Let’s get this confession out of the way – I’m not the world’s biggest basketball fan. I enjoy the occasional game on TV, will watch playoff games, and root for the Celtics because of lots of fond Larry Bird memories. However, I’m not the person to ask for a detailed breakdown of any particular team or scheme. Bob Ryan has forgotten more about basketball on a given Saturday afternoon than I’ll ever know about the game.
That being said, I’m completely convinced that not only is Danny Ainge a poor general manager, but he is a complete nincompoop as well.
Why else would be fully engaged in his third annual “Desperately Trying To Trade Rajon Rondo” Sweepstakes in 2011? Every year, Rondo seems to get better. Every year Danny Ainge tries harder to get him off the team. It’s like some sort of passive-aggressive vendetta. Did Rondo run over his dog during his rookie year or something? What gives?
For those willing to cite his lack of a consistent jumper and clutch scoring – save it. You’re describing the perfect point guard, which would be nice… if they existed. In every sport, every single player has faults – it’s the GM’s job to use strengths of one player to mask the weaknesses of another. Coach up what you can, hide what you can’t. Maybe he isn’t the top guy in the league – but he’s in the upper echelon, he’s young, he’s under contract for a reasonable amount of money, and mostly importantly, he’s had success in the pressure cooker that is Boston.
Why trade away a young player whom you can build around to support an aging cast of veterans who are for the most part over the hill and won’t be playing at all in another year or two? If Ainge was really that interested in winning a championship NOW, then he wouldn’t have traded Kendrick Perkins in what was really the last season of Boston’s current championship window. Perkins was playing for a new contract somewhere, the Celtics needed a big man, and they had no realistic alternative to replace him. Ah, but that would be asking for some type of consistency from Danny Dumbbell, which is a ridiculous expectation in itself.
Is it blasphemy to say these things about the GM who brought the Celtics to their 17th championship? No, because the man got lucky. Bringing Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett together was a Hail Mary to save his job and keep Paul Pierce happy enough to stay in Boston – and it worked out better than could’ve been realistically expected. No one could’ve imagined that Ray Allen had this much tread left on his tires and Danny was lucky enough that Kevin McHale was an even worse GM than himself to accept Al Jefferson and an expired Dunkin Donuts gift card for KG. Throw in drafting Rondo in the first place and you’re looking at the 3 really good moves that Ainge has made during his 8 years working for the Celtics. Not exactly the most impressive track record.
Luckily, it appears that Ainge will be saved from himself by the object of his desires, Chris Paul. Seems that even if the Celts could swing a deal for Paul that involved Rondo package deal, Paul wouldn’t sign an extension with the team – meaning that he’d be a very costly one year rental.
Maybe it’s all about motivating Rondo to get better. Maybe it’s Danny being a complete hammerhead. Both are possibilities, but I’d probably lay my money on option #2.