

[Diggles]

100%

So many poster on here are eating their words.    How many teams in the NBA have a better record then our GM Ainge since he took over?   It would be nice to see. 

So many other GMS overlooked the Greek Freak too.    Putting your money into another human is always a risk.    I feel the players we drafted only let themselves down.  They all were set up for success.    They didn't work for it.   But thats the name of the game....  NBA is the tip top of the profession.....sometimes you are over matched and overworked.....

Props to the game and all its players and fans.... NBA is fun to watch. 

[JohnBoy65]

I think if you look at teams that were relevant at one point, then look at their blow up point, and look at where they are now, it's astonishing. Compare them to what we've done and you get such an admiration for what our team and GM has done.


Lakers: 2012 was their last year of 'relevance'. Dwight gone, Nash Gone, and now it's 2017 and there is no path on the horizon to success.

Magic:  2011 last year of relevance. They've been nothing since that year.


Jazz: Dwill leaves in 2011, they're awful until recently.


Nuggets: Melo gets traded in '11, they've been nothing since.


Suns: Haven't really been the same since Amare left in '10. Not much of a path forward.


We blow it up in 2013, and here we are a win a way from the conference Semis with a chance to beat the Cavs. A small one, but at least it's a chance.

We could still be winning 25-32 games. It's amazing what our FO has done.

[aingeforthree]

Long time lurker infrequent poster but i felt the need to comment.

Cleveland is obviously the class of the East but to build a team this good with only 2 players that are top 10 picks is pretty incredible. I know there were missed opportunities in the draft with the Greek Freak, etc., but DA and the FO staff are an impressive group. It's all the more impressive when you consider the team will have a top 4 pick and the opportunity to sign a max free agent. 

Regardless of the outcome of this PO series, well done.

It's downright crazy, unheard of, isn't it ? I've never seen a good team setup so perfectly.

The draft is a crap shoot. Greek Freak or not, smart scouts & GM's miss every year with top 5 picks even. No exact science here. What I like about Ainge is that he tries and gets  "at bats" during the draft. If you have a lot of picks, you're bound to hit on one.

Coach Brad Stevens, Brown, Rozier, Bradley, Olynyk, Smart.....Ainge hand picked his coach & drafted all the others who have been key players in all of this. That's freaky in itself.

Now, he's setup to add to it all.

I feel like he's getting Griffin in free agency, & not Hayward (back with Jazz). On top of that, he's adding a top 4 pick to boot & developing him the right way.

Crazy setup.

IT4
Bradley
Crowder
Griffin
Horford

[mqtcelticsfan]

I think one thing that gets overlooked with how quickly we've rebuilt is that we didn't go for a quick fix. We have traded no core pieces or premium draft picks to get to where we are since the Pierce/Garnett trade. We ultimately used a trade exception to get our best player, and traded an expiring, value depressed Rondo for another starting piece. This was the first year we went into Free Agency and spent money. By any measure, we have no business being this good except for Danny and the FO making great decisions.

[The One]

I think they've done a wonderful job!

And since the draft can be such a crapshoot...I give more weight to the trades that are completed.

And in the trades department, Ainge and his crew have killed it!...A++

[A Future of Stevens]

Horford, Smart, and Brown are all top 6 picks. Horford and Brown were both top 3 picks.

When I talk about draft slots for GMs (me personally, not OP obviously,) I tend to look at the picks they made. Kind of like I wouldn't count Horford's success for the Celtics as part of their drafting acumen. Same with IT. Those are lumped in for FA discussions and trades for me.

So in effect, this current roster was built with 2 top 10 picks, and tons of savvy moves in trading and FA.