Danny Ainge Does it Again
by Greg Payne on Sep 3, 2010 10:53 AM EDT
in Boston Celtics Articles
Email
PrintThe offseason is a time of transition, when recollections of the most recent season eventually morph into thoughts of expectations and curiosity for the next one to come, which, in reality, is only a few months away. As a Celtics fan, neither thought process was very appealing - not initially, at least. In the rear view mirror stood the Los Angeles Lakers, holding the championship hardware we were so close to obtaining for ourselves. And ahead, on the horizon, loomed a very important, yet very cloudy, offseason, which gave us no guarantees that the club we saw make it to the NBA Finals would be the one we'd see take the court again in October.
Rather than spending the first few weeks of the offseason basking in the glory of his team's second championship in the last three years, Danny Ainge probably spent them contemplating the immediate future of his ball club. His head coach, Doc Rivers, was on the verge of leaving the club to spend time with his family, while two of his star players - Paul Pierce and Ray Allen - weren't guaranteed to return, along with a slew of other free agent role players.
Only five players were guaranteed returners at the end of the season (barring some sort of trade), but one was facing major offseason knee surgery and would miss the majority of the following year (Kendrick Perkins), while another was contemplating, and eventually went forward with, retirement (Rasheed Wallace). Meanwhile, the three contracts of the other returners - Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Glen Davis - tallied over half the total of next season's salary cap, which solidified the fact that the Celtics would have virtually no cap space, and therefore would not be players in a sterling free agent market.
It's important to note just how little Ainge had to work with once the offseason got rolling. Once it became clear that Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were going to re-sign with the Celtics, it also became clear that, because the team had already well exceeded the salary cap, Ainge would only have the Mid-Level Exception, the Draft, the Veteran's Minimum (teams can use this as many times as they want, but the quality of player associated with this deal isn't always great), and, if he chose, some other lesser known exceptions to retain any free agents that played for the Celtics last season (the Non-Bird Exception, in this case). It might sound like a lot, but trust me, it's really not. The money, for the most part, was insubstantial, and the free agents options weren't exactly breathtaking. But if you look at the roster as it currently stands, it's difficult not to be really impressed with the names you see. Ainge somehow managed to not just merely address this team's major weaknesses from last season, but substantially improve them. He bolstered the frontline with Jermaine O'Neal (Mid-Level Exception), Shaquille O'Neal (Veteran's Minimum), Luke Harangody (Draft) and Semih Erden (not sure of the details of his contract yet). Despite losing Tony Allen, whose Bird Rights were held by the Celtics, Ainge still managed to add quality depth along the perimeter in Nate Robinson (Non-Bird Exception), Marquis Daniels (Non-Bird Exception), Von Wafer (Veteran's Minimum), Delonte West (Veteran's Minimum), and Avery Bradley (Draft). The final result (as of now), is a team that stands on the short list of next season's title contenders. Perhaps the icing on the cake is the fact that the players that were added were some of the best available at their respective positions. As the options thinned out, Daniels became one of the most appealing options at small forward, while both of the O'Neals were two of the more impressive front court options. This team is not just The Big Four and a collection of nobodies. This is a legitimate team that was constructed in a very impressive manner. Some of these players are certainly risks (Wafer and West, for example), but the deals favor the Celtics, and the production they might see out of this pair is well worth the risks the team is taking. If things go south, either player, or both, can be cut without any major financial ramifications. And let's not forget about Doc Rivers coming back - which I'm sure Danny had a hand in - and the addition of Lawrence Frank on the bench, who will help fill the void left by Tom Thibodeau this season, and could very well be coaching this club down the road. Ainge definitely benefited this offseason from the NBA operating under a soft cap, which features various exceptions that allow teams to exceed the salary cap in order to sign players. But the fact that so many of the deals are team-friendly is really what gets me. Shaq for roughly $1.4 million dollars? A refurbished front court for roughly $8 million dollars total? Wafer for less than a million dollars? West for just over a million dollars? These are fantastic signings when you consider how much these players can, and most likely will, help the team next season. We Celtics fans have a habit of looking at offseasons and trade deadlines and related events and saying things like, "Wow, I'm not really sure what we can do here, but I trust Danny to make it work", or "I'm not really sure about that rumor, but I trust Danny's judgement, so I'll go with it." Well, it's offseasons like this one that give us cause to say things like that.
35 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I agree
that we ought to be very pleased with the results of DA’s efforts. However, I think one reason he was able to pull this off is that many teams are dumping salary. There’s just not a lot of money chasing players these days, and very few teams that are even trying to stay on a level to compete for the championship. But hats off to DA, he took advantage of it and is fielding as formidable a squad as we could hope to muster.
by Thruthelookingglass on Sep 3, 2010 6:51 AM EDT reply actions
two things....
Did you SEE some of the deals that were thrown around earlier in the offseason? Teams were spending money a lot more aggressively than was expected, even a lot of mediocre squads.
I do disagree in the article with this statement:
“Perhaps the icing on the cake is the fact that the players that were added were some of the best available at their respective positions.”
