Danny Ainge Already Considering Free Agency
by Roy_Hobbs on Feb 26, 2012 10:14 AM EST
in Boston Celtics News & Links
Email
PrintIt should be no surprise that Danny Ainge is already looking toward next year's roster. First, the Celtics will have to decide what to do with their own free agents. One guy they're hoping not to have to make a decision on? Brandon Bass.
Sunday Basketball Notes - Gary Washburn - Boston Globe
The Celtics are hoping that Brandon Bass exercises the player option on his contract at $4 million, which would be a bargain for his production. Or the Celtics could agree to an extension for Bass, who appears to have found a home in Boston. The contract that may affect matters is Glen Davis’s four-year, $26 million deal with the Magic. Davis has underperformed that contract, and Bass may hold out for something more
Of course, the team is also going to be highly interested in attracting free agents from other teams. Both Doc and Danny have some ideas on what it's going to take to get other guys to sign here:
Please Come To Boston - Steve Bulpett - Boston Herald
"You sell (to free agents) what you have on your team, and that’s tough to say now because we don’t know what we’ll have on our team yet," [Doc Rivers] said. "But I don’t think it’s a hard sell — the tradition and what we’ve accomplished.
"But you also have to have players to get other players. No matter where you’re at, it’s rare that a player is going to go somewhere where there’s no other players. So we want to make sure we have the assets and players that other players want to play with. And I think when that time comes, I think we’ll be ready for it."
"It’s a different pitch depending on the circumstances," [Danny Ainge] said. "The money they’re going to make, the length of the contract and the amount. With every player, that list of five or six things can be prioritized in a different order.
"I think that there are a lot of things in play. The first thing is the quality of your team and the opportunity he may have to win.
It's interesting to hear both Doc and Danny talk about how important the existing core is when attracting free agents. If the Celtics do happen to trade for Pau Gasol, it very well could be as a selling point for future free agents considering the Celts. Also, for those who like to read into things, Doc's "We don't know what we'll have on our team yet" statement could be foreshadowing some trades to come.
37 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
If they are talking about next year
We have no clue who is on the roster, since only four guys are actually under contract for next year, and they are all considered tradeable.
by European NBA fan on Feb 26, 2012 10:30 AM EST reply actions
Yeah, but pending future trades, we've got a pretty good idea what our core is going to look like...
Pierce, Rondo, Bradley, and Johnson. It doesn’t make much sense to say “we don’t know what our team is going to look like for free agents until we sign other free agents”, so it seems like Doc is talking about future trades.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
That's only two starters
So the team would not have an identity. Are they young and running or are they going for veterans until the right deal(s) come along? Are they going for lottery tickets the next two seasons, or are they (some kind of) contenders? If I were a free agent, I would like to know that :)
by European NBA fan on Feb 26, 2012 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
Impact FAs would be signed before the last half of the team was penciled in anyway--
and would contribute to the C’s ‘next generation’ identity mightily.
And by definition, impact FAs mean they’re not just signing fill-in veterans until someone worthwhile comes along.
The second and third tier guys are either happy to join a winner or happy to soak up league-requisite salaries until the right deal(s) come along.
There is a big difference
Whether we can get an impact FA or not. How much of an impact do we need to be contenders?
by European NBA fan on Feb 26, 2012 11:18 AM EST up reply actions
Let's see...Bulls and Heat
Are pretty much potential conference and finals repeaters for years to come in the East.
Pacers and 76ers are the dark horses in the East this year.
There’s the Magic and Hawks rivalry that we’ve always seen.
And of course, can’t forget about the Jeremy “no-show” Lin led by Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks nowadays…
I think tradition and what they've already accomplished matter next to nothing for the upcoming generation of players.
But then Doc lists all the stuff that really matters to them, so they know the score.
What does the majority of the modern 1ST Tier NBA player really want ... me thinks the following in this order
MONEY
BRIGHT LITES IN A BIG CITY
A “CONTENDER” IN A BIG CITY WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS
LOTS OF TV TIME WITH ENDORSEMENTS
A COACH WHO WON’T BE TOO TOUGH
THE CHANCE TO BAIL ON HIS TEAM WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH..
Exceptions to the rule …Kevin Durant….and maybe a few more. Count Deron Williams in Bright Lights category.
