OT: Sucks, Curse of Len Bias

[upstater1]

I'm literally sick to death of 20 years of bad luck.

[Sean Pa Patriot]

I tuned into the lottery because I wanted to where the Celtics pick.. But 5th????? the nba and the lottery is a big fat joke...

[Number Cruncher]

Tanking games...

Karma, ain't she a *****...

[QuiGon]

Tanking games...

Karma, ain't she a *****...It wasn't a ***** to the greatest tanking team of all time, the 1996-97 San Antonio Spurs.

[zippo59]

Second worst team ends up with the fifth pick. Can't figure that one out.

[SeanBruschi54]

Shafted right in the ******* tonight.

[richpats]

Celtics get #5? Bill Simmons has written his last column.

[upstater1]

Can we get Gerald Henderson back?

That trade is the second biggest curse in Boston sports history.

[heathmac]

The NBA Lottery is a F***ing joke. If a team wants to tank games to get a better pick than who cares. Its the team and their fans that are the one that have to suffer.

How does a team get any better if they finish 2nd and end up getting the 5th pick in a draft. The whole thing makes no sense. That is why the NBA sucks

[SaCaCh]

The biggest losers here are the NBA, with their two big tickets now lost in the Northwest, squandered on two horrid teams that no one pays any attention too for 3 years till they move on.

[bronk37]

yet another reason why the NFL is better than the NBA

[makoute]

Thank goodness for the Pats and hopefully red sox.:eek:

[maverick4]

I am so sick to my stomach.
I do not want to talk to ANYONE for the rest of this week.

Never thought I'd feel the same way again just 10 years later (re Duncan).

[SeanBruschi54]

The more you think about it the more it just disgusts you.

Fire everyone right now.

[BradyManny2344]

I am so sick to my stomach.
I do not want to talk to ANYONE for the rest of this week.

Never thought I'd feel the same way again just 10 years later (re Duncan).

I agree, I honestly might throw up. Holy fu**ing shyt.

[stinkypete]

Even worse, the 3 worst teams were Memphis, Boston and Milwaukee. Anyone notice that NONE of those teams got a top 3 pick? Why are NBA fans not outraged?

[PaulNEPats]

The Celts Organization is cursed. If they don't make some sort of miracle trade (KG) they're doomed for at least another 5 years.

[zippo59]

yet another reason why the NFL is better than the NBA

The NFL system gets frustrating at times if you are a fan of the consistently good teams (not that I would take a high pick over winning.)

But it is clear to me that the NFL system really is the best and the most fair. This lottery thing just seems like a bunch of crap.

[richpats]

The Celts Organization is cursed. If they don't make some sort of miracle trade (KG) they're doomed for at least another 5 years.

I'll tell you why the Celtics are cursed - because they think the only way to improve their squad is to get lucky enough in the lottery to land the 1st pick. Maybe a decent coach and a good personnel guy could build a playoff contender, but that's just me.

[QuiGon]

The NFL system gets frustrating at times if you are a fan of the consistently good teams (not that I would take a high pick over winning.)

But it is clear to me that the NFL system really is the best and the most fair. This lottery thing just seems like a bunch of crap.The problem with the NBA is one that can never be solved to everyone's satisfaction. NBA drafts are ridiculously top-heavy. Unlike the NFL, the drop off in talent from the top pick or two to the following ones is tremendous. So it's easy for the NFL to develop a "fair" system because they don't have the problem of every draft having 1 or 2 superstars and 200 schmucks.

The lottery was implemented to avoid teams tanking. If you don't have the lottery, you can easily damage the integrity of the late season games. It's a good system, just one that didn't bounce Boston's way tonight.

[VJCPatriot]

ROFL, this thing is SO rigged!
#5 overall, what a joke.
The Celtics will continue to be cellar dwellers.
The sad part is that they missed out on Oden.
Even if they win the lottery next year the best guy to draft then is probably gonna be a PG!!

Well Celtics go back to being irrelevant.
They are barely above the Bruins in relevancy at this point.
I really do feel bad for Celtic fans.

[g-fresh]

I'm literally sick to death of 20 years of bad luck.

Really? Then how are you posting?

Two quick thoughts:

1) Why don't they pull the ping pong balls out live? There is absolutely no reason that they should do the actual selection in secret then have some dude come out and read off the cards like its the same thing. Now I'm not saying the draft is rigged (no way two western teams would have gotten the top two picks if it were), but all it does is give the appearance that something is going on.

2) The lottery system is bull****. The whole purpose is to stop teams from tanking games, but it doesn't seem to be doing that very well. Teams are still losing on purpose just for a shot at more ping pong balls. Why make it possible for better teams to get the best picks when they don't need them as badly? Just another example of the NBA doing things an arbitrary way when for no reason except they feel like it.

[Pats726]

Well...can we say bye bye Danny??? In some ways I feel really bad...but in others..what goes around comes around...I LOVED the old Celtics..from Russel/Cousy and such through the worst days of Johm Y Brown and to Pitino...Pitino?? It took a bit to understand what a fraud he was..a car salesman if best..and he went down with missing Duncan... Was more an Obie fan and saw how he built the team..fired the team into the playoffs...felt GOOD about the Celts and then..the arrival of another charlatan...He came in with bad timing when the team HAD a chance in the playoffs and basically pulled the air from the team....he took all the pieces of a team and tossed them aside trashed them..a playoff team... demolishing it..all teh while lying and saying he wasn't...while the owners more charlatans raised prices for a playoff team..except..the team was a shell of what it really was...Ainge is clueless...he wanted to take down the jerseys give the numbers away..Pitino kicked Red out of the President's job..and Ainge continues in that way...Danny has done ZERO for the team and franchise..hopes promises and nada...the team BEFORE Ainge was close...needed a point guard and a big man...and last time I looked many years under Danny Boy..they were STILL missing those pieces AND MORE.. Basically..until he is gone..and they have someone with a bit more sense..and less pig headedness..I will never really be in the Cs corner...I've tried and I see play..but it is NO team at all..I keep saying I might be wrong..giving him a chance..BUT..I see what he did to a great tradition..basically doing what he wanted to destroy it...

[patsfan55]

I am so sick to my stomach.
I do not want to talk to ANYONE for the rest of this week.

Never thought I'd feel the same way again just 10 years later (re Duncan).

hey mav
i feel the same exact way
honestly im almost as depressed about this as i was january 21st this yr (afc champ game)
i just cant believe it
i really cant

[zippo59]

I don't know a whole lot about basketball or the Celtics but I was watching an episode of friends from the first season so it was from 1993 or 94 and Joey was talking basketball with some woman and she said she loved the Celtics and he said they sucked and she said it was a rebuilding year. As I heard this I though, aren't they still saying their rebuilding? What have they been rebuilding for 13 years?

[BelichickFan]

You've still got the Patriots :D

[Sean Pa Patriot]

It has to be fixed, only for the simple fact that maybee they are trying to save the franchise in seattle ... Its just a big joke..

[upstater1]

I'll tell you why the Celtics are cursed - because they think the only way to improve their squad is to get lucky enough in the lottery to land the 1st pick. Maybe a decent coach and a good personnel guy could build a playoff contender, but that's just me.

