Red Auerbach hand-picked Danny Ainge as his successor to run the Celtics. Thomas's sister died 4 weeks ago. You need to try harder.
Oooops! Days/weeks, right. Totally changes everything....Not.
So I am to understand that upon purchasing the team, the new owners consulted Red and he encouraged them to hire Ainge as the man in charge.
Just need to update my list, one minute...
Errors that Red Auerbach made in his professional lifetime:
1. Drafting Charlie Share over Bob Cousy
2. Letting Paul Silas go
3. Danny Ainge
I always liked Danny, even had his Blue Jays card. His trade from the Celtics was a completely stupid move, but it did allow him to make it back to the finals with the Blazers and Suns. His ignorant comments about how the big three were not traded later in their careers is the major red flag indicating he does not get it.
Had Danny run the Celtics in the sixties, we would have won maybe one title.
With Red we won nine.
Among a million other things, Red understood chemistry and unselfishness as crucial to winning, as well as the value of older veterans whose experience and knowledge vastly outweigh their losing a step physically.
After his King Midas stretch in '07 after the lottery, culminating in the title, all Ainge had to do was sign James Posey, to send the message to the players, their opponents, and the world, that Boston was serious about winning multiple consecutive championships. Other franchises do what they must to win: Lakers - keep Cooper; Bulls - sign Rodman; etc. etc. But of course, Danny fiddled and diddled and faster than you can say Satch Sanders, Posey was gone and I correctly stated, "That's it. There will be no more titles."
And downward it all went...House gone, Allen rumored to be trade bait a million times, and finally Perkins. Cue-crackling end of phonograph record.