Danny Ainge as a player was always getting under people's skin. He was gutsy, aggressive, fearless, and played with great energy. You know, like an annoying pest. And I say that with respect and admiration (to a point).
So it is a surprise to nobody that he reportedly got under the skin of at least one GM today. I get the general feeling that he was one of the most active on the phones, getting himself in the middle of several deals, but always asking for just a little too much and never giving in past his preferred price. He said as much in his post deadline interview.
Ainge details deadline day - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston
"I guess what prevented any trade was making at least two teams in a deal happy, or satisfied that a deal was worthwhile," said Ainge. "But as late as 2:57, there was still trades that were possible and being negotiated. We were close to handful of different types of trades -- small to bigger -- that just couldn’t be resolved. That happens often."
I wonder if other managers saw his number pop up and just let it go to voicemail or hesitated before picking up because they were just tired of dealing (or rather not dealing) with him.
All of which I'm perfectly comfortable with to be quite honest. It was the perfect storm situation for a no-deal deadline. One one hand, he didn't have the urgency of "going for it" with this group because the odds are just a little too long on this group getting to the Finals even with an added piece or two. On the other hand, there's no urgency to "blow it up" when the team is set to reset in the offseason. Finally, there's the sentimentality factor (which I'm aware is low on Danny's priorities but it is there). Nobody would want to trade Paul Pierce or any of the stars unless it was a slam dunk win for now and for the future.
So when you go in with a situation like that, you aren't going to budge off your asking prices and you are very likely going to upset a lot of other GMs out there that are trying to get something (anything) done to help them keep their jobs.
That's fine with me. Though I wish he could have found us a big man. I suppose we'll have to wait for the annual buyout candidates. Hopefully someone better than Troy Murphy this time, OK?