Even with a great coach and a personnel man, you need a top dog to win. The only team to win without won in the last 20 years has been the Detroit Pistons.

A personnel man would have maybe kept Joe Johnson on this team, and would have stuck with Randy Foye over Sebastian Telfair. so you add Joe Johnson and Foye to this year's Celtics, and even with a top coach, you're still noweher near the top of the mountain.

You need luck. Twice, the Celtics had a chance at landing a once in a decade player, and twice they whiffed.

[Sean Pa Patriot]

You've still got the Patriots :D


Thank god for that, Im not big on the NBA, but grew up on Larry and the Celts and Lakers finals... Pats and the NFL are still it for me..

[upstater1]

I don't know a whole lot about basketball or the Celtics but I was watching an episode of friends from the first season so it was from 1993 or 94 and Joey was talking basketball with some woman and she said she loved the Celtics and he said they sucked and she said it was a rebuilding year. As I heard this I though, aren't they still saying their rebuilding? What have they been rebuilding for 13 years?

19 years, since Larry got a bad back.

Of course, in the meantime, Len Bias and Reggie Lewis died, and we let Joe Johnson and Chauncey Billups go.

[Ichiro]

Fire Ainge right now, tonight.

He let it get to this quagmire (trading for Lafrentz, Wally and Telfair). This franchise needs a clean slate. I am so pissed.

[zippo59]

19 years, since Larry got a bad back.

Of course, in the meantime, Len Bias and Reggie Lewis died, and we let Joe Johnson and Chauncey Billups go.

I guess it could be worse.

The Detroit Lions have been rebuilding since 1957.

[upstater1]

Really? Then how are you posting?

I'm posting with metaphorical hyperbolical fingers. You know what a metaphor is? Hyperbole? Dontcha.

Aw, never mind.

[SaCaCh]

Joe Johnson and Chauncey Billups go.

Joe can score, but has no heart, and 4 other teams let Chauncey go after us, we were not alone.

[upstater1]

I guess it could be worse.

The Detroit Lions have been rebuilding since 1957.

Yeah, but the Lions weren't the top franchise in the NFL before going into a rut.

Put it this way, imagine our Patriots winning 3 more Super Bowls over the next 5 years, then Tom Brady retires, Belcihcik leaves, and we lose consistently, rarely making the playoffs for the next 25 years, with no promise of improvement beyond that. I'll be 65 years old at that time.

Pretty bleak future for a once proud franchise.

I'm sure Detroit Lions fans have better things to worry about. They were never this invested in it anyway.

[patsfan55]

Even with a great coach and a personnel man, you need a top dog to win. The only team to win without won in the last 20 years has been the Detroit Pistons.

A personnel man would have maybe kept Joe Johnson on this team, and would have stuck with Randy Foye over Sebastian Telfair. so you add Joe Johnson and Foye to this year's Celtics, and even with a top coach, you're still noweher near the top of the mountain.

You need luck. Twice, the Celtics had a chance at landing a once in a decade player, and twice they whiffed.

but what sux is..its not their fault that they whiffed
thats whats so hard to swallow

[fair catch fryar]

This blows!! The NBA is dead to me.:bricks:

[Aldogg]

This team is cursed. First Len Bias ODs, then Lewis passes away before his time, the Duncan lottery and now this kick in the nuts. I try not to believe in curses, seeing how another local team was using one as a crutch for almost a century. Maybe we should sell the farm to Minnesota and pair up a hopefully healthy this year Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to make a run in a weak East.

[richpats]

The biggest losers here are the NBA, with their two big tickets now lost in the Northwest, squandered on two horrid teams that no one pays any attention too for 3 years till they move on.

Hey, nothing wrong with beefing up a good rivalry. Anything to overtake the Spurs or the Mavs, who have 2 of my most dispised figures in basketball (Duncan & Cuban).

[zippo59]

This team is cursed. First Len Bias ODs, then Lewis passes away before his time, the Duncan lottery and now this kick in the nuts. I try not to believe in curses, seeing how another local team was using one as a crutch for almost a century. Maybe we should sell the farm to Minnesota and pair up a hopefully healthy this year Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to make a run in a weak East.

Let's trade for another point guard!

[g-fresh]

I'm posting with metaphorical hyperbolical fingers. You know what a metaphor is? Hyperbole? Dontcha.

Aw, never mind.

Indeed I do, I also know that doing something literally rules out either of those. If you were literally sick to death then you would be dead, making posting very difficult. :)

That being said lets get back to cursing the NBA.

[Lockdown06]

if we take joakim noah now i really think i might stop following basketball

[dhamz]

I've never understood the whining for the last decade about Duncan - the Celtics were almost twice as likely not to get the top pick in that draft. They had something like a 36% chance.

Tonight, they were also more likely to finish outside the top 2 than to get a top 2 pick yet everyone acted like it was a lock.

[SeanBruschi54]

This team is cursed. First Len Bias ODs, then Lewis passes away before his time, the Duncan lottery and now this kick in the nuts. I try not to believe in curses, seeing how another local team was using one as a crutch for almost a century. Maybe we should sell the farm to Minnesota and pair up a hopefully healthy this year Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to make a run in a weak East.

Why is Asante Samuel your sig but says Maroney under it?:confused:

[Aldogg]

Let's trade for another point guard!

We have a point guard, we drafted Brandon Roy...wait, we traded that pick for Bassy Telfair and Tank Johnson's arsenal that Telfair brings with him everywhere.

[bronk37]

I have never thought Ainge was a good GM, if it was the NFL he would have been fired 2x in the time he has been taking the celtics to the bottom. Telfair, Lafrentz, Szerbiack.........these are players to get excited about common Ainge is a sad excuse for a GM. Doc Rivers is a journey man coach and all these youngsters they have are not getting any better unless it takes 6 years to develop players. I feel bad for Pierce I hope he forces his way out of that pathetic franchise so his talents are not wasted any loneger. Oh and to all the C's faithfull as much as A Walker was a jerk at least with him and Pierce we made playoffs instead of being bottom dwellers and sinking under ainge

[upstater1]

Indeed I do, I also know that doing something literally rules out either of those. If you were literally sick to death then you would be dead, making posting very difficult. :)

That being said lets get back to cursing the NBA.

Obviously, you don't know what hyperbole is. You wrote this didn't you: "If you were literally sick to death then you would be dead, making posting very difficult." Speaking hyperbolically is the opposite of speaking literally, get it?

[Warren94]

If I am wyc. I pay Doc his $5 Million, Last year for ainge and the fcking brain doctor

[BradyManny2344]

WTF. WTF. WTF. F-ing ping pong balls.

[Steamer86]

Maybe we can get the big man from China or Noah....whoooppppieeeeee

[jbb9s]

I dont know if the Celts deserve the first two picks after Ainge was seen sitting next to Durant's mother in the stands during Teaxs' sweet 16 game. Of course, Ainge was probably fined for inappropriate contact with a player's family but the funniest quote was from Durant's Mom herself when she was interviewed and asked about Ainge and said "no offense to that man, but I have no idea who he is."