At the time a lot of these guys were signed, many of them were among the best available… but because other cats had already signed elsewhere. I’ll take JO at his new contract over Brendan Haywood…. but Haywood >>>> JO. Lots of PG options who would have been better than Nate, lots of SFs that would have been better than Quis. We didn’t really have the MEANS to acquire these players since we only had the MLE to work with, but to call them “some of the best available” is… a stretch.
With that said, couldn’t really be happier with the offseason. Added lots of talent at places we needed it, and did it without hampering flexibility come 2012 or giving up any draft picks or young players or anything.
Regardless of how the season plays out, Danny’s done a great job this season. I’d argue this summer has been just about as impressive as the summer three seasons ago, when he acquired Ray Allen and KG. He was able to offset Perk’s injury and ’Sheed’s retirement, was able to re-sign some key players to team-friendly (but player-fair) deals, was able to add a lot of depth across the squad……. working with nothing but the MLE, vet minimum contracts, Bird rights and non-Bird rights. No young players to trade, no expiring contracts, no attractive draft picks. He obviously didn’t bring in players of the caliber of Ray and KG, but given what his goals were and what he had to work with, to do all of that AND leave all the flexibility intact for 2012…. hat’s off to Danny Ainge.
by theBird on Sep 3, 2010 8:49 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Indeed
Great work by DA and Doc (I’m sure if Doc has left we would not get all those players, like Shaq)
comes down to one thing
if fairly healthy come playoffs ,it’ll come down to one thing-KG….he’s gotta outplay the frontline of the Heat…he’s gotta get the best of Bosh….our starters can go 30 mins with anybody & we might have the depth to hang another 18…..the Heat3 can play 45 mins,that’s where depth has gotta be there….Danny got bodies and size but is it enough???
If the the Heat3 play 45 minutes every night...
They’d need a stretcher by year end. That’s way too much mileage to put on through the course of the season. I don’t care if their young. Wade’s already had injury problems, and anyone is going to get tired at that rate. Not the mention the high energy brand of basketball they play. Their effectiveness is contingent on them driving hard and getting to the rim/foul line, if they just start dancing around the perimeter because their legs are heavy, it’s game over.
KG didn't play much last year vs Bosh
But as I recall, he shot 100% FG in the one game he played vs the Raptoers – and of course the C’s swept.
The speed mismatches between the Heat’s starters and reserves should be interesting to observe.
by nba is the worst on Sep 3, 2010 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions
so pleased
I have to admit I did not have a clue how Danny was going to do it this offseason – no NBA trade checker, offseason free agency tracker, or NBA 2K10 dreamy offseason scenario could have landed these quality players at such low prices
by BigPerk43 on Sep 3, 2010 7:48 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I never expected that this offseason will end this way.
Good job for DA and all of those people involved behind the scenes.
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot." - Bill Russell
+1
If someone told me would of added Jermaine – Shaq and Delonte to the roster I would not have believed it.
So the C’s front office deserves praise.
On paper the team looks good…lets just hope it turns out well on the court when the season starts.
Nate
It seems like Doc&Danny fell in love with Nate.I am not anti-Nate but i felt there might have been someone else available better for that money…just sayin
I've always loved Steve Blake
But the C’s didn’t have the money for him, unfortunately. He’s an excellent backup point guard, though.
Correct if I'm wrong...
But didn’t LA sign Blake on 4 year/16million deal, and aren’t we paying Nate 5mil a year?
Seems to me money wasn’t the concern, and Nate was their guy.
Nate 4.2 mil, Blake 4.0 according to ESPN
by nba is the worst on Sep 3, 2010 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions
As far as I understand
The C’s had Non-Bird Rights on Robinson, which allowed them to exceed the salary cap in order to re-sign him. The C’s had no such luxury with Blake, so if he wanted to come to Boston, he would have had to do so the Vet Minimum.
and even if we WANTED to sign Blake...
… we only would have been able to do so by either using the MLE (so no J.O.), or by getting a sign-and-trade done (so probably bye-bye to BBD).
Nate may well prove to be unnecessary this coming season, if Delonte’s head is on straight. That $4.2M contract, though, could be important in a trade. Compare to Miami, who signs a bunch of OK bench players to vet-min contracts. If they want to trade for an MLE-level player, they’re either going to have to ship out five contracts, or give up Udonis Haslem.
Would rather see Delonte at SG.
I think he’s a more natural player at the Two guard than PG. Although capable at either, clearly. But West/Wafer are a nice insurance plan, gotta figure at leas tone of them will get their issues under wraps and solidly contribute this year. Then if both of them do, one will definitely be traded, there’s no doubt about that. Unless Wafer drastically improves defensively and somehow shows the ability to start playing some SF, he’s kind of a redundant player (assuming West gets back to form) and would be my best for guy who doesn’t finish the year in a Celtics uniform.
