Ainge's Goal: Get to the Playoffs

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Post by bobheckler Fri Feb 22, 2013 7:48 pm


Ainge's goal: 'Get to the playoffs'
February, 22, 2013
Feb 225:31PM ET
By Greg Payne | ESPNBoston.com

Quick hits following Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge's appearance on Boston sports radio WEEI (93.7 FM) on Friday:

On whether the Celtics can win a championship this season: "Things would have to fall our way. Right now we're trying to get to the playoffs and (trying) to get healthy and (trying) to get to the playoffs and see what we can do."

On why he didn't trade Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce prior to the trade deadline: "Because I really like those guys. I like Kevin and I like Paul a lot, and I didn't want to move them, and there wasn't any dictation to move them."

On whether he came close to any major moves involving Garnett: "Well, I think that's a tough thing to get into. I think it compromises the integrity of my relationship with people on other teams, so I won't go there. But, suffice it to say, I never talked with Kevin, and so there was never going to be a deal if Kevin doesn't approve it."

On why Garnett was maintaining his desire to remain in Boston prior to the deadline: "Because people asked him those questions. That's why he said it publicly and (it started) two weeks before the trade deadline. There's rumors, there's things that come up all the time. So, people just start asking the question and KG answered it in a way that -- that's why we love KG. KG is loyal. KG is that way. KG said he wasn't coming to Boston, he wanted to stay in Minnesota. Things weren't going so great in Minnesota, but he remained loyal to them, which is why he was hurt when things went down. It took him a long time to get over those things, so that's KG. I mean, one thing you have to say about him is he's very loyal, and right now he bleeds green and he's a huge, huge influence on the young development of our players. On top of being our best player, he has a huge impact on those in our locker room."

On what the goal of the Jordan Crawford deal is: "We're looking to replace (Leandro) Barbosa's scoring punch off the bench. Barbosa was a terrific player for us. We knew that he was going to play a role before the year was out. We didn't know it was going to take a Rondo injury for him to sort of get an opportunity to play consistent minutes. But we feel like we need a scoring punch off the bench."

On whether Crawford has confidence issues or has a poor shot selection: "I think it's a combination. What happens with a lot of players on losing teams is when players that need to be the fifth-best offensive player or the fourth-best offensive player are forced into playing that number one or number two spot, they're forced into taking more shots than a lot of players around the league who are inefficient offensive players. They're forced into a role they're incapable of being. So I think that his shot selection will get better."

On resisting the urge to be aggressive for the sake of being aggressive around the deadline: "So, going into every offseason we sort of draw a line in the sand of places we won't go, so you don't get caught in the chase. You logically think through the available players that you might do, so you logically think through what's best for the franchise in the short term and the long term. You always try to manage both and there's places you won't go. You try to identify the draft this upcoming year as best you can, and it's very difficult to do that for the upcoming years and so forth, and you sort of hold true to where you need to be and where you won't go."



bob



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Post by worcester Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:15 pm

I trust Danny's judgment implicitly. Yes he's made mistakes (Perk) but overall he's been very savvy and we've maintained elite status since 2007 - not easy to do.
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Post by steve3344 Fri Feb 22, 2013 10:21 pm

worcester wrote:I trust Danny's judgment implicitly. Yes he's made mistakes (Perk) but overall he's been very savvy and we've maintained elite status since 2007 - not easy to do.

Agree we should trust Danny but at 28-26, struggling to hang onto the seventh slot in the East playoff race and with a negative point differential on the season we're hardly elite anymore. Elite is the top four to six teams in the league and we know who they are. It ain't us.

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Post by worcester Fri Feb 22, 2013 10:25 pm

Well we're also missing Rondo, Barbosa, and Sully, and that's not just grounds for an indictment of Danny's judgment.
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Post by NYCelt Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:42 am

worcester wrote:I trust Danny's judgment implicitly. Yes he's made mistakes (Perk) but overall he's been very savvy and we've maintained elite status since 2007 - not easy to do.