That quote may be only trumpted by Rick Pitino, the year we lost out on Duncan even though we had Orlando's ping pong balls from an earlier trade and our own giving the Celts ridiculous odds at the #1. After getting shafted and taking Billups and Mercer, he said "we now have our dream backcourt for the next 10 years." Well, 3 yrs later, all three guys were history.

[upstater1]

if we take joakim noah now i really think i might stop following basketball

Maybe they'll luck out and draft Brandan Wright or Spencer Hawes.

[bronk37]

maybe Garnett will dissapear and resurface in the Cs locker room under a new alias and dominate the weak east

[onegr8om]

Doesn't it make you realize though how GREAT football actually is and how good its run?! In my mind, basketball and football are total OPPOSITES when it comes to being managed and marketed.

Football does it right and it seems so simple. Worst Team, 1st pick, PERIOD. I HATE the NBA and i'm DONE with the Celtics until the draft is made right.

[captain stone]

Just goes to show, I suppose, that trying to lose as many games as possible almost never works.

Besides, any team that trades #7 for Sebastian Telfair isn't exactly making its own luck, either. Or drafting Marcus Banks instead of Luke Ridnour. That Telfair trade will go down as one of the worst deals in franchise, and recent league, history. Ownership should never have allowed Ainge to pull the trigger on that one.

[zippo59]

I just found out that they got the worst pick they could mathematicaly get.

Wow, this team really is f^cked.

[maverick4]

OK, call me crazy, maybe I'm bitter, but hear me out:
Seattle and Portland both were considering moving due to declining fan bases. Atlanta could only keep their pick if it was in the top 3.
The 6 picks went, in order, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, and then the worst three teams for 4 through 6 in order.

Conspiracy anyone? I hate how they don't show the ping pong balls for everyone to see. It's all in secret and works out perfectly for the NBA in terms of franchise-helping.

David Stern hates the Celtics. Remember when Reggie Lewis died, the NBA gave the Celtics zero relief, and also made the Celts keep Lewis' cap space on the team until his contract ran out?

[upstater1]

OK, call me crazy, maybe I'm bitter, but hear me out:
Seattle and Portland both were considering moving due to declining fan bases. Atlanta could only keep their pick if it was in the top 3.
The 6 picks went, in order, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, and then the worst three teams for 4 through 6 in order.

Conspiracy anyone? I hate how they don't show the ping pong balls for everyone to see. It's all in secret and works out perfectly for the NBA in terms of franchise-helping.

David Stern hates the Celtics. Remember when Reggie Lewis died, the NBA gave the Celtics zero relief, and also made the Celts keep Lewis' cap space on the team until his contract ran out?


i don't buy it. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are going to be megastars in the NBA. Sticking them in the Northwest is going to do ZERO for marketing this league. You couldn't have picked two more moribund franchises for them to play at. the only ones with more snooze factor are the Jazz, the Hornets, the Milwaukee Bucks.

This is horrible for the NBA because these two guys are lights out fantastic college players.

[pats1]

Just when I thought it might be time for the NBA to become relevant to me again, the rug is pulled right out from behind my feet.

[brdmaverick]

I smell conspiracy theory.....comissioner David Stern sticks it the teams that were supposedly tanking games at the end of the year

Memphis, Boston, and Milwaukee.......NO Oden or Durant for you!

[BradyManny2344]

I dont know if the Celts deserve the first two picks after Ainge was seen sitting next to Durant's mother in the stands during Teaxs' sweet 16 game.

First, Ainge has said that was a complete accident, and by all accounts that seems to be the case. Secondly, who gives a crap if he was next to Durant's mother?!

I don't get the Ainge hate. The Telfair trade backfired, but you can't blame him for the ping pong balls. If we get #1 or #2, we matter again.

As it is, looks like we could continue to be stuck in the never ending cycle of mediocrity that the NBA and their stupid lottery perpetuates.....:mad:

[Pats726]

I have never thought Ainge was a good GM, if it was the NFL he would have been fired 2x in the time he has been taking the celtics to the bottom. Telfair, Lafrentz, Szerbiack.........these are players to get excited about common Ainge is a sad excuse for a GM. Doc Rivers is a journey man coach and all these youngsters they have are not getting any better unless it takes 6 years to develop players. I feel bad for Pierce I hope he forces his way out of that pathetic franchise so his talents are not wasted any loneger. Oh and to all the C's faithfull as much as A Walker was a jerk at least with him and Pierce we made playoffs instead of being bottom dwellers and sinking under aingeWait a minute...you made my points...he IS a sad excuse....to me more like Pitino in green...
I will NEVER forget about Pitino..he came in as a savior..and I believed it all..in teh early days of the net for me...I came across someone from Kentucky in a chatroom...RP had been just been in Boston for a few years coaching..but still there was great hope here From what he said, he felt that RP was MORE of a used car salesman and just that all hype no substance and...well how did it turn out??
Ainge is just teh same..only in Green..I ALSO feel bad for Pierce..get out leave..they'll be many years before you see "deep into the playoffs".. Ainge has NO idea what it takes to make up a team..ZERO....closer to the old Clippers..than anything else....and Walker and Pierce made it...but??? Say bye bye Danny...

[maverick4]

This whole thing stinks of a set up. The worst 3 records were punished for tanking. Portland and Seattle had the two lowest fan bases and so the league gave them the 2 top picks in order to revive those teams.

[BoltsFan]

While there actually does seem to be some sort of nebulous connection with regard to the Celtics and Bias I see no curse. Well? That is prior to Bias. :D

I have ZERO sympathy for Boston fans. You won EIGHT titles in a row and STILL have the league leading total of SIXTEEN titles. Please do not be :singing:
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to." :singing:

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Think back 10 yrs ago.. If we got the 1 and 3 pick .. and say Larry Brown instead of Rick Pitino was coach.. and then we keep a Joe Johnson, Chancy Billiups and have Tim Duncan... Oh well I woke up now ,and found out the NBA is still irrelevent to me..

[chunkypony]

Just when I thought it might be time for the NBA to become relevant to me again, the rug is pulled right out from behind my feet.

I agree, I want to throw up.

[patsfan55]

First, Ainge has said that was a complete accident, and by all accounts that seems to be the case. Secondly, who gives a crap if he was next to Durant's mother?!

I don't get the Ainge hate. The Telfair trade backfired, but you can't blame him for the ping pong balls. If we get #1 or #2, we matter again.

