The disaster is Stevens & Ainge's fault

[Triplenickle]

Danny was interviewed on Toucher & Rich today and here's what he had to say:

“There’s blame to share for everybody,” Ainge said during his weekly radio appearance. “But I will say this. He’s the least, by far, of anybody that there is to blame because I know Brad is going to be prepared and I know Brad is putting in the work to do whatever he can to help this team and fix this team so that (blame) is the very bottom of the rung...I know that he takes more responsibility than anybody in my opinion as to the success and lack of success. He takes ownership of things he needs to do better and so anyway he’s the least of the problems that we have on our team right now.”

https://985thesportshub.com/episodes/toucher-and-rich-danny-ainge-says-blame-goes-from-top-to-bottom-hour-4/

I still blame CBS for his fail usage of TOs and lack of 3rd quarter adjustments. Stop shooting 3s.

Ainge also gets a fair share for not supplying this team with bigs. If Aron Baynes is providing a positive impact to the team, why didn't Ainge go after Enes Kanter or some other big like Robin Lopez or Joakim Noah.

Then there's the players and their mental and social incapacity killing this team.

Well he did...he  brought in moose.

To Brad and Danny a big is a big, what more do you whiners want? 

[Phantom255x]

Baynes proved to be a bit injury prone and they were never going to use Timelord regularly this season. Also, our system is one where we live by the 3 and die by it.

So we should have tried hard for a buyout big or sharpshooter. But we didn't grab anyone unless you consider Monroe that 

Could have had someone like Faried/Kanter, or acquired a sharpshooter, but we didn't while everyone else pretty much did.

No, Ainge doesn't deserve the primary blame but I still think he should have tried improving this team at the deadline through the buyout market. Either that, or Stevens has to change his scheme this summer because frankly, it's flawed when you consider the players we had.

Basically, either Ainge gets the right players for CBS system, or CBS adjusts his system for the strengths of our team as constructed. People hate Houston's system (as do I), but it works because Daryl Morey got guys who fit that system perfectly and surrounded Harden/CP3 with them.

[mr. dee]

Rozier and Morris should have been shopped together by November for someone like Vucevic.

Then by deadline Rozier should have been traded

That is Danny's fault.

rosier was shopped but ainge wanted a 1st from the suns. They only offered a protected 1st

That's Danny being greedy. Getting rid of Rozier alone is addition by subtraction. I would have accepted 2nd rounders because Rozier will leave either way and he's doing his best to sabotage his own value.

[Birdman]

Enes Katner would have help but with this system of shooting 3s almost all the time was a complete fail..esp with really no sharpshooter beside Irving beyond the 3

[zeitgeist49]

The three major culprits to this disaster are Stevens, Ainge and Irving. No one else is even remotely close. These three possessed by far the most experience and responsibility for the team's success. Stevens for his woefully inept offensive strategies ; his continued failure to make adjustments, especially in the third quarter; and failing to hold players accountable. Ainge for his single minded obsession with getting AD, without having a clue as to how this would play out. This adversely affected Tatum's play. And it precluded Ainge from getting valuable upgrades at the trade deadline, in stark contrast to other playoff teams. Ainge and Stevens treated Irving with kid gloves, steadfastly avoiding any confrontation, when Irving needed some form of accountability. Irving, for his off the court, egocentric antics, his failure to trust his team mates and his nightmarish last four games. 

[gouki88]

Enes Katner would have help but with this system of shooting 3s almost all the time was a complete fail..esp with really no sharpshooter beside Irving beyond the 3

He probably wouldn't have signed here because there was no guarantee of minues

[Bobshot]

Actually, it was the media's fault, more than Ainge, who was not in a position to trade for Davis. The Lakers provided all the heat, in their desperate attempt to trade for Davis  before the deadline. They wanted no part of competing with the Celtics for Davis.

All the mediatalk had the Celtics wanting Davis after the season. Perhaps Ainge leaked his wishes to the media--we don't know. But he wouldn't have mentioned his own players. That was either leaked by NO or created by the media. It was logical that Tatum and/or Brown would be part of a deal post season.

Tatum, Brown, Rozier and the rest couldn't help seeing this stuff, and as 20 yo kids, it affected their motivation. After all, they had led the team down the stretch to the East finals--even though they flopped the last game in that shocking loss at home to the Cavs.