W -

Sometimes I wonder if trading Perk was a mistake at all. Green looks like an important part of our future and Perk seems to be getting closer to the out door in OKC. Perk did play well last night, but they usually slide Ibaka over and bring Collison in at PF and really limit Perks minutes. Lately Thabeet has been getting some of Perks minutes too, and although we all know how unreliable trade rumors are OKC was supposedly in the hunt for Gortat. Perk was great in combination with KG, letting KG roam out to the perimeter, but seems pretty ordinary on the OKC roster. Tough call.

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Post by mulcogiseng Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:18 am

Right On! NY Celt,

We all got caught up in the emotions of the time. But I wasn't sorry to see stone hands go. Perk is way kewl but he has never been an elite center. We have an elite center now. See the difference?

Right, Worcester, and at 8-3 or whatever it is, we aren't exactly struggling.
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Post by dboss Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:22 am

NYCelt

I think trading Perk when they did was definitely a mistake. They have said so themselves.

I think getting Green was also a great move provided they also went out and got another big. So getting a quality center is what we need and so far we have gone through several and none have been capable of replacing what Perk brought to the table.

Green has really been playing well. So far through 10 games in February, Jeff is averaging 16.7 PPG while shooting .553 from the field, .500 on 3's and .872 from the line, 4.4 RPG and 2 blocks.

There is no need to further speculate about where he is in the pecking order. He has done this while only averaging 10.3 shots per game. It is time to reign in Paul Pierce a bit and get the ball to Jeff.

I thnik the Celtics have rebuilt on the fly and just need to add one more piece. I hoped that melo could be that piece but it is very difficult to gauge his projected contributions at this time. More than anything he needs repetition.

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Post by Outside Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:08 pm

The Perk trade, which happened two years ago tomorrow, had both short-term and long-term implications.

From a short-term perspective, the trade was a bust. They were 41-14 that season before the trade, 15-12 after, and lost in the second round to Miami. There's no telling what would've happened that season if Perk had stayed, but that doesn't look like short-term success.

The problem with judging the trade over the long term is that it's a bigger unknown and it takes a long time to fully assess it. Krstic wound up playing overseas due to the lockout, but if the stupid lockout hadn't happened and Krstic was still here, he'd be a valuable player on a team lacking bigs. Add Krstic's departure with Green being out for a year with his aortic aneurysm, and it was easy for many fans to say that it was a long-term bust, too.

But long-term is years, not months, and now, two years down the road, even with Krstic gone, it's looking like a good deal from that perspective.

Let's look at the actual deal:

• Boston sent Perk and Nate Robinson to OKC.

• OKC sent Green, Krstic, a first-round pick that became Fab Melo, and cash to Boston.

Would you do that deal today? I think the answer would overwhelmingly be yes. The biggest reason to not do the trade now would be loyalty to Perk, a fan and team favorite. It wouldn't be Perk's current and potential future performance, because his numbers are down (4.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.5 assists in 25 minutes per game) and in his 10th season, this is what he is and he's not going to blossom into anything more. From an objective standpoint, you could say that Nate Robinson (11.9 points, 4.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 23 minutes per game) has had a better year than Perk, and little Nate was a throw-in to the deal in 2011.

A trade like this is a tough call. If they hadn't done the deal, they would've had a much better shot at a title in 2010-11, though there are no guarantees. But now, they'd not only have a declining KG and Pierce, they'd also have a declining Perk, and they wouldn't have an emerging and improving Jeff Green. Green is only two years younger than Perk (26 vs. 28), but his career is on a totally different trajectory. If they hadn't done the deal, the second biggest cornerstone for the future after Rondo would not be here, and they wouldn't have a potential future rotation player in Melo, either. The future would look much less rosy.

The short-term results of the trade were bad and loyalty to Perk still runs deep, so I respect those who think that they shouldn't have done the trade. But I fall in with those who think saying yes to the deal was the right move.
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Post by worcester Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:31 pm

Outside, i fully concur. Short term trading Perk was a bust - long term a good deal. The NBA lockout and Kristic departing were events unforeseeable by Danny. However had Perk been with us the season he was traded we may well have beaten Miami then Dallas for #18. All in all, Danny is a damn good GM, and we're lucky to have him envisioning the Celts future.
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Post by swish Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:04 pm