As it is, looks like we could continue to be stuck in the never ending cycle of mediocrity that the NBA and their stupid lottery perpetuates.....:mad:

i agree
i never quite understood why everyone hates ainge
yes he has screwed up on some trades
but his drafts have been amazing
go take a look at his drafts and see the players picked around the guys we got
one time he did get lucky though, if robert swift were also available when jefferson was picked we prob woulda taken swift

looking at the trades: the eric williams and i think battie for ricky davis move was brilliant, the ricky davis and blount for wally kinda sucked, but they had to move blount
the antoine for lafrentz was the dumbest by far, and made us have to do the number 7 for telfair (which was awful of course)...i wanted rudy gay (then boston coulda had two r gays...yikes...not that theres anything wrong with that), but the c's mighta done what portland did (no not get greg oden) trade up one pick to get brandon roy

overall i really dont think he's done a bad job...the guy i want gone is herman...i mean doc rivers

seriously, does anyone else think rivers is the nba version of herman edwards
both are nice guys
both get along great with the players, are good with the media
both are ex very good players
both are terrible when it comes to x's and o's
both get completely out-coached when it comes to the playoffs (unless you coach against schottenheimer)
hopefully doc will follow herm's path and leave the green and white

[patsfan55]

While there actually does seem to be some sort of nebulous connection with regard to the Celtics and Bias I see no curse. Well? That is prior to Bias. :D

I have ZERO sympathy for Boston fans. You won EIGHT titles in a row and STILL have the league leading total of SIXTEEN titles. Please do not be :singing:
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to." :singing:

well for guys like me (born in 1984) we dont exactly remember the good ole days

to add to that eight in a row..we won 11 out of 13
lol, russell ran out of fingers

[RPCity]

Anybody posting in this thread about how the NBA is dead to them because they just got the #5 pick after finishing with a poor record...how do you post that on a Pats message board when we're constantly defending ourselves against not being front runners? I mean really?

Secondly, we (yes, I'm a Trail Blazers fan. I live in Portland), finished with the worst record in 2005-06. What pick did we get? #4. Every team has a better chance of finishing out of the top 3 than in the top three. That's what people don't understand about the lottery. Even though you had a 30-something percent chance of getting the #1 or #2 picks.....that still left something like a 70% chance of getting 3 or lower. And that's how it happened. We went over and over this last season on the Blazers boards. We were upset about it for a few days, but then we went out and our GM had us the best draft in the league. Even if you ignore the Roy trade....we still pulled out LaMarcus Aldridge and Sergio Rodriguez.

Plus....good lord. Your freaking team has won more championships than any other franchise in professional sports! Outside of maybe the Yankees. You have one of the best small forwards in the league! You won your division just two years ago....You were in the conference finals just a couple years before that! Don't give me this "whoa is me" stuff. This is the one of the deepest drafts ever. Look at who you can get. And go get them! You're the freaking BOSTON CELTICS. Not the LA Clippers!

[dhamz]

David Stern hates the Celtics. Remember when Reggie Lewis died, the NBA gave the Celtics zero relief, and also made the Celts keep Lewis' cap space on the team until his contract ran out?

Ah, the Dave Gavitt damage control myth. The one that says the lack of cap relief was unfairly applied to the Celtics. Of course, at the time the CBA did not provide cap relief under any circumstances - death, career ending injury, etc. They got the same treatment every team was getting at the time when players had reasons that ended their career.

It was a cover for Gavitt who was a total incompetent but loved by the media so it has been run with over the years as fact that the Celtics got unfair treatment. Gavitt was the anti-BB with the Boston media - a slacker who spent more time playing golf with his cronies than trying to run the team but was teflon because he retruned any reporters calls. Doc Rivers is the same way today.

[QuiGon]

This whole thing stinks of a set up. The worst 3 records were punished for tanking. Portland and Seattle had the two lowest fan bases and so the league gave them the 2 top picks in order to revive those teams. Yeah.. sure... because the NBA would rather send 2 future stars to Portland and Seattle over, say, Chicago, Philly, Atlanta or Boston.

Yeah, that makes sense :rolleyes:

[Real World]

Fire Ainge right now, tonight.

He let it get to this quagmire (trading for Lafrentz, Wally and Telfair). This franchise needs a clean slate. I am so pissed.

Ainge isn't the problem. the 15+ years before he got here were. Look where Ainge has drafted, and look at the talentless roster he inherrited. Sure Aquiring Lafrentz was a bad move, but it's not like we were headed anywhere good at that point. To this point, Ainge's highest pick was #13, save for the #7 he traded last year. BTW, Roy is a Ron Mercer wannabe, remember that. Ainge has an eye for talent.

[scout]

The end result is, the Celts will have a new player who is either a starter or in the rotation (hopefully at least a sixth man). I don't see Danny going for a rookie who needs development, which rules out quite a few of the top players. I could see a trade for a very good veteran who would start giving the Celts a good starting five. Pierce is exceptional, Jefferson is on the verge of being a force night in and out, X player in trade, could mean Wally is the fourth best player starting. I'm just trying to keep my food down.

[Real World]

We have a point guard, we drafted Brandon Roy...wait, we traded that pick for Bassy Telfair and Tank Johnson's arsenal that Telfair brings with him everywhere.

Ainge didn't trade Telfair for Roy as much as he traded Lafrentz's $36 million over 3 years for Roy. Plus, Ainge drafted Rondo at #23 who will be far better than Roy in a couple of years. How did Ainge get Rondo? By trading Jiri Welsch to Cleveland for a 1st round pick. Ainge wanted Rondo in the lottery as he liked him better than those players available at #7. Ainge's trades are mediocre, but his eye for talent is uncanny.

[Real World]

Just goes to show, I suppose, that trying to lose as many games as possible almost never works.

Besides, any team that trades #7 for Sebastian Telfair isn't exactly making its own luck, either. Or drafting Marcus Banks instead of Luke Ridnour. That Telfair trade will go down as one of the worst deals in franchise, and recent league, history. Ownership should never have allowed Ainge to pull the trigger on that one.

They traded $36 million for #7 and still got their man at #23 in Rondo. Roy is overrated. Ainge never liked him. Ron Mercer.

[Real World]

i don't buy it. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are going to be megastars in the NBA. Sticking them in the Northwest is going to do ZERO for marketing this league. You couldn't have picked two more moribund franchises for them to play at. the only ones with more snooze factor are the Jazz, the Hornets, the Milwaukee Bucks.

This is horrible for the NBA because these two guys are lights out fantastic college players.

Stars are marketable whereever they go. Do you think Cleveland is a marquee city? San Antonio? Great players + winning = marketability.

[Real World]

Wait a minute...you made my points...he IS a sad excuse....to me more like Pitino in green...
I will NEVER forget about Pitino..he came in as a savior..and I believed it all..in teh early days of the net for me...I came across someone from Kentucky in a chatroom...RP had been just been in Boston for a few years coaching..but still there was great hope here From what he said, he felt that RP was MORE of a used car salesman and just that all hype no substance and...well how did it turn out??
Ainge is just teh same..only in Green..I ALSO feel bad for Pierce..get out leave..they'll be many years before you see "deep into the playoffs".. Ainge has NO idea what it takes to make up a team..ZERO....closer to the old Clippers..than anything else....and Walker and Pierce made it...but??? Say bye bye Danny...

Danny Ainge is Rick Pitino? Do you even know basketball?

[Pats726]

Ainge isn't the problem. the 15+ years before he got here were. .......Ainge has an eye for talent. I do not see Ainge as having done anything good...an eye for talent? That is silly...for it takes MORE to win a championship than talent....He knows ZERO about what it takes for a team to be built and win. The team he took over and dismantled
piece by piece was a lot closer to a championship than anything he has done...He clearly is pitiful as a GM. Ask teh Clippers about winning and what it takes..talent..seems like they havea lot..drafting and getting players but they still are miles away.