Is it Soup Yet?
you forgot
Big Black Lensless Glasses to make them look (smart) like idiots
Celtic Chat Handle: Bird
by David Henderson on Feb 26, 2012 11:14 AM EST up reply actions
On that list, Danny can offer:
1.0
0.5
.75-1.0, depending on auxiliary deals
.75 (small city, but Celtics name)
1.0 (for non-rookie good to great players)
.33 (same as all teams)
For 1st tier guys, I’d move contender into a near tie with money, but otherwise I think you’ve got it pretty well scoped, Po.
I got excited for just a split second on the headline "Danny Ainge already Considering Free Agency"
and I thought I could help him pack or offer suggestions where he could go.
Is it Soup Yet?
Hoopshype website reporting that the
Knicks have contacted the Magic about Howard. Also reporting Rondo and JO for Gasol if Sheed signs with the Lakers (I thought he already signed) and Magic not interested in Bynum. Take it for what it is worth.
by JPV on Feb 26, 2012 12:02 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I want Rondo traded for a great player or two but this trade is BS
Some “journalists” and web sites are desperate for attention.
yea this trade makes no sense
funny how people would ruin the cap and trade for a aged Gasol but not for D-Will
If Danny ends up with DW, DH and PG in his lineup next year--
will the Po’s of the world at least respect him again?
Po?
who cares
what others think..seriously. Danny im sure is working hard to put together the next winning team, if others don’t respect what he’s doing and what he’s done to put this team in the position to do other things then their only seeing what they want to see.
hahahaha....I think this ironic response is quite revealing......made me chuckle out loud...read this back to yourself slowly yngbamm ...hahahaha
clover ….respect is a toughly defined word. Just because you end up with an all-star line up for a season or two doesn’t guarantee success of a Banner/ring as we both know – just ask Miami.
I could write a lot on how I came to view Danny in this light but it matters not. I watched the Celtics thru good and bad for many years and many GM’s and coaches. I will continue to watch and hope for the best and perhaps surprised. Ohhhh…the beautiful thing of being pleasantly wrong.
I do enjoy our dialogue clover even though we disagree, it makes us more …..ummmmm…..how should I say it…..human, and therefore less robotic in our closed mined desire to be correct… hahahaha
Is it Soup Yet?
Ha! So you're a very tough audience, Po--
-following up the end of the Big Three era with DH, PG and DW (and I’m not talking about your man Delonte)-a top 5 plus 2 additional top 20 players!—the very next year wouldn’t be good enough evidence of Danny’s GMing chops unless they win it all.
You’re a throwback to the era where they didn’t celebrate divisional championships and no year was successful unless they won it all. That’s no small feat in the current 30-team league with the salary cap, lottery and all.
But at least we know you want him to shoot right between the eyes when he hits the hummingbird in the bush that’s 300 yards away.
and let's no forget that "respect" for a man can come not only from his level of skill but also his character.
and in the words of Forrest Gump “that’s all I am going to say about that.”
Is it Soup Yet?
100% agree.
Everyone is just giving their opinion on this board. I respect everyone’s opinion, right or wrong but in the end we have no real world exprience other than watching games or reading articles. Ainge has been in the trenches as a player, coach and now GM. He’s got way more experience at this than all of this board combine. He’s made mistakes at his job but who hasn’t? But he’s brought this team a championship and I’m willing to see what his next step is after this. I’m hoping he’s learned from mistakes and is a better GM from it.
I’ve criticize Doc for his lineups and strategy and have suggested things to change but all I have is theory and conjecture. I have no idea if they’ll work because I haven’t coached a day in my life but that’s the fun of this blog and forums in general. We can throw opinions out there and get feedback on it but there’s no real world application taking place unless the people in charge actually do it and then you can pat yourself on the back if it works or pretend you ever mention it if it didn’t.
Agree
Danny pulled off a coup that gave us a contending team for the first time in 20 years — a banner plus another trip to the finals that would have ended differently had Perk not suffered that injury. Even last year was a glorious year to be a Celtics fan compared to what went before (OK the way it ended was really painful, but it was a really fun regular season, and that’s not nothing.)
Most basketball towns would kill for that kind of run, and Danny not only did it, he managed to put it together in an era when top players seem to want beaches, bright lights, and celebrity bimbos in attendance at the games.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t second-guess him like he is come kind of guru, or like it is somehow disloyal to question him. There is a certain kind of GM, coach, and player who thrives in the kind of microscope atmosphere of our fan base, and Danny is one of those guys — and he knows that is a key component in who he acquires (e.g. I think it is obvious that Bass can handle it much better than Davis could.)
