Re: Sources - Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge to step down, Brad Stevens moving to front office play

by **NYCelt** Thu Jun 03, 2021 4:32 pm

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I have tried to say this many times. Look at the pass the press and fans are giving the Lakers because of injuries. Look at Miami, they got beat in four straight, little to no negative press about that, although that may be because Riley is keeping the lid closed. Hey, he may be the next one stepping down, who knows???

Laranaga comes from a basketball family, highly regarded. Allen has relationships with the players, I remember him going home with IT after his sister died. The players listen to him. It will be interesting to see what happens.

The one thing I would like is for people to stop the negativity and give this a chance. All these conspiracy theories are crazy. Why do people think they know what really happened when they know nothing. Danny retired. he gave us 18 years of his life, and is going home. What he does next is his business. He will always be a Celtic at heart.

The most common sense and on target post in this thread?

Yes. I believe so.

by **hawksnestbeach** Thu Jun 03, 2021 4:51 pm

So, with no knowledge, I read this as Brad managed upward with great success, driving past flat-footed Danny to score with Wyc in a coup he knew about early on, because he had to be ready to take the reins. His outing Danny publicly by lauding the Nets as a better-built team, suggests he knew everything that was about to happen. That said, I think it could work out, and Danny needs to relax. He’s leaving a team with potential, could look better in hindsight if JJ and Smart team up with a gifted BIG MAN and pg...Irving outfoxed Danny and trading for KW was a panicky move to make it look better. If Danny had moved Irving before the trading deadline he would have fetched us a quality BIG and we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I harp on this because I think it was pivotal and apparent to a few here that Irving was a time bomb. Now, who should have told Danny that Irving was a time bomb, a prima donna who should be exchanged for value before it was too late? To me, that would seem to the job of a coach, close to his team. Brad, who never was. As the master of Xs and Os, I hope he has greater success as a GM. Hawk

by **BingBang!** Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:14 pm

NYCelt wrote:
RosalieTCeltics wrote:I have tried to say this many times. Look at the pass the press and fans are giving the Lakers because of injuries. Look at Miami, they got beat in four straight, little to no negative press about that, although that may be because Riley is keeping the lid closed. Hey, he may be the next one stepping down, who knows???

Laranaga comes from a basketball family, highly regarded. Allen has relationships with the players, I remember him going home with IT after his sister died. The players listen to him. It will be interesting to see what happens.

The one thing I would like is for people to stop the negativity and give this a chance. All these conspiracy theories are crazy. Why do people think they know what really happened when they know nothing. Danny retired. he gave us 18 years of his life, and is going home. What he does next is his business. He will always be a Celtic at heart.

The most common sense and on target post in this thread?

Yes. I believe so.

Thank you both. I’m a fan

by **atcross** Thu Jun 03, 2021 7:34 pm

dboss wrote:I think the Celtics need to go completely outside of their organization and find a coach. That coach should have NBA head coaching experience already. A former NBA player would in my way of thinking be another option although he would need to surround himself with an experienced and diverse coaching staff.

The players on this team do not need to be made to feel comfortable. They are well paid employees and have an obligation to do their jobs and do them well. And if their play is outside the lines they need a coach who is fair but also tough enough to set them on track.

If Boston looks to fill their coaching vacancy with one of the current assistants, it will complete the circle that is already looking like a good ole boy transition.

The number of times I've seen managers who have been promoted bring in someone with a totally different style to replace them: 0

The number of times I've seen successful managers who ignore their workers' feelings, saying those workers get paid to do their jobs: 0

by **Ktron** Thu Jun 03, 2021 8:06 pm

cowens/oldschool wrote:Two rules to follow

1) No more PF’s 6’5” or under

2) No more PG’s 6’0” tall and 29 or older

I don’t know, if Trae young ever becomes available…….

by **Ktron** Thu Jun 03, 2021 8:18 pm

NYCelt wrote:
RosalieTCeltics wrote:I have tried to say this many times. Look at the pass the press and fans are giving the Lakers because of injuries. Look at Miami, they got beat in four straight, little to no negative press about that, although that may be because Riley is keeping the lid closed. Hey, he may be the next one stepping down, who knows???