[Pats726]

i agree
i never quite understood why everyone hates ainge
yes he has screwed up on some trades
but his drafts have been amazing
go take a look at his drafts and see the players picked around the guys we got
one time he did get lucky though, if robert swift were also available when jefferson was picked we prob woulda taken swift

Ainge amazing?? he's feeble and knows little about what it takes for a team to be built.."amazing" drafts?? That's why the team still is pitiful;...they had role players before..knew how to play D and play as a team..and he broke that up..HIS way has done little for the team..the quicker he is gone..the quicker the team will win a championship..

[dhamz]

i agree
i never quite understood why everyone hates ainge
yes he has screwed up on some trades
but his drafts have been amazing


Jefferson was a great pick.

Except for that - what is the amazing part?

The 2006 draft? It was a complete disaster where Danny used 2 #1 picks (one the 7th overall) and now has Rondo to show for it.

Is it Gerald Green a talented kid who fell into their lap and has yet to show any understanding of how to play basketball?

For all the talk about Ainge's drafting skills he has picked 1 guy who should be starting in the NBA. West, Gomes, Perkins, Allen, etc. are nice 6-9th men on a good team. They only play so many minutes in Boston because Danny's trades that were supposed to get starters have not worked.

You know what is amazing - the Patriots get more criticism for their personnel moves in this town than the Celtics. The only possible reason for that is that Danny is media freindly. His resume is that of a guy who should be fired.

[scout]

Jefferson was a great pick.

Except for that - what is the amazing part?

The 2006 draft? It was a complete disaster where Danny used 2 #1 picks (one the 7th overall) and now has Rondo to show for it.

Is it Gerald Green a talented kid who fell into their lap and has yet to show any understanding of how to play basketball?

For all the talk about Ainge's drafting skills he has picked 1 guy who should be starting in the NBA. West, Gomes, Perkins, Allen, etc. are nice 6-9th men on a good team. They only play so many minutes in Boston because Danny's trades that were supposed to get starters have not worked.

You know what is amazing - the Patriots get more criticism for their personnel moves in this town than the Celtics. The only possible reason for that is that Danny is media freindly. His resume is that of a guy who should be fired.

Ainge is a great judge of talent. The problem is when you don't draft in the extreme top of the draft, your not going to get all stars or even starters. Ryan Gomes, 2nd round and the 20th pick. That is pretty amazing. Tony Allen was the 25th pick of the first round (I hope your not comparing basketball to football drafts). Gerald Green was the 18th pick first round, was there a better choice using this pick? Kendrick Perkins 27th pick first round. Leon Powe, 19th pick..........2nd round. Allen Ray was not drafted. Rajon Rondo 21st pick of the first round. Delonte West 24th pick of first round. Look at other NBA rosters and then tell me how bad Danny is doing.

[dhamz]

Look at other NBA rosters and then tell me how bad Danny is doing.

He has 2 NBA starters on his roster. Call it 2 1/2 for the 40 games a year you get out of Wally. Exactly 3 guys on the roster have any trade value for reasons that don't involve expriring contracts. His tenure has included zero playoff series wins. I'd say he is doing pretty darn bad.

[scout]

He has 2 NBA starters on his roster. Call it 2 1/2 for the 40 games a year you get out of Wally. Exactly 3 guys on the roster have any trade value for reasons that don't involve expriring contracts. His tenure has included zero playoff series wins. I'd say he is doing pretty darn bad.

The Celtics have been in salary cap hell before he got there. In addition they did not have a championship caliber team. When you draft from the mid-range back you are not going to build one. That is why it was so disappointing that they didn't get the number one or two pick. I was hoping you would comment on the draft again.

[dhamz]

The Celtics have been in salary cap hell before he got there.

Who was it that traded for Raef Lefrentz and his terrible contract? Who signed Mark Blount to that ridiculous extension? Who brought in Wally and his bad deal?

The only guy left from the previous regimes is Pierce. The cap issues the team still has are 100% Danny's.

In addition they did not have a championship caliber team. When you draft from the mid-range back you are not going to build one.


The Pistons seem to have been a championship contending team for years and I don't recall them picking any of their difference makers early in the draft. The only high pick they had was Darko who contributed nothing. Dallas seems to have done just fine building a really good team without picking high. The Suns have no one higher than the 9th pick on their roster.

Certainly all those teams have great players they have acquired in various ways that did not include a top pick. They show that there are ways to build a contender that do not involve praying that you get a top 2 pick which appears to have been the Celtics most recent plan. Or is KG the most recent? When your GM has a dozen plans in 5 years it is tough to keep up.

[scout]

Who was it that traded for Raef Lefrentz and his terrible contract? Who signed Mark Blount to that ridiculous extension? Who brought in Wally and his bad deal?

The only guy left from the previous regimes is Pierce. The cap issues the team still has are 100% Danny's.




The Pistons seem to have been a championship contending team for years and I don't recall them picking any of their difference makers early in the draft. The only high pick they had was Darko who contributed nothing. Dallas seems to have done just fine building a really good team without picking high. The Suns have no one higher than the 9th pick on their roster.

Certainly all those teams have great players they have acquired in various ways that did not include a top pick. They show that there are ways to build a contender that do not involve praying that you get a top 2 pick which appears to have been the Celtics most recent plan. Or is KG the most recent? When your GM has a dozen plans in 5 years it is tough to keep up.

Nice cherry picking. Joe Dumars did a great job in selecting players to win a championship. Any other champions without a low draft choice? San Antonio/Tim Duncan; Miami Heat/Wade; Spurs/Duncan; Detroit/ none; Lakers/Bryant x3; Spurs/Duncan; Bulls/Jordanx3; Rockets/Hakkeem x2;Bulls/Jordanx3; Detroit/Thomas. The list continues with champions and the low draft picks. The highest pick was 13 with Kobe Bryant. West gambled with a draft day trade by taking a young player and obviously paid off (this was before it was vogue). Going back to your original statement of Ainge not being able to draft talent, I would suggest otherwise. With what he's had to pick with, he's done a heck of a job.

[dhamz]

Ainge's drafting has been better than some and worse than others. It is nothing to get overly excited about. You just have very low stadards for Ainge. When a GM has presided over 4 drafts and 2 of them have been bad, how he is amazing at the draft?

2003 was very close to a complete disaster. Banks was a horrible pick. There is no debating that. Perkins is a serviceable backup big man which is typically all you can hope for late in round 1. The problem with that in 2003 was it was a very deep draft and the two guys picked right after Perk were Barbosa and Howard who are significantly better players.

2004 was very good. Jefferson has the look of a 2nd tier all star. Allen and West while overrated by a lot of Celtics fans are guys who can crack the rotation for any team in the league. The draft was so good that 3 years later people seem to think it is the norm for Ainge drafts.

2005 is a mixed bag. Gomes was a good pick in round 2. Green who fell into their lap is still a huge question mark. So far he has flashed both the tools the had him projected as high as #3 and the lack of feel for the game that had him fall to 18. It was a no brainer pick that so far hasn't paid any dividends but could if Green ever figures it out.

2006 was awful. They used 2 #1 picks including the highest pick to date in the Ainge era to end up with 2 back-up point guards one of whom the owner has already declared will never play for the team again.

