Celtic Stuff from Lowe's GS Piece

[Big333223]

Nothing groundbreaking but a little insight/confirmation about Ainge's thinking.

The whole piece on the Warriors' place in the league and their future is a good read.

"You know where your competition is," said Danny Ainge, the GM of the Boton Celtics, who chose to stand pat at the trade deadline when the Chicago Bulls demanded a king's ransom for Jimmy Butler. "The formula to become an elite team hasn't changed. What you're asking is if Golden State has changed things so that you have no chance."

Most teams don't have the luxury of even asking this question. Franchises in Charlotte and Memphis just have to be as good as they can be every season. The Celtics are different. They are straddling two paths as a 53-win team with a heap of extra draft picks, including the No. 1 pick this month and the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected pick next season.

The Toronto Raptors were in a similar situation when they flipped Terrence Ross and three draft picks -- including one first-rounder -- for Serge Ibaka and PJ Tucker. They went close to all-in, though without surrendering any asset nearly as valuable as those Brooklyn picks. Cleveland humiliated them in four games.

Ainge remembers feeling his 1986 champion Celtics would stay on top for years. The Detroit Pistons seized the Eastern Conference two years later.

"Something can happen that nobody foresees," Ainge said. "I don't look at it as doom and gloom right now."

Boston paid Al Horford the max last summer. He is 31. If Durant were still in Oklahoma City, Boston might burn more future assets to win today. But they are still going to try.

"We are definitely not in punt mode," Ainge said. "But trading away picks and promising young players for a veteran who might be 5 percent better is not in our plans, either."

There is always a super-team to chase. If this one is better than its predecessors, that doesn't mean everyone peels off that chase. "I like having targets in Cleveland and Golden State," Ainge said. "I like trying to meet their standards. It might not happen in a year. It might not happen in five years. WIth them, it might never happen. That's how special they are."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19591472/zach-lowe-golden-state-warriors-potential-dynasty-2017-nba-finals

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"I like having targets in Cleveland and Golden State," Ainge said. "I like trying to meet their standards. It might not happen in a year. It might not happen in five years. WIth them, it might never happen. That's how special they are."

This is my favorite part of this article. The league goes through different periods in terms of team building strategy. It's cyclical like everything in life.

Pistons '04 (Defense & Nasty)
Spurs '14, '07, '05 (Fundamentals)
Celtics/Heat/Cavs (Big 3)
Warriors (Big 4)

I'd like to see the Celtics re-invent the league into a new period of balance and unselfishness. Similar to the Spurs run. We're well on our way with the move DA has made both in terms of player and draft pick acquisition.

Love the direction of this franchise. Not many teams can feel good like us regarding how bright the future is...

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TP for the article find...

[chilidawg]

I wish more C's fans had Ainge's competitive spirit and didn't want to just give up because GS and Cleveland are good.