Austin Ainge on Celtics Potentially Acquiring Another 2014 Draft Pick: "We Have A History Of Being Very Aggressive On Draft Night"

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/06/austin_ainge_on_boston_celtics.html



Austin Ainge on Boston Celtics potentially acquiring another 2014 NBA draft pick: 'We have a history of being very aggressive on draft night'

Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com
on June 02, 2014 at 4:40 PM





WALTHAM – From one city to the next, in front of one team or another, the draft process continues for basketball players trying to improve their reputation among NBA executives.

Twelve prospects – including former UMass standout Chaz Williams, as well as former Louisville star Russ Smith – visited Waltham on Monday for a workout in front of the Boston Celtics brass.

As the players get used to the grind of the pre-draft experience, many of the drills can feel familiar. NBA rules preclude teams from working out more than six prospects at a time, or 12 in a day, which makes 5-on-5 play impossible. Instead, teams try to simulate real action as best they can.

The Celtics looked at mostly guards Monday, with just two forwards among the dozen players. The participants went through a variety of 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 actions, with some shooting drills sprinkled in, plus the infamous “three-minute” conditioning drill that Danny Ainge has used since his days with the Phoenix Suns. Players sprint the length of the court as many times as they can over a 180-second span.

“First of all, it shows the conditioning level obviously, but also your heart, your grit, your toughness at the end of a workout, how hard you're going to push yourself,” said Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge. “You'll see guys when we're talking to agents, it's known around the league. They all talk about it, that Boston comes in and makes you do – they call it a Boston Marathon. It's only three minutes of running. It's grown to be a bigger thing than it actually is. But we kind of like it. Some of the guys we see, they come in, they ask you about it three or four times: ‘When is it?’ Then they started faking hamstring injuries and things. Again, it's another piece of information we like to see.”

The draft process is all about gathering information. The Celtics brass has watched many of the 2014 prospects for years, including some dating back to high school. With just a month until the draft, many opinions have already been formed. But a small piece of information over the next three-and-a-half weeks – maybe an improvement one player made to his shot, or how another player comes across during his interviews – could change who the Celtics target with their two picks.

It’s possible for Boston end up with another pick, too, or maybe out of the draft altogether. They will likely try to package Nos. 6 and/or 17 for a star, and Danny Ainge has said he will explore moving up or down. One NBA source from another front office said only one of the Monday workout participants might go in the first round, and many will likely go undrafted. The lack of elite talent prompted a question about why the Celtics wanted to evaluate the 12 prospects: Williams, Smith, Nick Johnson, Kadeem Batts, Bryce Cotton, Deonte Burton, Xavier Thames, Kendrick Perry, Kyle Casey, Semaj Christon, Reger Dowell and Tim Frazier.

“Mock drafts are something we try not to be married to,” Austin Ainge said. “We obviously have our own opinions, as does everyone. But we also, as you guys know, have a history of being very aggressive on draft night. You never know what trades and buying picks, you never know what will happen. Phil Pressey played a lot for us this year and wasn't drafted, so we try to be prepared with everyone and it's not just the sixth and the 17th pick that we look at.”

Pressey slipped out of the draft, later calling himself lucky not to get picked in the second round because he got to pick a nice fit in Boston. Austin Ainge believes a similar NBA-caliber point guard could slip through the cracks again this season.

“We always have a few guys that we really like that we might have 35th on our board and they go all the way through,” he said. “Some years we'll have the 55th pick and every guy we like is gone and we're going, who do we take? So it varies year to year, but I feel particularly the point guard position in this draft has some depth and I don't feel that all the good players will be able to be selected.”

Bigger names will visit Boston over the next couple of weeks. But the lesser-known prospects could one day end up Celtics, too. The team has not shied away from spending money to acquire extra draft picks when afforded the right opportunity.

“Maybe we won't be in the market for (a second-round pick this year),” Ainge said. “You never know. You just kind of look at your roster needs. Some teams are not in the market for another rookie on their team and just opt to trade or sell the second-round pick as the draft's going on. Our job is to be prepared for every situation.”



bob
MY NOTE: Ok, this is starting to look a lot like an obsession with draft picks. I'll say this, though, I think Wyc might have let the cat out of the bag a month or so ago when he said they hoped for some fireworks this summer. I don't know what it will be but we have just sooo many potential assets (draft picks) for Trader Danny and Wyc not to use some.


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Sam

With all the picks, the Celts can make a big time deal or maybe 2 and still have picks left for the future.

Dboss