[dhamz]

Nice cherry picking. Joe Dumars did a great job in selecting players to win a championship. Any other champions without a low draft choice? San Antonio/Tim Duncan; Miami Heat/Wade; Spurs/Duncan; Detroit/ none; Lakers/Bryant x3; Spurs/Duncan; Bulls/Jordanx3; Rockets/Hakkeem x2;Bulls/Jordanx3; Detroit/Thomas. The list continues with champions and the low draft picks. The highest pick was 13 with Kobe Bryant. West gambled with a draft day trade by taking a young player and obviously paid off (this was before it was vogue). Going back to your original statement of Ainge not being able to draft talent, I would suggest otherwise. With what he's had to pick with, he's done a heck of a job.

In your answer here is you've explained why you think Ainge couldn't have built a title team without a top pick. I still don't buy it when 2 of the 3 best teams in the NBA were not built at the top of the draft.

Even if I did buy it, does that mean you are destined to get worse without that pick like the Celtics have under Danny?

You still haven't explained why in 4 years he couldn't acquire more than 1 true starting caliber player to go with Pierce (2 if you are delusional enough to think Wally will ever stay healthy) and why he can't build a team to win a playoff series or two in a conference that is terrible.

Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, New Jersey, and Indiana seem to have been able to make some noise in the playoffs in recent years without getting those top few picks. Why can't Danny? The truth is he took over a flawed team that really only had 2 players with any real trade value but had won 3 playoff series the previous two years. He's built an even more flawed team with only 3 players with any real trade value (although if Green doesn't improve a lot in year 3 that goes down to 2) and never won a playoff series.

[scout]

In your answer here is you've explained why you think Ainge couldn't have built a title team without a top pick. I still don't buy it when 2 of the 3 best teams in the NBA were not built at the top of the draft.

Even if I did buy it, does that mean you are destined to get worse without that pick like the Celtics have under Danny?

You still haven't explained why in 4 years he couldn't acquire more than 1 true starting caliber player to go with Pierce (2 if you are delusional enough to think Wally will ever stay healthy) and why he can't build a team to win a playoff series or two in a conference that is terrible.

Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, New Jersey, and Indiana seem to have been able to make some noise in the playoffs in recent years without getting those top few picks. Why can't Danny? The truth is he took over a flawed team that really only had 2 players with any real trade value but had won 3 playoff series the previous two years. He's built an even more flawed team with only 3 players with any real trade value (although if Green doesn't improve a lot in year 3 that goes down to 2) and never won a playoff series.
Your kidding right. Detriot's glory days are over. As I mentioned, Dumars did a great job building that team without top draft choices, but no one else has won a championship without a top pick. Dallas has done well, but not championship level. The Celtics wanted Dirk over Pierce, but picked right after them. Phoenix drafted Amare Stoudemire with the ninth pick. New Jersey sucks, give me a break. Indiana, another lottery team in waiting. If Danny doesn't do anything after picking fifth, then he deserves critism. When one team wins a championship without a top pick, it doesn't mean that the Celtics GM sucks because he hasn't in his 4 years. Give me a break. BTW, playoff wins dosen't mean squat, championships is all that matters.

[dhamz]

If Danny doesn't do anything after picking fifth, then he deserves critism.

So is 5th the cut off? How about doing less than nothing with the 7th pick last year?

[Real World]

Ainge is a great judge of talent. The problem is when you don't draft in the extreme top of the draft, your not going to get all stars or even starters. Ryan Gomes, 2nd round and the 20th pick. That is pretty amazing. Tony Allen was the 25th pick of the first round (I hope your not comparing basketball to football drafts). Gerald Green was the 18th pick first round, was there a better choice using this pick? Kendrick Perkins 27th pick first round. Leon Powe, 19th pick..........2nd round. Allen Ray was not drafted. Rajon Rondo 21st pick of the first round. Delonte West 24th pick of first round. Look at other NBA rosters and then tell me how bad Danny is doing.

This pick, this year at #5, is the highest draft choice Ainge has ever had. He's drafted in the teens and 20's since he's been GM, and his players are certifiable NBA talents, with one of them a budding all-star. Now, take Chicago/Clippers/Atlanta etc. and look at how gross they've been (chicago save for the last two years) and look at where they've drafted to boot. They've constantly had top 5 picks, whereas the C's have not.

[Real World]

He has 2 NBA starters on his roster. Call it 2 1/2 for the 40 games a year you get out of Wally. Exactly 3 guys on the roster have any trade value for reasons that don't involve expriring contracts. His tenure has included zero playoff series wins. I'd say he is doing pretty darn bad.

You really need to understand the cap to see what Ainge has lined up the salaries the way he has. He has to resign Jefferson & Co, and by having those bigger, shorter term deals, he'll be able to sign those guys.

[Real World]

Nice cherry picking. Joe Dumars did a great job in selecting players to win a championship. Any other champions without a low draft choice? San Antonio/Tim Duncan; Miami Heat/Wade; Spurs/Duncan; Detroit/ none; Lakers/Bryant x3; Spurs/Duncan; Bulls/Jordanx3; Rockets/Hakkeem x2;Bulls/Jordanx3; Detroit/Thomas. The list continues with champions and the low draft picks. The highest pick was 13 with Kobe Bryant. West gambled with a draft day trade by taking a young player and obviously paid off (this was before it was vogue). Going back to your original statement of Ainge not being able to draft talent, I would suggest otherwise. With what he's had to pick with, he's done a heck of a job.

How'd Dumars do with the #2 pick a coupel of years ago.

[Real World]

Ainge's drafting has been better than some and worse than others. It is nothing to get overly excited about. You just have very low stadards for Ainge. When a GM has presided over 4 drafts and 2 of them have been bad, how he is amazing at the draft?

2003 was very close to a complete disaster. Banks was a horrible pick. There is no debating that. Perkins is a serviceable backup big man which is typically all you can hope for late in round 1. The problem with that in 2003 was it was a very deep draft and the two guys picked right after Perk were Barbosa and Howard who are significantly better players.

2004 was very good. Jefferson has the look of a 2nd tier all star. Allen and West while overrated by a lot of Celtics fans are guys who can crack the rotation for any team in the league. The draft was so good that 3 years later people seem to think it is the norm for Ainge drafts.

2005 is a mixed bag. Gomes was a good pick in round 2. Green who fell into their lap is still a huge question mark. So far he has flashed both the tools the had him projected as high as #3 and the lack of feel for the game that had him fall to 18. It was a no brainer pick that so far hasn't paid any dividends but could if Green ever figures it out.

2006 was awful. They used 2 #1 picks including the highest pick to date in the Ainge era to end up with 2 back-up point guards one of whom the owner has already declared will never play for the team again.

have you looked at the players drafted after the C's in those drafts?

www.nbadraft.net

Check out the history, and see who was there that is better.

[Pats726]

Ainge is a great judge of talent. Even if one concedes he knows how to draft players..(and I will not concede that.) Winning an NBA championship has more to do with building a team than drafting talent...If one looks at MANY of the teams that have drafted high year after year..they have so called GOOD players but win zippo..why?? It has to do with team..and Ainge does not understand that. Why is it that the best Celtic team in years was dismantled by him because he knew better...AND he hasn''t come close since. But then again, that is why he needs to go..

