In sports, the difference between a contender/bottom dweller is how the team is run. It's as simple as that. A team with a front office that cares will spend money on players, etc. These organization are run by the best and brightest in their selective fields. Team's that are run poorly will sit on their asses and just soak in the fan's money. Want an example? Ok on one side you have the Yankees on the other you have the Clippers. Different sports I know, but hear me out. The Yankees' care about winning. Yes they buy some of their players,but they do that because they care about winning and pleasing their fans. The Clippers, well they have Donald Sterling, need I say more? You can look through any sports and find connections to this trend. There is one exception to this rule. The exception, is the Boston Celtics.
I know what your thinking, wtf the Celtics win every year, their one of the best teams in the NBA. Let's play a little game. Let's say you, the reader, are a multi- billionaire. You and your partners own a franchise and name me your general manager. I then realize that i'm playing with house money. So in my first years I spend your hard earned money like crazy. One of my first moves is to trade a fan favorite away for a bunch of scrubs. All 3 who will be out of the league in a few years as the fan favorite goes on to win a championship with another team. I then draft wrong and draft several players that will be out of the league. I then spend your money on bench players/ cast offs from other teams. The team endures of of it's worst seasons in team history under my watch. The star player demands to be traded. A miracle then occurs. My best friend, who is the general manager of another team, wants to trade his best player basically for free. I leap at the chance. I also acquire another star. Everything is perfect, the team wins the championship, I get an extension. Life couldn't be any better. Two years later, the team loses in the championship series to our rival. One of our better players is hurt, we would of won if we had him. At least that's the statement I release to cover my ass. During the off season I let a key role player go and sign 2 older players. But hey i've convinced you and the fan base that I have a plan. We didn't need him anyways. He's a dime a dozen I say. These guys will fill this need. During the season, I then make the worst NBA trade in history. Trading a young stud for a man who can be classified as a "project" when he came into the league. This trade destroys team chemistry and weakens team moral. I don't seem to care, it'll all work out I say. I'm playing with house money. The best part is that i'm a legend in the community, so you can't fire me, no matter how many times I screw. I am untouchable. I am Danny Ainge.
Ask any Celtics observer, it hasn't worked out. The Danny Ainge era has been a failure. Yes, I know apologists will say that the Celtics have made the playoffs 5 out of 7 years that Ainge has been in charge. And people will call out, Harry, Danny is a good gm. He won a championship. Oh how a championship 3 years ago erases so many mistakes. Don't worry i'm here to remind you. Grab a seat this may take away. Let me take you back to 2003. A cocky Ainge stepped into the GM role. His first act as GM, besides yelling at senior citizen Jim O'Brien, was to trade Antoine Walker. Walker had become a cult hero in Boston and was adored by fans, sound familiar? Anyways Ainge dumped Walker because he thought Walker couldn't contribute, despite Toine and Pierce carrying a horrific Celtics team to the NBA finals a few years before. For Toine, Ainge got Jiri Welisch, Chris Mills, and Danny's Prize, Raef Lafrentz. All were out of the league a few years later, while Toine won a ring with the Heat. This trade would plant the seeds to further trade disasters. The next year he would sign " Grade A Stiff" Mark Blount to a $42- 6 year contract. Need I say more about this disaster. But Ainge's tenure is layered with bad mistakes like this. Over spending for players or even drafting players that wouldn't last in the NBA. Ainge likes to play with the Celtics house money. I could go on and on about some of the players he's drafted or signed that have been failures, but I won't.
Ainge's Mistakes: Just to name a few
Let's not forget the 2006-2007 season. The worst season in recent Celtics history. The same season in which Celtics fans started a "MVP" chant for Kobe Bryant in the GARDEN. Red turned over in his grave. The Celtics fans worse brown bags on their heads with "fire Ainge" written on the bags. Whatever happened to those guys. Maybe they were psychic and knew what Ainge would do in the future. It was during this year that AInge tried to ship superstar Paul Pierce around, in the the public, but couldn't find a trade he liked. This upset Pierce to no end, he even demanded to be traded from the only team he had ever played for. Something needed to change. Ainge was a desperate man, who only escaped firing because his name was Danny Ainge. Ainge then took advantage of the turmoil in Seattle, let's remember they were undergoing a change of direction, and acquired Ray Allen. He then called his best friend Kevin McHale, his team mate, long time friend, and destroyer of franchises. Kevin and Ainge orchestrated a plan to trade Al Jefferson and a bunch of scrubs to the Timberwolves for KG. Had this been any other GM, David Kahn excluded, they would have laughed in Ainge's face. But this was his bromance. So he got the deal. Here's where Celtics fans have selective memory loss. Wanna know who ainge's plan B was, if he couldn't get KG? Yi Jianlian. The same YI who would wind up a career reserve.
The 2008 season has blinded Celtics fans to Ainge's mistakes. After the 2009 season Ainge decided he didn't need playoff heroes, Sam Cassell or James Posey anymore. He traded Cassell for cheap. Posey was begging Ainge to re sign him, but Ainge mishandled the deal turning Posey off, who ended up signing with New Orleans. Let's not forget that Rondo was still raw and without Sam, the Celtics would have been in trouble in the playoffs. Yet Ainge rewarded him by trading him the following year. Who'd he get to replace Sam? Starberry. who provided the Celtics with no effort or stats. Ainge in 09 also dumped Leon Powe, you know the guy who left his ACL on the court for Boston during the first round series with the Bulls. The word loyalty means nothing to GM Ainge.
Then the 2010-2011 season came. This is where Ainge was truly exposed as a GM. He let Tony Allen walk to Memphis. Like James Posey, Tony wanted to come back to Boston, but Ainge once again mishandled the situation. It was so bad that even Paul Pierce came out and said he was angry about Tony Allen not coming back. Maybe Paul knew and we didn't listen. WE DIDN'T LISTEN! Instead Ainge after re signing Paul and Ray spent money on the old o neal crew, Shaq and Jermaine. Shaq, when he wasn't hurt played well. But the idea of signing these two was to act as a compliment to Perkins was he was back. No team would be able to compete with the Celtics when Perk was back. That's all we heard from Ainge this summer. Even Phil Jackson mocked it. But early in the year it looked to be true. The Celtics were rolling and Perk was coming back. Then Danny struck. He traded Perk and Nate away for Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic. Oh, but Danny boy wasn't done, he traded Luke Harangody and Erden, two solid bigs to Cleveland, too clear up cap space to sign Troy Murphy. The same Troy Murphy that hasn't played a single minute in the playoffs. Danny arrogantly ignored the impact this trade had on his team. It destroyed chemistry and killed Rondo. Go look at Rondo's stats post Perkins trade. Ainge said he wanted a perimeter guy to give Ray Allen and Paul Pierce a rest since Marques Daniels was hurt again. Here's a list of guys that are better then Jeff Green that were available, without trading Perkins.
I mean, if only players like Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, O.J. Mayo, Courtney Lee, Ronnie Brewer, Al Harrington (contract aside), Earl Clark, J.R. Smith, Renaldo Balkman, Mickael Pietrus, Shane Battier, or Tayshaun Prince were on the block. Oh wait—they all were. But Ainge continued to defend his moves saying the playoffs would show everyone he was right. In the first round he looked as if he would be vindicated. Then he ran into the Miami Heat who have taken a commanding 2-0 lead.
A confused Danny Ainge answering questions after Celtics Playoff loss
I'm not saying AInge should be fired over 1 move or even the moves he made in 2010. I'm saying he shouldn't have been hired in the first place.
Your Friend,
Harry P. Nolan
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