Danny did a great job considering the financial constraints he was under. I do not think he will be dealing anymore and will wait to see how this team unfolds during the season. I also think Luke H. is going to get more playing time than we all think. This is really about the playoffs anyway and I think our rotation for the playoffs will be formidable when Perk returns, looking something like this:
Perk/Shaq
KG/JO
Pierce/Davis
Allen/West
Rondo/Robinson
Wafer or Bradley in the 11th spot and Daniels at the 12th spot. That is a heck of a team come April. Of course, we will not use a 12 man rotation but having Daniels and Wafer at the end of the bench is a luxury no other teams have. Unless the new Big Three can play 48 minutes a night, no way Miami beats us in a 7 game series. The Magic are deeper than the Heat, but the combo of Perk and Shaq will be too much for Howard, as he will be foul trouble every game. Who’s really left in the East? Chicago? Milwaukee? No to both since their benches will be outplayed by ours. Our ultimate foe and nemesis remains the Lakers. I think they made some good moves in the off season as well, but we now have the length to beat them and our guard rotation is far superior to theirs. Good moves Danny!!
I don't see Davis playing the 3
While I agree I like the team he was able to put together on a limited budget, I don’t see Davis backing up Pierce. It will depend on who plays well during the season and how health Perk comes back to deside who’s in the rotation for bigs come playoffs. Also with West having to serve a 10 game suspension, he’ll have to play his way into the line up if Wafer, Daniels or even Bradley are playing well early on.
Should be very interesting.
He would have to drastically improve his quickness.
He just doesn’t have the foot speed right to be able to stay in front of most athletic SFs in the league. If he works hard in the offseason and is able to drastically increase his lateral quickness, it wouldn’t be a crazy thought. But based on last year, no, there’s no way he could see time at the 3.
Yes Danny had a great offseason...
and has built a pretty deep and talented team considering he:
Resigned both Ray and Paul.
Resigned Nate
Signed Jermaine
Signed Shaq
Signed Delonte
Signed Wafer
Signed Harangody
Drafted Bradley
Thats not to shabby a off season.
I am disappointed though he could not retain TA and signed Daniels.
(Though signing Daniels may offer Danny more options to trade him for another more talented back up small forward).
Should be a interesting season to come
Danny did a fantastic job for what he had to work with
I’m pretty certain that somewhere along the line he’s going to get a defensive 3 with length, somehow, some way before the trade deadline. We will be completely stacked.
doubleplusungoodthinker
Agree....
If Danny can try to pick up a defensive and offensive small back up forward …maybe by trading Daniels and a draft pick etc. or obtaining one via a buyout later in the season the C’s will have alot of firepower at all positions heading into the playoffs making them a very deep and dangerous team for opposing teams to face.
josh howard or wilson chandler
i’ll bet anything teh wizards will be shopping howard if and when he comes back healthy… quis + a pick for howard would work nicely.
another option is a 3-way deal between the knicks, c’s, and blazers that would send wilson chandler to the c’s, rudy to the knicks, and the c’s 1st and 2nd round 2011 picks to the blazers.
or the c’s could do a straight-up trade with the knicks, bradley for chandler – bradley probably has a higher ceiling, but he’ll likely have little playing time by the time his rookie contract is up; chandler better fits our needs now, and could be the last piece of the puzzle.
I would love to see Chandler wearing green...
He would be a great back up to Paul.
I was wishing (and posted such) for the C’s to try to acquire him last year…maybe this will be the year.
Showcase wafer
Delonte out till mid november anyway. Wafer’s game could totally work in the knicks system, trade him and a 2nd rounder for chandler
by Warrior Spirit on Sep 5, 2010 2:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Health, health and more health
The C’s need to ber healthy be the end of the season. The playoffs last year were almost a miracle, except for Perk, and no one can tell me that KG was healthy by the time we played the Lakers. Of course, they’re all one year older now, which will add to the equation.
Great roster for this year but it won’t be the talent of the C’s that determine our playoff fate, it will be their health.
If healthy, this team can play with anyone. It's an improved version of the team that
came within a few minutes of winning a championship a few months ago. There are weaknesses (lots of bad knees in green shorts, big gap on the bench between at SF) and Doc may earn a psychology degree this season, but DA did a phenomenal job with limited flexibility.
Young legs in the backcourt should help
Rondo, DWest and Nate should be great trio for years to come. I could envision Delonte surplanting Ray in a couple years as the starting 2. The media focuses too much on the off-the-court stuff and forgets he’s an in-prime shooter/defender who was the 3rd best player on a great Cavs team two years ago.
Nate was built for the 6th man role and his shooting balances Rondo nicely. Having him for an entire regular season will be VERY entertaining, and helpful to our starters aging legs. I can see him having a Walter-like effect on the Garden.
Danny has done an incredible job this year with signings
when the final buzzer sounded and I was in LA two blocks away from the laker riots errr celebration, I was thinking about how danny was going to keep the core together. This season he has exceeded all expectations.
Not only did he re sign the captain, ray, nate and marquis but he also managed to snag delonte, wafer and shaq at a huge premium! Those guys along with jermaine oneal will prove to be solid role players but it all boils down to how doc can keep the team focused.
Alot of people are counting us out this year but I think that this team looks better on paper than the team last year. It’s up to them to bring the intensity every night.
by Doublespy on Sep 3, 2010 9:14 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