[Real World]

Even if one concedes he knows how to draft players..(and I will not concede that.) Winning an NBA championship has more to do with building a team than drafting talent...If one looks at MANY of the teams that have drafted high year after year..they have so called GOOD players but win zippo..why?? It has to do with team..and Ainge does not understand that. Why is it that the best Celtic team in years was dismantled by him because he knew better...AND he hasn''t come close since. But then again, that is why he needs to go..

Huh? One of the best Celtics teams in years? That team was awefull. They played in the Leastern Conferance, and went to it's finals. Whoopdie doo. That team sucked, and most everyone knew that. Also, you can't build a team without talent. The talent is first necessary so you can actually aquire the peices to build the team you feel will compete. The only reason the Celtics are in the conversation for marquee players this offseason is because DA has designed it that way. Expiring contracts, picks, and most importantly young talent that he drafted.

[Pats726]

Huh? One of the best Celtics teams in years? That team was awefull. They played in the Leastern Conferance, and went to it's finals. Whoopdie doo. That team sucked, and most everyone knew that. Also, you can't build a team without talent. The talent is first necessary so you can actually aquire the peices to build the team you feel will compete. The only reason the Celtics are in the conversation for marquee players this offseason is because DA has designed it that way. Expiring contracts, picks, and most importantly young talent that he drafted. You are like Ainge.. someone who has NO idea what a team is made of... awful..?? Better than the crap Ainge has thrown out ten fold..It's idiots like you who have no perspective at all about this team...If that team was awful and sucked..then what do you call ALL the years under Ainge?? Nothing CLOSE to what was there pal...Go licj AInge's shoes some more..he'll love it. What has Ainge done? NOTHING..the team is NO CLOSER..but you wouldn't know the difference anyway..keep following them down the losing path...I don't waste my time...as long as Ainge is there teh Green will be irrelevant

[VJCPatriot]

I don't believe in a curse.
The Celtics have been plagued by bad management over the past decade however. Wallace, Gaston, Pitino. Do those names ring a bell?
Ainge and Doc have yet to improve the Celtics fortune, but at least Wallace is gone now.

[scout]

You are like Ainge.. someone who has NO idea what a team is made of... awful..?? Better than the crap Ainge has thrown out ten fold..It's idiots like you who have no perspective at all about this team...If that team was awful and sucked..then what do you call ALL the years under Ainge?? Nothing CLOSE to what was there pal...Go licj AInge's shoes some more..he'll love it. What has Ainge done? NOTHING..the team is NO CLOSER..but you wouldn't know the difference anyway..keep following them down the losing path...I don't waste my time...as long as Ainge is there teh Green will be irrelevant
Good, I guess you won't be posting here anymore.

[Pats726]

Good, I guess you won't be posting here anymore. Fans that support Ainge just encourage the crap the Green have become..welcome to the East version of the Clippers..total losers!! Still waiting for Ainge to show something..so far he's as bad as Pitino..disgracing what was once a championship franchise...

[JackPMiller]

It will never happen, but if I were the GM of the Celtics, and I was allowed to make the deals, drafts, etc., the Celtics would be in the finals within 5 years.

But I doubt I will get a call from anyone in the NBA, and I have stated that it is hard to expalin the salary cap thing, but I know it, but as I said, can't explain it, and I know alot of the guys in the NBA as well.

Just wanted to throw that out. So, if I see I want JackPMiller from Reading, PA as the new GM signs at the Garden, then maybe that will get thier attention.

[VJCPatriot]

Ok I take it back. Maybe there is a curse... or a minor hex at least. :D
(woot got the 100th post of the thread)

[Pats726]

Huh? One of the best Celtics teams in years? That team was awefull. They played in the Leastern Conferance, and went to it's finals. Whoopdie doo. That team sucked, and most everyone knew that. . Okay Mr Know it all.. you can spit on tha team all you wish..sayt that te team is awful that it sucks.. but what team was better than that team in the last 15 years?? You can say big deal to it all...and make fun of that but Danny Boy has yet to get to that point at all..so you are basically worshipping the manure that is now celtic basketball. so while you mock what that team has done..the it''s been the best team in years. ..and if you really KNEW the game you would agree.
Let's start
92/93----48-34 That was the first year without Bird..Reggie Lewis collapsed in the playoffs..died that summer. 48-34 Not bad..maybe that team MIGHT have been better..but that is a long way in the past.
93/94----32-50 A year without McHale and Lewis and did not make teh playoffs. A big drop down.
94/95----35-47----Last team in the playoffs; last year at the Garden..eliminated quickly. ONLY a bit better, but hardly a good team.
95/96----33-49..ML Carr took over and again a drop.
96/97----15-67 A pitiful low point in Celtic history. The Celts do not get Duncan---Pitino comes to the rescue...sort of
97/98----36-46--Walker is a bright spot as the team improves a great deal, but still is in need in many positions.
98/99----19-31 Short season..paul Pierce slides down in the draft and is a steal.
99/00---35/47 Again, moves by Pitino but really very little traction and solid play.
01/02---36/46 Pitino leaves after a few months, OBrien takes over and the team seems to be starting to play better,
02/03---49-33 O'Brien's first year and the team gels and gets to teh East Finals. Certainly the best team in many years before or aft. They played as a unit..TEAM basketball and while they were in need of a point guard or big man, the team had the other parts together.
03/04---44/38 Almost on par with the former team, they went out in the second round as Danny Boy cut the team's knees off emotionally with his entrance into the scene.
04/05---36-46 Danny's first year, basically dismantling the team while they raised prices because it was a playoff team LOL
05/06---45-37 Doc's first year..a late Walker infusion helped get the team to the playoffs, but down to defeat in teh second round.
06/07----33-49 More moving pieces around and gpoing backward...
07/08----24-58...even worse as the continued not to improve.

So what team was better than the 02/03 team that you claim sucked?? and was awful?? That team played D..and had role players..and while they did NEED a point guard and a big man..with those they would have gone further..but Danyy Boy knew better and dismantled the team..and has built nada.
Also, you can't build a team without talent. The talent is first necessary so you can actually aquire the peices to build the team you feel will compete. . As much as you need talent..you need to have a concept of what a team is..look at the Grizzlies, the Clippers and many teams that have talented players..they draft high and do little..why?? That Celtic team also played D...now the team knows D as the letter after C..It is pathetic!! They have no concept of team and roles in teh team and none of playing D.
reason the Celtics are in the conversation for marquee players this offseason is because DA has designed it that way. Expiring contracts, picks, and most importantly young talent that he drafted. And the marque players are going to help?? LOL...Allen is a solid player..but hardly fills in with what is needed. The team will win a few more games..but that is it. What is sickening is how so many support a product that stinks..and is no better. I see on thr board many who make fun of the Lion fans and support their totally awful management...I agre they should NOT..and it is why it is no better. If they walked away I think things would change there. Same with fraud Ainge. Keep supporting him and see what happens..the same as what he has done since he got here nada. Be smarter than you are and supporting manure.