It sure is easy to look back and point out what went wrong. But lets look back at the 2010-11 season in real time. Until he went down with an injury(Feb 2nd) Shaq was our center and the team had a 27-9 record. He came back for 1 game in april which they won. That made the team record with Shaq 28-9. for a 75.7 winning percent. Thats outstanding.
Perk came back from his injury and before being traded played 12 games,winning 8 of 12 games for a very good 66.7%.
Without either Perk or Shaq the team struggled to a 15-12 record - 55.6%. At the time of the trade Shaqs injury was not considered to be serious and his return was pretty much on a day to day basis. So based on Medical Staff reports Danny made the deal. As it turned out Shaqs career, other than a game in april, ended in early February. Sometimes things just don't go as planed.
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Post by gyso Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:35 pm

I agree with Outside, long-term has not happened yet, in regards to the Perk trade.

We can still sign Krstic for next season or even later. We own Bird rights on him and those do not expire. That means we can sign him without using one of the other exceptions used on free agents.

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Post by Sam Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:57 pm

Swish,

Moreover, at the time of the trade, many people considered Perk to be potentially damaged goods, and there was absolutely no certainty that he would play, or at least be as effective, down the stretch.

I recall Krstic grabbing six (6) offensive rebounds in his first game as a Celtic, and the prospects seemed brighter than possibly having a roster spot occupied by yet another non-contributor (Perk) plus the prospect of losing Perk in return for nothing in the off-season.

It's not as if the Celtics got rid of Perk for nothing, as we're now seeing. It's entirely possible that we now have the heir apparent to a long-time Celtics mainstay and captain....someone who is actually a catalyst for the Celtics offense rather than bogging it down as Perk often did.....someone who is potentially a defensive stopper at the wing position, which is arguably the strongest position in today's NBA.....someone who has the versatility to play two positions well.

I'll never understand how people can castigate Danny in hindsight when Danny actually has to operate in the moment. That's Monday Morning Quarterbacking at its faultiest.

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Post by swish Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:39 pm


Sam

Regarding your last 2 sentences. The answer is quite simple. It gives every would be amateur sports general manager in the world the opportunity to change a losing situation into a win. Its a great way to out smart the pros.
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Post by Sam Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:57 pm

Swish,

I guess that's the reason why fantasy leagues have the same appeal to me as Monday morning quarterbacking....absolutely none. But I do understand the appeal they have to others. To each his/her own.

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Post by Sam Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:59 pm

Hey Swish, I believe you're in the Boston area. Any chance you might be able to make our party on March 16th (and, for some, morning of the 17th)?

You and I could use one another to keep us upright.

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Post by worcester Sat Feb 23, 2013 7:22 pm

Swish, Thanks for such an enlightening analysis. You and Sam are right on. Like Caesar, Danny deserves to be praised, not buried.

I sure hope you can come to the Saturday chow down and game. W
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Post by swish Sat Feb 23, 2013 7:57 pm

Sam
I live in North Attleboro Sam. Thats only about 30 miles southwest of Boston on route 95. I would love to attend so that I could really get involved in Celtic talk with the gang but my mobility is severely hampered to the point where getting around is quite a task. I could talk for days non stop about the Celts but because of very limited typing skills I don't get to offer my thoughts on line as much as I would like to. So with my 81st birthday less than 60 days away my proping up days are over. Your on your own Sam.
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Post by worcester Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:05 pm

Keep on typing when you can Swish. Your perspectives are invaluable.
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Post by Sam Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:41 pm

Swish,

I understand mobility problems because I have them myself. Thank God for handicapped placards.

Your insights are always interesting, and I am especially in admiration of your information on the financial aspects of the game.

I wish there were some voice recognition typing mechanism that could ease the way for you in terms of the keyboard. It wouldn't work for me because I'm so constantly editing and revising what I post that the machine would have a nervous breakdown.

We'll have a drink for you.

I used to travel to North Attleboro for my Army Reserve meetings when I lived in Sharon.

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Post by mulcogiseng Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:54 pm

Sam,
I just have to compliment you yet once again, for giving voice to my thoughts, in such a better manner than I can. It can be so difficult for me to comprehend the viewpoints of many younger fans. But as you have taught me, I just have to respect their opinions. I'm sure you can remember when that wasn't so. Twisted Evil
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Post by dboss Sun Feb 24, 2013 12:14 pm

There appears to be a measure of revisionist history going on here.