Laranaga comes from a basketball family, highly regarded. Allen has relationships with the players, I remember him going home with IT after his sister died. The players listen to him. It will be interesting to see what happens.

The one thing I would like is for people to stop the negativity and give this a chance. All these conspiracy theories are crazy. Why do people think they know what really happened when they know nothing. Danny retired. he gave us 18 years of his life, and is going home. What he does next is his business. He will always be a Celtic at heart.

The most common sense and on target post in this thread?

Yes. I believe so.

I’d say look at their game threads and sites before we say their fans are giving those teams passes. They’re not.
When you question a decision you’re not being negative. When you don’t question anything you’re being naive.
Danny for the most part made so many great moves and had a few blunders toward the end. It’s fact. He shouldn’t be shot at sunrise for it. There should be praise which I believe he is getting. Criticism as well but there’s nothing wrong with that. His legacy is one to be admired.
Ive followed this team since 63. I love this team and care for the image and the players. The team ran by Red had an entirely different culture than these owners. Red was an innovator and ahead of his time. These guys are NOT. Still love the team but its not the same as the 60’s-90s. I’m still rooting for Brad to do a great job but if he f’s up he needs to be called on it just as when he does something great. Same with the new coach and players. This is the world I live in. Go C’s.

by **bobheckler** Thu Jun 03, 2021 8:30 pm

Brad being interviewed. He says he knew about this "for a couple of weeks". So this was becoming very real before we even started the series against Brooklyn.

Bob

.

by **Ktron** Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:03 pm

bobheckler wrote:Larry Bird had a 3 year rule for coaches. You were in for 3 years and that's it because after that, according to Larry, you got stale. The players stopped listening, the opposing coaches figured out your schemes. That's why Larry only coached the Pacers for 3 years before moving up into the front office (and what did he know about that job other than just being around it for a long time?) IF Larry's axiom is true then Brad did a helluva job for at least 7 out of 8 years and, I for one, don't blame him much for this past year. Some people don't want to put weight into COVID and injury-riddled explanations for why our season was a disappointment, but I choose to face the reality they present. "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade". That's all fine and good but the bottom line is you still can only have lemonade and not peach nectar. You might make the best lemonade possible but if the consumer has an acute sweet tooth they're not going to be satisfied. We had high expectations coming in and they weren't satisfied, but we didn't know about Kemba's knee not returning to 100%, losing Tatum, Thompson and Fournier to COVID and Jaylen Brown's season-ending injury back in October. We could not have anticipated we'd be down 3 starters in the playoffs. We also didn't know Harden was going to end up in Brooklyn with Kyrie and Durant.

Do we go with a respected veteran former player, like a Sam Cassell (3X World Champion, 2 with Houston and 1 with KG/Pierce/Allen in 2008; 12 years as an assistant coach but zero as a head coach), or an experienced head coach like Nate McMillan or Lloyd Pierce, or do they go with continuity by promoting either Larranagga or Allen? The last two are known entities. They are, from what I've heard, well liked and respected by the players and they know Brad's system and they know what kind of players will fit into it. You can like Brad's system or not but he's the GM/President of Basketball Operations now so he has quite a bit of input into that.

The draft combine is in 3 weeks, the draft is in 7 weeks. Our front office (i.e. Brad) will want his successor in place before then so he can have eyes and ears, and input, into those events (unless he goes with Larranagga or Allen. Then they're already in and would be involved with those anyway).

Bob

.

Larry’s 3 yr rule is just that, Larry’s rule. There’s too many coaches in this league that coached twice and some 3 times as long that were very successful. Larry’s 3 is Larrys. He ain’t the God of basketball.

We have some good asst. coaches on this team but the best move is to go outside and not stick with the status quo. Whether everyone agrees that none of this year is Brads fault or not, there’s a perception issue and we know perception is reality. Too many good outside candidates. These asst. will get their chance somewhere. Go outside otherwise the perception will be that Brads still coaching this team and even he said that there needs to be a change.

