Celtics at No. 6 in ESPN's Front Office rank

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

The Boston Celtics landed at No. 6 in an ESPN ranking of the top front offices in the league. A glance at the top spots after the ESPN Forecast Panel ranked each team on a scale of 1 to 10: 

1 - SA - 9.45
2 - MIAMI - 8.56
3 - DALLAS - 7.96
4 - INDIANA - 7.82
5 - CHICAGO - 7.33
6 - BOSTON - 7.30
7 - HOUSTON - 7.10
8 - OKC - 6.93
 
•RAPID REACTION: The Celtics were a fraction of a point away from a top 5 position. Not too shabby when you consider that the next team that's not currently contending for a playoff spot is the Lakers at No. 16. While Boston is enduring a transition season, there remains an appreciation for the Celtics' front office, likely in large part due to the future-minded haul they got while disassembling their core last summer. The Celtics have as many as 10 first-round draft picks over the next five drafts, putting them in quality position to turn things around quickly. If Boston can return to contender status quickly, expect Boston's front office -- a group helmed by Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, assistant general manager Mike Zarren, and director of player personnel Austin Ainge -- to shimmy up even further in future iterations of the vote.
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