I’m just saying that I deeply respect the job he has done and believe that he is a chess player who is way out ahead of the game, armed with information and experience. He may get checkmated in the end, but he is playing to win, which is all we can ask of him.
by Old West Celtics Sox Fan on Feb 26, 2012 3:38 PM EST up reply actions
I still think both of you are missing the nuance of my point...but that's ok... it matters not
Is it Soup Yet?
Peace is good with me
Sorry — I’m probably not bright enough to get the nuance. But if it matters not to you, that’s cool with me, too.
Winning a championship in this league is just plain hard. It requires doing a lot of things right in terms of getting the right people, it requires those players actually performing at their best at the right moments, and in reality it requires some luck — both good luck for the winners and bad luck for the losers.
The first is under the control of ownership/management (although how hard current players are working and how on board they are increasingly can help or hurt what management can do in terms of attracting players,) the second is under the control of the coaches and players, the third is …. well… under our control as fans? :-) We wish.
I personally think that even our current roster is perfectly capable of doing anything it needs to do — including winning a championship this year. As you said above, someone hits the hummingbird every year, and as often as not it isn’t the team that is the most loaded with talent. Could our roster be better? Perhaps. Could also be worse (we could have Isiah Thomas in charge.)
I’m just not happy with a team of paid professional athletes that doesn’t seem to be giving it everything every night. That, at the least, is not Danny’s fault.
by Old West Celtics Sox Fan on Feb 26, 2012 4:30 PM EST up reply actions
Pau Gasol?????
I FREAKIN’ HATE PAU GASOL!!! If he were to become a Celtic, I would have to accept him, but right now, the thought of trading for him makes me want to throw up. I know Steven A Smith has said a few times that he thinks KG will end up a Laker; if that ever happens, I might just shoot myself.
by longlivethe80's on Feb 26, 2012 2:53 PM EST reply actions
It is an uphill climb
Unless this team starts showing some fight and will to win. Putting the right pieces together will be most possible if a top tier free agent or impending free agent is convinced that he wants to be a Celtic. That is why this team needs to start digging deep after the break and figuring out how to gut out games and win.
Other than Rondo, the best chance that most of the players on this team have of winning another championship is to either be a limited minute starter or a bench player for a new, contending team. Hopefully some of them have the bug and want to do it in Celtic green.
Rivers needs to play the bench more and let them know that what is on the line for them is not just whether they will be sticking around, but whether they can show the top free agents of the league that this is an organization made up of people who are determined to win. Guys like Garnett and Allen have to understand that their best chance at winning another ring may now be by coming off the bench as veteran role-players for a contending team — they all need to dig deep and produce something good this year that will look attractive to a free agent looking at the Celtics.
Blowing it up now will accomplish nothing — the way these guys are playing, we would be lucky to break even on any trades. No way we would come out ahead.
There is a lot at stake for the remainder of the season — if we don’t close strong and make at least a bit of a playoff run, I have a hard time seeing any of the real power players having any interest in coming here. It sounds like Ainge and Rivers understand the reality of what they are facing, and I trust Danny to do the best with what he’s got — but this team isn’t helping him in his job right now.
by Old West Celtics Sox Fan on Feb 26, 2012 3:19 PM EST reply actions
Regarding this quote:
“If the Celtics do happen to trade for Pau Gasol, it very well could be as a selling point for future free agents considering the Celts.”
As far as attracting free agents to Boston, would Pau Gasol really make that much more of an impact assuming we deal Rondo to get him? If so, I’m just not seeing it. In my opinion, it would make little to no difference and if anything it might be a step down from just keeping Rondo.
Both players are good 2nd options who have proven they can be part of a championship team. Rondo has limitations but it’s likely we have yet to see his ‘ceiling’ as a player either, while for Gasol we have seen it and it probably occurred sometime in the past two years. Neither player is a “build the franchise around” type or someone who will attract superstars the way Carmelo wanted to go play with A’mare , or Howard wants to sign somewhere with Deron Williams.
To me I don’t think it would make any difference and it would only cost more salary space and shorten the window for building another championship team, given Gasol’s age.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on CelticsBlog
Related FanShots on CelticsBlog
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Kendrick Perkins does not think much of Andrew Bynum’s relative intelligence
- Behind the Box Score, where the Boston Celtics are moving on to the conference finals
- NBA Playoffs Fan Fiction: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- The Indiana Pacers? Gone till November
- Shaquille O’Neal is in a Chinese beer commercial, too (VIDEO)
