Jerry West on Boston Celtics: ‘Danny’s done a nice job there’

http://celticswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/05/jerry-west-on-boston-celtics-dannys-done-a-nice-job-there-los-angeles-lakers-clippers/








Jerry West on Boston Celtics: ‘Danny’s done a nice job there’



By: Greg Cassoli | 2 hours ago



Jerry West has plenty of reasons not to support the Boston Celtics, but they’re not keeping him from wishing them the best.
Jerry West is a Los Angeles Lakers’ legend and a powerful consultant for L.A.’s other team, the Clippers. That hasn’t limited his ability to appreciate how effectively the Boston Celtics have rebuilt their roster since the end of the second “Big Three” era in 2013.

The Celtics were able to pull off their return to the top of the conference thanks in large part because of the trade that started their organizational reboot. Boston sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets for a slew of first-round draft picks.

“I’ll just say that every once in a while, there’s a chance that people get to take advantage of someone,” West said of the deal, to the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett. “I don’t think that will ever happen again, but what Brooklyn did almost should be legislated against, to be honest with you.”

For as lopsided in the Celtics favor as the trade proved to be, turning those picks into a coherent roster was no small task.

“Sometimes you get really lucky in the draft and you get a real player down the list, but there’s no guarantee these guys up high are going to be good,” West said. “I mean, you look at how many of them haven’t done anything yet. But you can’t judge these young kids at all, because they’re so young.”

President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge appears to have Boston on the right track, in West’s eyes.

“Danny’s done a nice job back there. Are they good enough?” he asked rhetorically. “They had a terrible break with a very good player [Gordon Hayward], and are they good enough now? At the end of a couple of years, they’re going to be judged by that, by how they’re doing then — not by now. They’ve got some good young players. They’ve got a terrific coach. They’ve got a lot of positive things going, that’s for sure.”

He’s hoping the Celtics’ roster building success continues, despite the fact that they represent both a historical and present day competitor.

“I kind of root for teams that I know a little bit about because of playing against them,” West said. “I played a lot of important games against the Celtics in my career, so you develop a feeling for them and for the traditional teams. I kind of root for them. I like to see them good. I don’t wish anyone ill will in this league.

“It’s not fun. It’s hard. And you see a lot of people lose their job because other people don’t think they’re doing the right things, and there’s so much good fortune that goes into building these teams, really good fortune. So I wish them well. I do.”

That kind of goodwill isn’t particularly typical throughout the NBA, but neither is a figure like West. He’s been around long enough to develop some serious perspective.



bob
MY NOTE: With all due respect to 'The Logo' (and the only player to ever win the Finals MVP Award and lose the series) this is a statement of the obvious. OBVIOUSLY, Danny has done a good job, we see that every time we Jaylen, Al, Tatum and Kyrie take the floor. Nevertheless, respect from a respected longtime rival should always be appreciated. Many people cannot get past rivalries to view things dispassionately and objectively.



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