The other key factor was the decision to start Hayward out of nowhere, with hardly any pre-season indication. No doubt with Ainge's appoval. My first thought was they are playing the money--standard procedure these days. The Red Sox do it, too. I questioned Stevens' pre-season  at the time, focussing on 14th and 15th player cuts rather than the starting rotation. A sign, perhaps, that the starters were preconceived by he and Ainge.

So now they are in a real pickle. Ainge (I hope he's healthy--haven't seen a word about him in the media) now has to pick up the pieces.  He can't really get better without Davis, and he needs Irving to lure Davis. He has the pieces to get Davis, but more importantly, the coach has to use Davis to fill their needs up front. In the paint. Not the perimeter. Ainge also has to get more NBA experience on the coaching staff and the front office.  The media is saying there is too much Butler presence.

And, oh yeah, there's another wild card in the picture. Durant. What's he going to do?  Chances are he stays  with the Warriors, but his next choice back a few years was the Celtics. If Irving or Horford leaves (doubt he will), they might have cap space for him.  But Stevens may have lost his luster with veteran players.

[Bobshot]

Baynes proved to be a bit injury prone and they were never going to use Timelord regularly this season. Also, our system is one where we live by the 3 and die by it.

So we should have tried hard for a buyout big or sharpshooter. But we didn't grab anyone unless you consider Monroe that 

Could have had someone like Faried/Kanter, or acquired a sharpshooter, but we didn't while everyone else pretty much did.

No, Ainge doesn't deserve the primary blame but I still think he should have tried improving this team at the deadline through the buyout market. Either that, or Stevens has to change his scheme this summer because frankly, it's flawed when you consider the players we had.

Basically, either Ainge gets the right players for CBS system, or CBS adjusts his system for the strengths of our team as constructed. People hate Houston's system (as do I), but it works because Daryl Morey got guys who fit that system perfectly and surrounded Harden/CP3 with them.

I agree. Houston's 3P system works because they have 3P sharpshooters. They also have Capela, an excellent offensive rebounder  and shotblocker, for the inside.  Much more balanced than the Celtics, who have one 3P sharp shooter, Irving. Tatum could be another, but he didn't show that much this year. And they have no inside game. The Celtics don't have the personnel for Stevens' 3P system.  They lose if they shoot less than 40% on 3s.

[Green-18]

Actually, it was the media's fault, more than Ainge, who was not in a position to trade for Davis. The Lakers provided all the heat, in their desperate attempt to trade for Davis  before the deadline. They wanted no part of competing with the Celtics for Davis.

All the mediatalk had the Celtics wanting Davis after the season. Perhaps Ainge leaked his wishes to the media--we don't know. But he wouldn't have mentioned his own players. That was either leaked by NO or created by the media. It was logical that Tatum and/or Brown would be part of a deal post season.

Tatum, Brown, Rozier and the rest couldn't help seeing this stuff, and as 20 yo kids, it affected their motivation. After all, they had led the team down the stretch to the East finals--even though they flopped the last game in that shocking loss at home to the Cavs.

The other key factor was the decision to start Hayward out of nowhere, with hardly any pre-season indication. No doubt with Ainge's appoval. My first thought was they are playing the money--standard procedure these days. The Red Sox do it, too. I questioned Stevens' pre-season  at the time, focussing on 14th and 15th player cuts rather than the starting rotation. A sign, perhaps, that the starters were preconceived by he and Ainge.

So now they are in a real pickle. Ainge (I hope he's healthy--haven't seen a word about him in the media) now has to pick up the pieces.  He can't really get better without Davis, and he needs Irving to lure Davis. He has the pieces to get Davis, but more importantly, the coach has to use Davis to fill their needs up front. In the paint. Not the perimeter. Ainge also has to get more NBA experience on the coaching staff and the front office.  The media is saying there is too much Butler presence.

And, oh yeah, there's another wild card in the picture. Durant. What's he going to do?  Chances are he stays  with the Warriors, but his next choice back a few years was the Celtics. If Irving or Horford leaves (doubt he will), they might have cap space for him.  But Stevens may have lost his luster with veteran players.

TP! Not enough people are talking about how much the Davis trade rumors could have impacted the young guys.  It very well could have been the tipping point for the entire team.  It's much more difficult to persevere through chemistry issues if you're unsure about long term stability.

[Kuberski33]

Actually, it was the media's fault, more than Ainge, who was not in a position to trade for Davis. The Lakers provided all the heat, in their desperate attempt to trade for Davis  before the deadline. They wanted no part of competing with the Celtics for Davis.