Sam Cassell, Chauncey Billups, and Kara Lawson are my top 3.

by **atcross** Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:26 pm

bobheckler wrote:Brad being interviewed. He says he knew about this "for a couple of weeks". So this was becoming very real before we even started the series against Brooklyn.

Bob

.

I'm sorry but speculation that DA was fired hours after the end of the game and Brad's appointment as President of Basketball Operations was done to avoid salary is just silly.

by **dboss** Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:39 pm

atcross wrote:
dboss wrote:I think the Celtics need to go completely outside of their organization and find a coach. That coach should have NBA head coaching experience already. A former NBA player would in my way of thinking be another option although he would need to surround himself with an experienced and diverse coaching staff.

The players on this team do not need to be made to feel comfortable. They are well paid employees and have an obligation to do their jobs and do them well. And if their play is outside the lines they need a coach who is fair but also tough enough to set them on track.

If Boston looks to fill their coaching vacancy with one of the current assistants, it will complete the circle that is already looking like a good ole boy transition.

The number of times I've seen managers who have been promoted bring in someone with a totally different style to replace them: 0

The number of times I've seen successful managers who ignore their workers' feelings, saying those workers get paid to do their jobs: 0

Ok so you counted them up. How many times was it?

You cannot interpret what I said by making up stuff. Who said anything about ignoring workers' feelings.

by **dboss** Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:42 pm

We could use a big physical playmaker at point guard. There is nothing wrong with small PG as long as your team is not saturated with them, i.e. the Celtics

by **RosalieTCeltics** Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:43 pm

These conspiracy theories are getting ridiculous. Face it, he decided to go, period. Do I blame him, absolutely not. I feel he looked like hell these last few months. It was weighing heavily on him. Everyone moves on in this world, there are no lifer’s anymore. Red was awesome for his time and theirs. He was a brilliant basketball mind, to compare is crazy. Let it go, it is over. Why does it matter? I appreciate what Danny did in the time he was here. Look, we never would have had the experience of rooting for KG, watching that team win a title and give us a thrill.

Time moves on, players come and go, and so do GM’s and President’s of Basketball operations. Let’s just be happy that there was a time when we could not wait for the next game.

I look forward with anxiety to next season. We have two of the most exciting players in the league on our team, and the foundation for a decent if not excellent team with some moves and great health. Let it go. Let’s look forward to our new coach....whoever that may be.

by **gyso** Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:30 pm

I keep calling you Coach . . .

Call me Brad.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:41 pm

My friend, how are you??? Tired of the rhetoric yet????

by **gyso** Thu Jun 03, 2021 11:10 pm

RosalieTCeltics wrote:My friend, how are you??? Tired of the rhetoric yet????

Hi Rosalie, I'm doing fine, thanks.

LOL. It seems like many have already thrown in the towel on next season. They seem to be gathering up busses. To throw our new coach and GM under. It seems to be their favorite sport. LOL.

To them I say . . .

Whatever!!!

by **RosalieTCeltics** Thu Jun 03, 2021 11:18 pm

Not me Gyso, you know that. Take care, have a good summer. I hope things calm down but I have my doubts. Interesting turn of events, but I already waiting for it all to start. See you around

Rosalie

by **NYCelt** Thu Jun 03, 2021 11:19 pm

gyso wrote:
RosalieTCeltics wrote:My friend, how are you??? Tired of the rhetoric yet????

Hi Rosalie, I'm doing fine, thanks.

LOL. It seems like many have already thrown in the towel on next season. They seem to be gathering up busses. To throw our new coach and GM under. It seems to be their favorite sport. LOL.

To them I say . . .

Whatever!!!

+1...

by **atcross** Thu Jun 03, 2021 11:20 pm

dboss wrote:
atcross wrote:
dboss wrote:I think the Celtics need to go completely outside of their organization and find a coach. That coach should have NBA head coaching experience already. A former NBA player would in my way of thinking be another option although he would need to surround himself with an experienced and diverse coaching staff.