The Perk trade was not a good decision, at the time, because it disrupted the team chemistry.

Do we not remember Rivers coming out and stating that after the fact because I do.

Do we not remember the reaction of his teammates?

Do we also not remember that the Celtics had some concerns over his upcoming free agency and the cost of retaining his services?

Do we not remember that after sweeping the Knicks in 4 games we were demolished in 5 by the Miami Heat because we lost our toughness? Was this only because Rondo was hurt? Because I remember the Celtics getting hammered in the post all series long.

Do we not remember players statements from other teams saying that the Celtics lost their edge without Perkins?

Do we not remember that krystic came in and seemed to play well at first but quickly morphed back into the European marshmellow that he always was?

Jeff Green is playing great right now but it was only a few weeks ago where his play was being questioned and rightfully so. Take away Jeff's play the last month or so and I am not so sure that the Perk trade would be made if you consider that DA would know it would negatively impact the team and that his (Green) mid season addition would do nothing to help us beat Miami that year and the following year Jeff would miss an entire season because of a life threatening heart problem.

I do not have a problem with the Perkins trade. My only criticism of Danny is that after two years he still has not added a center to replace him. And as a result we are quickly draining what is left of KG. Just about everyone on this forum has acknowledged the need to add a center. This has been going on since Perkins was traded.

Those 9 OT games have taken there toll on the Celtics. Particularly Paul Pierce and KG.

Maybe the new kid on the block, DJ White will help fill this void.

In essence, the Perkins trade cannot be a good decision until the Celtics replace him.

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Post by cowens/oldschool Sun Feb 24, 2013 12:33 pm

What pissed me off was how soft we were vs Heat in that series which we still could have won if Dwayne Wade doesn't mangle and twist Rondos arm off. Losing Perks mean game directly affected us that year, its just so obvious that wasn't the Celtics that playoff year, that wasn't our team without Perks grinding toughness.

Right now Jeff Green looks great and is playing the best ball of his career both ends, he is a great building block for the future.....but we had the Heat in 11, we had their number and they knew it.

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Post by worcester Sun Feb 24, 2013 12:36 pm

Cow, you're so right. With Perk and a healthy Rondo we would have iced the Heat in '11. Wade's mangling of Rondo was criminal IMHO.
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Post by dboss Sun Feb 24, 2013 12:52 pm

Jeff was a pretty damn good playing with OKC. Even though he was probably their 4th option behind Durant, Westbrook and Harden.

Now we ned to find out if he is our go to guy.

We need to see how he will be used in our end of game situations. Will the Celtics still lean on PP (who has made some fantastic late game shots this year) or will they isolate Jeff and look for him to make the shot.

How long will it be before Jeff makes his way to the starting lineup?

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Post by dboss Sun Feb 24, 2013 1:34 pm

I feel confident that the Celtics will definitely make the playoffs. The only question that I have is where will they finish. There is a 5 game spread between 2-7 and both the Knicks and Bulls have been slipping as of late.

I do not think that any team out there wants to go up against Boston in the playoffs. Since a 5 game spread is small we could end up playing any number of teams including Indiana, NY, Chicago, Atlanta, Crooklyn....

None of those teams scare me with the exception of Chicago because Chicago is a really good defensive team. If you cannot play at least .500 on the road you are not going to do well in the playoffs. That is why I hoped to see the Celtics finish off the current trip with at least a 3-2 record. Right now we need to win the next two games to meet that threshold.

Here is the good thing: Boston has beaten Miami, Indiana, NY, Crooklyn, Chicago, Atlanta, and Milwaukee...all teams currently in the playoffs.

In the west we have knocked off , OKC, LA Clippers, Denver, Houston, and Utah. We lost to Memphis and Golden State and have a chance at redemption in our next meeting. The only playoff team that has beaten us soundly twice is SA.

This record is very significant in the context of a team that has been playing slightly better than .500 ball. It prooves that the Celtics are more than capable of beating any playoff team except for SA and even SA is debatable.

Most interesting thing about this is that I did not mention the Lakers. If I was a betting man I would say that LA will make the playoffs and could knock off SA in a first round matchup but they have no chance if they have to face OKC because they have NO one to check Durant or Westbrook.

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