[scout]

That 03-04 team was deeply flawed and there was no way it was ever going to win a championship (nothing else matters). This was the same team from the year before. The team lived and died on the 3 point shot. When it played NJ. in the playoffs, two key members of the Celtics would never be the same players. First, A. Walker was destroyed, no amount of counseling or sports psychology was ever going to help him overcome the thrashing he endured in this series. Secondly, Paul Pierce was being mentioned in the same breath as Kobe Bryant prior to this series. As good as Paul has been, he was also knocked down a peg in this series and was never mentioned again as one of the best. The current team Ainge has assembled has a better chance of going deeper into the playoffs then that team that you heap praise on.

[Pats726]

That 03-04 team was deeply flawed and there was no way it was ever going to win a championship (nothing else matters). That team as it consisted wouldn't have..BUT I also would not expect a REAL GM would leave it as it was and to DO what it takes to get players TO win a championship. What that team was missing was a poiint guard and a defensive center/rebounder. The team played defense and was a strong cohesive unit. Ainge wanted to do it his way and destroyed the team...all along telling the fans that THAT wasn't what he was doing.
This was the same team from the year before. The team lived and died on the 3 point shot. When it played NJ. in the playoffs, two key members of the Celtics would never be the same players. First, A. Walker was destroyed, no amount of counseling or sports psychology was ever going to help him overcome the thrashing he endured in this series. Secondly, Paul Pierce was being mentioned in the same breath as Kobe Bryant prior to this series. As good as Paul has been, he was also knocked down a peg in this series and was never mentioned again as one of the best.
That was the series when Danny Boy was introduced as the new GM. I believe his entrance into things totally undercut what the team was about. The coaches, players knew the ax was coming on all of them. What blame do you put on that poor timed announcement?? I'm not sure the team would have won the series but never would they have been so pitiful. In a game that is very emotional, cutting the teams knees off, having players and coaches wonder about their future basically killed that team. It was one of the worst momnents in Celtics history. Undercutting one's own team in the playoffs is never a good idea; he should have been named AFTER the series was over. That you think two players went down a great deal because of that series is interesting..but it also points to the entrance of Mr Ainge. It was difficult playing the Nets, but being distracted by the entrance of a new GM who totally hated a few on the team, had to have contributed a great deal to what occured in that series.
The current team Ainge has assembled has a better chance of going deeper into the playoffs then that team that you heap praise on. The current team even WITH the Allen trade is going nowhere...better chance as it stands??? NADA...A real GM would have seen that the team was very cohesive but had only a few needs and over the next few years would have gotten the parts to go the distance. O'Brien's teams played D...these teams are like matadors...can't stop anyone. This team is laughable even with Allen. Just good enough to keep his rearend in town; in many he would be GONE!!! Keep worshiping what Danny is doing and the mediocrity will continue. And if nothing else matters..you are insuring a championship will not happen in the near future.

[scout]

Fine, you vehemently dislike Ainge. And your reasoning on why Walker and Pierce weaknesses were exposed, thus undercutting them as players that they were to become, was because..............of the announcement of the New GM! Bravo, someone's credibility has been exposed. I guess we will have to wait for this season to play out and see who eats crow.

[Pats726]

Fine, you vehemently dislike Ainge. And your reasoning on why Walker and Pierce weaknesses were exposed, thus undercutting them as players that they were to become, was because..............of the announcement of the New GM! Bravo, someone's credibility has been exposed. I guess we will have to wait for this season to play out and see who eats crow.I doubt they'll be much crow eating..there will be no banner for a long time..the team will improve, get fannies in teh seats, generate a lot of pub, but having 3 aging stars is NOT an equation of winning a championsip..far from it..it will get lots of hope up..but will fall short...but the Celtic fans that are excited know nothing of past championships and what it takes to win it all...Yes, Ryan is sort of back on board..but prematurely..the team will be better of course (can't get much worse..) but it's all about getting fannies in the seats..generating a buzz...hope..but to me it's all false hope..until Ainge actually wins something..puts up another banner, he's just a punk with an overinflated ego who knows nothing..

[scout]

I doubt they'll be much crow eating..there will be no banner for a long time..the team will improve, get fannies in teh seats, generate a lot of pub, but having 3 aging stars is NOT an equation of winning a championsip..far from it..it will get lots of hope up..but will fall short...but the Celtic fans that are excited know nothing of past championships and what it takes to win it all...Yes, Ryan is sort of back on board..but prematurely..the team will be better of course (can't get much worse..) but it's all about getting fannies in the seats..generating a buzz...hope..but to me it's all false hope..until Ainge actually wins something..puts up another banner, he's just a punk with an overinflated ego who knows nothing..

I know its only two exhibitions, but how is your appetite? Today, Allan scored 28. Last game Garnett was a monster. I guess we'll wait and see.

[scout]

The Celts blew out the Knicks by 40 points last night before an almost sellout crowd. Its only exhibition, but for any doubters, what kind of seasoning do you like with your crow?

[Redskins_XLII]

I am a senior at UMD (where big LB went to school) sorry just thought i should put it out there. GO WIZARDS!

[scout]

That team as it consisted wouldn't have..BUT I also would not expect a REAL GM would leave it as it was and to DO what it takes to get players TO win a championship. What that team was missing was a poiint guard and a defensive center/rebounder. The team played defense and was a strong cohesive unit. Ainge wanted to do it his way and destroyed the team...all along telling the fans that THAT wasn't what he was doing.
That was the series when Danny Boy was introduced as the new GM. I believe his entrance into things totally undercut what the team was about. The coaches, players knew the ax was coming on all of them. What blame do you put on that poor timed announcement?? I'm not sure the team would have won the series but never would they have been so pitiful. In a game that is very emotional, cutting the teams knees off, having players and coaches wonder about their future basically killed that team. It was one of the worst momnents in Celtics history. Undercutting one's own team in the playoffs is never a good idea; he should have been named AFTER the series was over. That you think two players went down a great deal because of that series is interesting..but it also points to the entrance of Mr Ainge. It was difficult playing the Nets, but being distracted by the entrance of a new GM who totally hated a few on the team, had to have contributed a great deal to what occured in that series.
The current team even WITH the Allen trade is going nowhere...better chance as it stands??? NADA...A real GM would have seen that the team was very cohesive but had only a few needs and over the next few years would have gotten the parts to go the distance. O'Brien's teams played D...these teams are like matadors...can't stop anyone. This team is laughable even with Allen. Just good enough to keep his rearend in town; in many he would be GONE!!! Keep worshiping what Danny is doing and the mediocrity will continue. And if nothing else matters..you are insuring a championship will not happen in the near future.

HELLO! Celtics just crushed the Pacers. Tinsley pissed off Paul Pierce and he went freakin' wild, even did pushups between free throws. Oh yea, what do you think of Ainge now?

[NJSportsFanatic]

Ainge should thank Kevin McHale for building him a good team. I am a Wolves fan along with a Nets fan and I thought the Wolves got nothing in return for one of the best players in the league. Ryan Gomes has been garbage and Al Jefferson has been a stiff with the Wolves.

[BoTown]

In hindsight, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If the Celtics ended up with Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, they wouldn't have traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. It would be much like last year, only with a supremely talented youngster added to the mix. A healthy Oden or Durant would've made the Baby Celtics at best a #6 seed in the East. The revamped, new Big 3 version has a legit chance to be the #1 seed in the East.