The players on this team do not need to be made to feel comfortable. They are well paid employees and have an obligation to do their jobs and do them well. And if their play is outside the lines they need a coach who is fair but also tough enough to set them on track.

If Boston looks to fill their coaching vacancy with one of the current assistants, it will complete the circle that is already looking like a good ole boy transition.

The number of times I've seen managers who have been promoted bring in someone with a totally different style to replace them: 0

The number of times I've seen successful managers who ignore their workers' feelings, saying those workers get paid to do their jobs: 0
Ok so you counted them up. How many times was it?

You cannot interpret what I said by making up stuff. Who said anything about ignoring workers' feelings.

Yes, in 47 years of business consulting it was zero on both accounts. But if I misinterpreted "The players on this team do not need to be made to feel comfortable. They are well paid employees and have an obligation to do their jobs and do them well." please clarify. In those 47 years I've observed a few managers who thought that their people didn't need to feel comfortable at work. If they didn't like it they could lump it. And many did. Usually the best, who were valued elsewhere. Basketball players can eventually do the same. None of our young players have asked to be traded...yet. You don't need to coddle. But if you show no concern for their comfort they will either under perform or leave. But perhaps you could rephrase and I would better understand your meaning.

by **cowens/oldschool** Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:38 am

dboss wrote:We could use a big physical playmaker at point guard. There is nothing wrong with small PG as long as your team is not saturated with them, i.e. the Celtics

Wish we could get Lonzo Ball, heard rumors during the season he wasn’t happy and wanted out

by **worcester** Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:49 am

Atcross, now I understand why your posts are so cogent. Keep dropping those bombs right over the target.

by **BaronV** Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:05 pm

bobheckler wrote:https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/06/03/danny-ainge-may-not-be-retired-reports-link-him-to-jazz-for-next-role/

MY NOTE: I posted it so you all can read it and discuss it, but it seems to me like a lot of drivel by Kurt Helin (who's usually not bad, at least not this bad). Utah has new management, a new front office and no reason to change. So, what's the oomph behind this article? He's friends with the Jazz' owner. Well, yeah. He was the GM of an NBA franchise for 18 years, he knows everybody in that world; owners, GMs, coaches and players. Hell, I bet he knows the cheerleaders he's been around so long. IF, however, he does go with another franchise then we'll know the "I've been thinking about this day since I had my heart attack" story was baloney.

.

There's also a difference between 'immediately moved to become GM of another team' and 'took a role as an advisor or consultant to another team'. One is long hours, high stress, etc., while the other is likely 'help advise us on the draft and key trades'. For a guy who has been in the sport for 40+ years, I can totally see it being hard to walk away totally, but using an advisory role to transition out makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't consider that a contradiction of what he said.

-V

by **BaronV** Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:07 pm

atcross wrote:

Yes, in 47 years of business consulting it was zero on both accounts.

Where at? I'm 30 years in that field too. Former partner at BearingPoint and Huron. Have had my own company for the last 12 years.

-V

by **BaronV** Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:21 pm

RosalieTCeltics wrote:These conspiracy theories are getting ridiculous. Face it, he decided to go, period. Do I blame him, absolutely not. I feel he looked like hell these last few months. It was weighing heavily on him. Everyone moves on in this world, there are no lifer’s anymore. Red was awesome for his time and theirs. He was a brilliant basketball mind, to compare is crazy. Let it go, it is over. Why does it matter? I appreciate what Danny did in the time he was here. Look, we never would have had the experience of rooting for KG, watching that team win a title and give us a thrill.

Time moves on, players come and go, and so do GM’s and President’s of Basketball operations. Let’s just be happy that there was a time when we could not wait for the next game.

I look forward with anxiety to next season. We have two of the most exciting players in the league on our team, and the foundation for a decent if not excellent team with some moves and great health. Let it go. Let’s look forward to our new coach....whoever that may be.

