Green17 reflects on the unpredictability of our Dannyboy....
I think we are all here for the same reasons. We all want to see that 17th banner up in the rafters, one more victory cigar for Red, a Green parade through the streets of Boston, more ledgends created. For some of us, it will be a first championship, for some of us its almost old hat (even if that hat hasn't been worn in too long). Personally for me, it will be my 3rd in my liftime, however I was 7 in 1986 and thats just not the same as a championship when you are old enough to follow a team for a full season and live and die through the playoffs.
Collectively, for all of us to realize our goal over the next three years, one person is going to be pivotal for us all. That person is Danny Ainge. He is the only person with the power to execute a trade, draft, or sign a free agent. All of our hopes for this team rest with Danny over the next three years.
So this begs the question. Who is Danny Ainge? Sure we all know what Danny has done since he has taken over the reins, that he has flipped the roster nearly in its entirely. Hopefully we all know he was a Celtic on some great teams in the mid-80s, but what about his background should give us the faith that he can take this organization to our ultimate goal?
The easiest part of this analysis is to look at Danny the player. On the court, the first word that comes to mind when I think of the real #44 is feisty. Danny never met a shot he didn't like, but he never backed down from a fight either. From mixing it up so famously with Tree Rollins to asserting himself on a team full of hall of famers, Danny has some stones.
Danny the coach was a little tougher to gauge, for starters he was in PHX which makes his tenure there a little harder to follow, but he took a successful team, did well over there and then left for family issues. It looked like he knew what he was doing, but it was a little too short a term to really gauge him there. Based just on the stats, he had a .605 winning percentage, although a less than fantastic percentage in the playoffs. Not awful, not great.
As a broadcaster Danny was....I'll go with, unabashed. Just like his playing days, he didn't pass up a shot. He really disliked the Obie-ball Celtics, and in my opinion, rightly so. Right before taking the (effective) GM spot, Danny called a C's game and just destroyed Antoine on TNT. Destroyed him. Then a few weeks later, he signs on as the guy's boss. Think that wasn't an awkward first meeting? Yikes.
I think this brief look back conveys one pretty consistent message about Danny. He's got guts. What it tells me is that we would be foolish to think that anyone on this team is untouchable. Danny will not be intimidated to make the unpopular move. I think the only leash on Danny would be Wyc & Co.'s uneasiness about taking a financial hit for a season were he to decide to blow it up.
Bottom line, expect the unexpected and don't be surprised if something big happens.