FanPost

I am through following the Celtics till Ainge is gone



First some background: I have followed the Celtics since the days of Bird/McHale/Parish. Through all the bad years. I remember also that Ainge was part of the previous bad years as was Rivers. But winning cures ills. Ainge, give him credit, had a master stroke in signing Allen and Granett and the right supporting staff for a rapid title run. Rivers was the right coach for the group too. There could have been another title, maybe two, had Granett not gone down with his knee injury. They still nearly pulled it off dropping a game 7 to the Lakers in the final with Garnett a shell of himself jumping with one arm up and them losing for lack of rebounding. They probably were not going to win another title but the group had chemistry and were fun to watch and follow. Yet Ainge traded Perkins. Yes, Green is a better player and Perkins wanted too much. But he should have kept them together to give the fans something to follow and they might have gone far. So I did not get it. Sign and trades can be done if Perkins would have left. So I was disgruntled at this point. You have to show loyalty to get it. Allen was soon to follow. Yes he had an ego. But why shop his continuously? It made no sense and caused us to lose him anyway.

I was not happy with Garnett and Pierce being traded. I know Garnett is in steep decline. But they were fun to watch and follow. There would be no title. BUT they would have made the playoffs and been fun. They would have retired in two years with reload potential right away. Seems to me picks in the 10-20 range are crapshoots in the NBA and you will not reload with these. Ainge has picked well but no way he will build a champion with these. Hoping for luck with the ping pong balls is not probable. Even if you win at that look at the situation with Philly. You want to condem the fans to that ?!? The owner should fire Ainge for diminishing the quality of his product. Good basketball counts.

The final straw for me was the Rondo trade. This one makes no sense. You have the best passing point guard in the NBA. Best rebounding one too, and a plus defender. A guy all free agent want to play for. Someone who was taking less pay than he was worth for years with nary a complaint. A guy who played big (triple double machine) in big games. Yes, he was recovering from his knee injury (takes 2+ years) but was in his prime. Ainge forgot his past history. Without Pierce, Allen and Garnett do not sign. He had his here. Then he trades Rondo: a clear top 20 talent in the NBA for prospects at a likely top 100-200 player. This makes zero sense. It was the worst trade I have ever seen. I will now follow Rondo in Dallas and Pierce in Washington. At least they will play entertaining basketball and perhaps go somewhere.

I hope the Celtics owner wakes up and fires Ainge. Look to Philly and you see the future with his plan. I thought Ainge was supposed to be smart but this is beyond stupid. You are condemning the fans to unwatchable basketball for a very improbable chance at a home run via assembled middling value draft picks. It is not going to happen and I am through following such stupidity and disloyalty.

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