I agree with Rosalie here. People move on, especially people with serious health issues. Sounds like this has been in the works for a while, not a last minute decision based on the team's playoff performance. From what's been made public, Danny decided to retire earlier this year, convinced Brad to apply for the job, which you have to assume is because he thought he'd be good at it, and the owners picked Brad over other external candidates. The team knew about this for at least a few weeks, but waited until after the season to announce it. Remember that these guys work together all the time - it's not like Danny picked Brad based on his contract. He's no longer involved in managing the budget, and it's not his money anyway. He obviously saw something in Brad that said 'this is the guy that can finish what I started with this group of players.', and the owners obviously agreed with him.

Likewise, in terms of Brad 'losing the team', there was no continuity this year between COVID, injuries, etc. Once JB went down for the season, that was that. Could they have played better? Of course. I remember reading they also had limited practice time this season due to the compressed schedule and COVID concerns, so that may be one reason that Brad couldn't pull another rabbit out of his hat to win despite the injuries. And if there were players in the locker room whom he had lost, he knows who they are, and now that he's the GM, they should start packing their bags. If their names aren't Jason, Jaylen, or Marcus, they're likely gone. And it's a good bet that Brad knows what the missing pieces to this roster are better than anyone, and can do a good job of bringing in players that can fill those holes and give the next coach a good chance to improve the team's performance in the coming years.

-V

by **atcross** Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:26 pm

BaronV wrote:
atcross wrote:

Yes, in 47 years of business consulting it was zero on both accounts.

Where at? I'm 30 years in that field too. Former partner at BearingPoint and Huron. Have had my own company for the last 12 years.

-V

Worked with four hardgoods distribution ERP package vendors as well as independent consulting. Best known today of those would be a package called Eclipse, which is currently owned by Epicor.

by **cowens/oldschool** Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:53 pm

BaronV wrote:
RosalieTCeltics wrote:These conspiracy theories are getting ridiculous. Face it, he decided to go, period. Do I blame him, absolutely not. I feel he looked like hell these last few months. It was weighing heavily on him. Everyone moves on in this world, there are no lifer’s anymore. Red was awesome for his time and theirs. He was a brilliant basketball mind, to compare is crazy. Let it go, it is over. Why does it matter? I appreciate what Danny did in the time he was here. Look, we never would have had the experience of rooting for KG, watching that team win a title and give us a thrill.

Time moves on, players come and go, and so do GM’s and President’s of Basketball operations. Let’s just be happy that there was a time when we could not wait for the next game.

I look forward with anxiety to next season. We have two of the most exciting players in the league on our team, and the foundation for a decent if not excellent team with some moves and great health. Let it go. Let’s look forward to our new coach....whoever that may be.

I agree with Rosalie here. People move on, especially people with serious health issues. Sounds like this has been in the works for a while, not a last minute decision based on the team's playoff performance. From what's been made public, Danny decided to retire earlier this year, convinced Brad to apply for the job, which you have to assume is because he thought he'd be good at it, and the owners picked Brad over other external candidates. The team knew about this for at least a few weeks, but waited until after the season to announce it. Remember that these guys work together all the time - it's not like Danny picked Brad based on his contract. He's no longer involved in managing the budget, and it's not his money anyway. He obviously saw something in Brad that said 'this is the guy that can finish what I started with this group of players.', and the owners obviously agreed with him.

Likewise, in terms of Brad 'losing the team', there was no continuity this year between COVID, injuries, etc. Once JB went down for the season, that was that. Could they have played better? Of course. I remember reading they also had limited practice time this season due to the compressed schedule and COVID concerns, so that may be one reason that Brad couldn't pull another rabbit out of his hat to win despite the injuries. And if there were players in the locker room whom he had lost, he knows who they are, and now that he's the GM, they should start packing their bags. If their names aren't Jason, Jaylen, or Marcus, they're likely gone. And it's a good bet that Brad knows what the missing pieces to this roster are better than anyone, and can do a good job of bringing in players that can fill those holes and give the next coach a good chance to improve the team's performance in the coming years.

-V

Agreed +1

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