Ainge vs Stevens as the C's GM?

As I have been reading all about the Celtics newly found super success since last summer when they moved Brad Stevens out of his coaching
position and into Danny Ainge's spot as the team's head man there is clearly a new direction coming from the office of the head man.

Where Ainge was a hoarder of draft picks (most usually not in the lottery) Stevens seems to believe that experienced NBA players are
much more going to help the Celtics get a much better chance at Banner #18.

Obviously, at least in my eyes, Stevens has learned a great deal from Ainge. He has learned that Boston is not a place that many big name free
agents want to go to. Godran Haywood (and, maybe Al Horford) are the only guys who might be considered a "star' type free agent to sign in
Boston in the last 10-12 years. Haywood didn't work out real well, Horford has been OK, but you rarely even hear of the real big guys talking
about coming to Boston.

Ainge loved to have bunches of draft picks, he never turned enough of them into the star type players that it takes to win championships except
for Brown and Tatum. Stevens is now seemingly using every draft pick to build a team that both Brown and Tatum can compete for Banner #18
this next year. I fully agree with his thinking in that a guy like Brogden is going to make our team much better next season than anyone in the
draft than a guy who is going to be picked at the end of the first round in 2025.

While Brown and Tatum are under contact for the next few years (along with Smart, Williams, etc) it only makes sense to go for the championship
every year.

I love the Stevens approach and wonder if Ainge had been in the same situation if he would have been doing the same?

wideclyde wrote:As I have been reading all about the Celtics newly found super success since last summer when they moved Brad Stevens out of his coaching
position and into Danny Ainge's spot as the team's head man there is clearly a new direction coming from the office of the head man.

Where Ainge was a hoarder of draft picks (most usually not in the lottery) Stevens seems to believe that experienced NBA players are
much more going to help the Celtics get a much better chance at Banner #18.

Obviously, at least in my eyes, Stevens has learned a great deal from Ainge.  He has learned that Boston is not a place that many big name free
agents want to go to.  Godran Haywood (and, maybe Al Horford) are the only guys who might be considered a "star' type free agent to sign in
Boston in the last 10-12 years.  Haywood didn't work out real well, Horford has been OK, but you rarely even hear of the real big guys talking
about coming to Boston.  

Ainge loved to have bunches of draft picks, he never turned enough of them into the star type players that it takes to win championships except
for Brown and Tatum.  Stevens is now seemingly using every draft pick to build a team that both Brown and Tatum can compete for Banner #18
this next year.  I fully agree with his thinking in that a guy like Brogden is going to make our team much better next season than anyone in the
draft than a guy who is going to be picked at the end of the first round in 2025.

While Brown and Tatum are under contact for the next few years (along with Smart, Williams, etc) it only makes sense to go for the championship
every year.

I love the Stevens approach and wonder if Ainge had been in the same situation if he would have been doing the same?

Once Ainge got Smart, Jaylen and Jaylen and rob he pretty much had 4/5 starting pieces. At that point he did not and should not have kept all of those picks.

Brad is more than willing to part with young drafted players and 1st and 2nd round picks to get quality veteran pieces. Ainge spent too many late night hours hunched over a candle lit table counting and recounting his bag full of draft picks like so many pieces of gold.

Ainge, who hired Brad was good at drafting players (Smart, Brown, Tatum, Rob) but not so good building around them.

Brad was fairly good at coaching the players that Ainge drafted and is better then Ainge at building around them.

Brad the GM hired his replacement, Ime who is better than Brad at coaching the players that Ainge drafted.

So it all worked out!

Ktron wrote:Ainge, who hired Brad was good at drafting players (Smart, Brown, Tatum, Rob) but not so good building around them.

Brad was fairly good at coaching the players that Ainge drafted and is better then Ainge at building around them.

Brad the GM hired his replacement, Ime who is better than Brad at coaching the players that Ainge drafted.

So it all worked out!

good points!

Ktron wrote:Ainge, who hired Brad was good at drafting players (Smart, Brown, Tatum, Rob) but not so good building around them.

Brad was fairly good at coaching the players that Ainge drafted and is better then Ainge at building around them.

Brad the GM hired his replacement, Ime who is better than Brad at coaching the players that Ainge drafted.

So it all worked out!

Ktron,

The Championship team of 2008 continued to compete at high levels well past the expected shelf life because Danny built around the Big 3 until salary cap issues, coupled with their advancing ages, no longer made that possible.


Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

Ktron wrote:Ainge, who hired Brad was good at drafting players (Smart, Brown, Tatum, Rob) but not so good building around them.

Brad was fairly good at coaching the players that Ainge drafted and is better then Ainge at building around them.

Brad the GM hired his replacement, Ime who is better than Brad at coaching the players that Ainge drafted.

So it all worked out!

Ktron,

The Championship team of 2008 continued to compete at high levels well past the expected shelf life because Danny built around the Big 3 until salary cap issues,  coupled with their advancing ages, no longer made that possible.


Bob


.

Agree They did but I don’t think the cap hindrance was the reason Danny couldn’t build around our current crop.
His choice of players was not very prudent.

