Austin Ainge: Celtics have No. 3 pick down to ‘three or four guys’

WEEI

By Mike Petraglia

Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge speaks to reporters in Waltham. (Mike Petraglia/WEEI.com)

WALTHAM – If the Celtics hold onto their first first-round pick, they have a pretty good idea of what they’re going to do.

Austin Ainge, director of player personnel, acknowledged Saturday during pre-draft workouts that they have a good sense of the players they want to pick. He just wouldn’t identify them.

The obvious candidates are Buddy Hield, Dragan Bender and Kris Dunn, with maybe a Jamal Murray or Jaylen Brown getting some attention in discussions in the war room.

“We’ve been narrowing at this point. We have them in groups more than specific (players). Maybe for our first pick we have it narrowed to these three or four guys, the second group a little bigger – eight or 10, because you don’t know whose going to be there. You do your best at guessing and debating the groups,” Ainge said.

Ainge said Saturday that he hasn’t heard from Dunn’s camp as to when or if the Celtics will get a chance to see the two-time Big East defensive player of the year in person or what may come of Tuesday’s private (closed to media) get-together with Bender.

Identifying what the Celtics are going to do with their picks at No. 16 and 23 is a lot trickier because, as Ainge pointed out Saturday, not even the Celtics are sure what they’re going to do.

“It’s hard to guess what other teams are going to do, especially after the first couple of picks,” Ainge said. “It gets harder. All the media reports and discussions we’ve had with other teams, we still don’t know how the draft is going to go. Other teams [don’t know]. For instance, we don’t know who we’re going to take at 16, so how can I anticipate what another team is going to do? So these things are hard. So, you’ve just got to take the player you like the most and not outsmart yourself.

“Historically, those assumptions get proven wrong all the time. So, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I think last year was a case of that. There’s always surprises. We’re doing this all the time. How are you feeling? Let’s write it up. Let’s go to 20 names today, or 50 names, or 100 names, 10 names. We do those exercises all the time. It happens a lot.

“There are those types of discussions. Sometimes you do overall, sometimes you do by position. We’ll do guys that have certain skill sets – try to break ties. We were all in the office watching video late last night. Talking about it, trying to figure it out.”

The tie-breaker? Well, naturally it’s Danny Ainge, who has stockpiled three picks in the first round and five more in the second.

“For every pick range there’s guys we’re fighting between and trying to figure it out. We have a lot of picks,” Austin Ainge said.

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From the sound of it this list does NOT include Simmons or Ingram.  If it did then it would be really a 2-man list at most since they will probably be gone by 3.

If it's 3-4 guys PLUS those two then they've only cut the list in half from the original 7-8.  Not that good considering how many weeks they've been working on this.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the 4th guy is Dragan Bender. They've seen him several times, they've scouted him extensively in Europe they just haven't had him in for a personal workout yet. The fact that they asked for one says he is still on the list. The fact that we are the last team he is working out for means mothing, IMO. The draft is in NY, so it makes sense to start his workouts out west and make his way east and finish 6/21 in Boston. He leaves Boston 6/22, is in NY that night and the next day is draft day.

Only 5 more days for them to make a choice.


bob


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I think they know exactly who they want at 3. I don't know who it is, but I'm guessing the Bender workout is more gamesmanship by Ainge than anything.

It's in Danny's interest to say they are still strongly considering 3-4 different guys at this late stage, because that's what will prod other teams into offering decent trades to move up for their guy.

arambone wrote:I think they know exactly who they want at 3. I don't know who it is, but I'm guessing the Bender workout is more gamesmanship by Ainge than anything.

It's in Danny's interest to say they are still strongly considering 3-4 different guys at this late stage, because that's what will prod other teams into offering decent trades to move up for their guy.

I agree.

Dunn! That is who. He is elite defender guard.........Danny then can move other guards who are in demand.

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And, just think about how many other hours they all spend discussing possible guys to trade for?

Busy time of the year

Draft 3 PG's in a row.  Not likely plus Dunn still has not worked out for Boston.

I think Philly takes Simmons.  Lakers take Ingram and Boston drafts Brown and then picks up another shooter later in the first round.

DA is hot to get a SF.  Last year he tried to sell his soul but the devil said no.  This year he gets to draft anyone other than Simmons and Ingram.  What a great spot to be in.

Would I take Brown?  Absolutely not.

Dboss

dboss wrote:Draft 3 PG's in a row.  Not likely plus Dunn still has not worked out for Boston.

I think Philly takes Simmons.  Lakers take Ingram and Boston drafts Brown and then picks up another shooter later in the first round.

DA is hot to get a SF.  Last year he tried to sell his soul but the devil said no.  This year he gets to draft anyone other than Simmons and Ingram.  What a great spot to be in.

Would I take Brown?  Absolutely not.

Dboss

dboss,

Dunn hasn't worked out, so that's not making it look good ESPECIALLY since he has had some medical issues and Danny would want HIS doctors to examine him.

However, I don't think drafting Marcus Smart 2 years ago and Terry Rozier last year would prevent him from drafting Dunn this year. Teams have expressed interest in Rozier. They'd also love to get their hands on Bradley or Smart. Smart was drafted as a point guard, but we've all seen he isn't.

Danny's concept of falling in love with a player is like mine was with women when I was in my teens. It lasts about that long.


bob


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We have IT.

So that would give us 4 PG if Dunn was drafted.

Danny loves everybody including Raymond

Dboss

dboss wrote:We have IT.

So that would give us 4 PG if Dunn was drafted.

Danny loves everybody including Raymond

Dboss

dboss,

Yeah, right up to the moment he trades them.


bob


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