All the mediatalk had the Celtics wanting Davis after the season. Perhaps Ainge leaked his wishes to the media--we don't know. But he wouldn't have mentioned his own players. That was either leaked by NO or created by the media. It was logical that Tatum and/or Brown would be part of a deal post season.

Tatum, Brown, Rozier and the rest couldn't help seeing this stuff, and as 20 yo kids, it affected their motivation. After all, they had led the team down the stretch to the East finals--even though they flopped the last game in that shocking loss at home to the Cavs.

The other key factor was the decision to start Hayward out of nowhere, with hardly any pre-season indication. No doubt with Ainge's appoval. My first thought was they are playing the money--standard procedure these days. The Red Sox do it, too. I questioned Stevens' pre-season  at the time, focussing on 14th and 15th player cuts rather than the starting rotation. A sign, perhaps, that the starters were preconceived by he and Ainge.

So now they are in a real pickle. Ainge (I hope he's healthy--haven't seen a word about him in the media) now has to pick up the pieces.  He can't really get better without Davis, and he needs Irving to lure Davis. He has the pieces to get Davis, but more importantly, the coach has to use Davis to fill their needs up front. In the paint. Not the perimeter. Ainge also has to get more NBA experience on the coaching staff and the front office.  The media is saying there is too much Butler presence.

And, oh yeah, there's another wild card in the picture. Durant. What's he going to do?  Chances are he stays  with the Warriors, but his next choice back a few years was the Celtics. If Irving or Horford leaves (doubt he will), they might have cap space for him.  But Stevens may have lost his luster with veteran players.

TP! Not enough people are talking about how much the Davis trade rumors could have impacted the young guys.  It very well could have been the tipping point for the entire team.  It's much more difficult to persevere through chemistry issues if you're unsure about long term stability.

Some solid points.  Regarding all the expectations, I would add that there are no guarantees in sports.  Sometimes teams that look great on paper just don't work for reasons not at all apparent when roster decisions were made. 

When Danny assembled this team, it looked like an A+, but it just didn't work.  And along the way (my opinion only) his coach's shortcomings got exposed along with those of several others in the organization.
Tatum, Irving, Rozier, Morris, and Ainge himself and others all saw their reputations eroded in various ways.

All you can do from here is try to fix it. And circumstances may dictate taking a couple of steps back - and not contending next season. Much of where they go from here is not entirely in Ainge's or ownerships hands.  And go back to before the Kyrie trade.  What if they had kept IT?  How would that have worked out?

As a certain football coach in town would say - 'it is what it is'.

[Moranis]

Actually, it was the media's fault, more than Ainge, who was not in a position to trade for Davis. The Lakers provided all the heat, in their desperate attempt to trade for Davis  before the deadline. They wanted no part of competing with the Celtics for Davis.

All the mediatalk had the Celtics wanting Davis after the season. Perhaps Ainge leaked his wishes to the media--we don't know. But he wouldn't have mentioned his own players. That was either leaked by NO or created by the media. It was logical that Tatum and/or Brown would be part of a deal post season.

Tatum, Brown, Rozier and the rest couldn't help seeing this stuff, and as 20 yo kids, it affected their motivation. After all, they had led the team down the stretch to the East finals--even though they flopped the last game in that shocking loss at home to the Cavs.

The other key factor was the decision to start Hayward out of nowhere, with hardly any pre-season indication. No doubt with Ainge's appoval. My first thought was they are playing the money--standard procedure these days. The Red Sox do it, too. I questioned Stevens' pre-season  at the time, focussing on 14th and 15th player cuts rather than the starting rotation. A sign, perhaps, that the starters were preconceived by he and Ainge.

So now they are in a real pickle. Ainge (I hope he's healthy--haven't seen a word about him in the media) now has to pick up the pieces.  He can't really get better without Davis, and he needs Irving to lure Davis. He has the pieces to get Davis, but more importantly, the coach has to use Davis to fill their needs up front. In the paint. Not the perimeter. Ainge also has to get more NBA experience on the coaching staff and the front office.  The media is saying there is too much Butler presence.

And, oh yeah, there's another wild card in the picture. Durant. What's he going to do?  Chances are he stays  with the Warriors, but his next choice back a few years was the Celtics. If Irving or Horford leaves (doubt he will), they might have cap space for him.  But Stevens may have lost his luster with veteran players.

TP! Not enough people are talking about how much the Davis trade rumors could have impacted the young guys.  It very well could have been the tipping point for the entire team.  It's much more difficult to persevere through chemistry issues if you're unsure about long term stability.

young guys played just fine though.