Ktron wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

Ktron wrote:Ainge, who hired Brad was good at drafting players (Smart, Brown, Tatum, Rob) but not so good building around them.

Brad was fairly good at coaching the players that Ainge drafted and is better then Ainge at building around them.

Brad the GM hired his replacement, Ime who is better than Brad at coaching the players that Ainge drafted.

So it all worked out!

Ktron,

The Championship team of 2008 continued to compete at high levels well past the expected shelf life because Danny built around the Big 3 until salary cap issues,  coupled with their advancing ages, no longer made that possible.


Bob


.

Agree They did but I don’t think the cap hindrance was the reason Danny couldn’t build around our current crop.
His choice of players was not very prudent.

He did some boneheaded moves Tristian Thompson? Marcus Morris? Getting rid of Perk, when he could have done it at the end of that season and that starting 5 had never lost a playoff series? Should I give him a pass on Kyrie and Kemba? Could have researched Kyrie’s head and Kemba’s medical reports better. At least he swung deals for 2 J’s and didn’t trade away either piece. Lebron hadn’t figured it out yet, that 11 team with Perk could have extinguished the Heat.

MY NOTE:  This isn't so much of a Brad vs Danny comparison piece so much as it is a "here's how Brad operated" one, leaving us to draw our own conclusions.


https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/07/how-brad-stevens-pulled-off-malcolm-brogdon-trade-with-savvy-planning-helping-celtics-capitalize-on-unique-opportunity-brian-robb.html


How Brad Stevens pulled off Malcolm Brogdon trade with savvy planning, helping Celtics capitalize on unique opportunity



Published: Jul. 02, 2022, 1:49 p.m.



Indiana Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon (7) goes to the basket against Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart (36) and Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)AP


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



For much of the past decade, a lack of Celtics have suffered from a lack of movable salary on some of their best teams. That has inhibited potential trade possibilities on many occasions, keeping Boston from adding a player or two that could have a propelled a group to a higher level.

Fresh off a trip to the NBA Finals, the current Celtics make priorities relatively simple for Brad Stevens and the remainder of Boston’s front office this summer. There was no doubt that this group was ready to contend again right away, they just needed more help off the bench to get over the hump.


With limited free agent resources due to the team’s cap situation, the Celtics were going to need to use the trade market to make a bigger splash. A few under the radar moves last season helped put Boston in a position to pounce on Brogdon.


Adding movable salary with the Schroder/Theis trade

When the Celtics dealt away Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando for Daniel Theis last year, there was some surprise around the league among executives I spoke to. Theis looked to be overpaid on a four-year deal he signed with the Rockets in the offseason and the Celtics were taking on that added money for the future without getting any sweetener from the Rockets for helping them clear future salary cap space.


While Theis provided good big man insurance behind Robert Williams in the second half of the season, playing an important role as a starter in a first round sweep over the Nets, his bigger value was yet to come. The Celtics had a movable contract now that would help the team match salary for an impact player while not subtracting from their core.

If the Theis trade is not made, this deal for Brogdon would not have been able to happen without one of Boston’s top seven players heading out the door to make the money work. With Theis making $8.6 million in 2022-23, there was a building block in place to a bigger deal.


Clearing out roster spots at the trade deadline to add players on two-year deals

Boston’s front office also cleared up the back end of the team’s roster back in February, opening up five spots on the back half of the 15-man roster. The Celtics filled up four of those slots with two-year deals (with options) and a number of those multi-year contracts came into play here. Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts and Juwan Morgan provided the added necessary salary on top of Aaron Nesmith and Theis to match Brogdon’s salary in the trade.

That type of maneuver would not have been as simple for the Celtics if they had a bunch of expiring contracts at the end of their bench, which would have been the case with Fernando, Freedom and Schroder.


Having the right mix of trade capital for a rebuilding squad

Brogdon did not do much to help his value last year amid an injury-plagued year for a Pacers squad that went shifted towards building for the future mode after trading away Domantas Sabonis.

Brogdon signed a pricy two-year extension before the season started and clearly did not have a ton of trade value around the league at that price tag based upon the return the Pacers accepted for him on Friday.


It’s important to note though what the Pacers’ objectives are as a franchise and how they factored into that return. The Pacers were clearly looking to create future flexibility with their payroll and they did that by taking back no more than $10 million in future guaranteed money in the deal with the Theis contract. A prospect in Aaron Nesmith was also included, a guy who was unlikely to get reps he would have needed to develop fully in Boston, along with a first-round pick.

The Pacers probably got better talent offers for Brogdon when they shopped him for offers but they probably weren’t for the type of young players they are looking for amid a season that will be spent in lottery territory. The Celtics took advantage of this unique mix they could offer with a first-round pick, a cheap prospect and no contracts with big long-term money attached.


The perfect storm came together for the Celtics to pull off this deal and Boston’s ownership deserves credit for the willingness to take a bloated Brogdon contract. However, a few underlying moves below the surface went a long way for Boston being able to pull this deal off while keeping their entire rotation intact.


Bob


.