Danny Ainge: "No News To Report"

Danny has to be on Twitter, right? At his press conference today at Waltham, he basically dispelled every rumor that hit the internet in the last few hours and days.

First, there was the fake Stephen A. Smith tweet that Kevin Garnett was retiring:

Ainge on KG: "No news to report. We're having conversations with KG but nothing yet. Sooner we could get KG done the better for us."

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 27, 2012

Danny thinks he'll hear from KG by July 1st and it sounds like it's Boston or bust for #5. Then there was Alex Kennedy of HoopWorld's claim that Ray Allen was signing with the Heat:

Ainge: "I've had conversations with Ray about our team. We haven't had any specifics (about a contract). I think he's open to coming back."

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 27, 2012

I'm this close to creating a Twitter handle called "Ray Schmallen" and telling everybody that I'm retiring a Celtic. Everybody knows that Ray's decision is directly tied to KG's so everything is speculation at this point. Let's wait for the first domino.

And then there was last week's rumor that the Celtics had made a promise to Royce White:

Danny Ainge said the #celtics have not made a promise to Royce White and they are open to trading up or down. No word on KG's status

— gary washburn (@GwashNBAGlobe) June 27, 2012

That actually disappointed me because since hearing that news, I've fallen in love a little bit with Iowa State forward. Check out Grantland's piece and profile in Sports Illustrated. The kid's got baggage, but he's also got game. I don't think I'm being biased when I say that the Celtics have one of the best locker room's in the league and I think Boston could be a perfect place for White's transition to the pros. I don't want to underestimate his anxiety condition, but after hearing about how active Danny was in Jeff Green's recovery and knowing the kind of relationship that Doc has with his players, I'm sure that he'd be a perfect fit here.

What did you expect from a Danny Ainge press conference a day before the draft and virtually on the eve of what could be his most flexible off-season since 2007? The man was cagey and vague. He didn't commit to anything and didn't rule anything out. This is a guy who played professional baseball and basketball and won in stops in Boston, Portland, and Phoenix. He's succeeded as a coach and as a GM and according to Jeff Goodman at CBSSports.com, he's one of the best especially when it comes to the draft. Using a ranking system based on how a player's career turned out ("elite" vs. "perennial all-star," "occasional all-star" vs. "solid starter," etc.), Danny ranks 4th just behind golden boy Sam Presti of OKC, Geoff Petrie in Sacramento, and Billy King of the Nets. His prowess in the draft--particularly with late first-rounders--is unquestioned and with #21 and #22 tomorrow night, let's see if Midas can work his magic again.

P.S. This was one of my favorite links from #17. It still blows my mind that the road to the 2008 championship ran through Raef LaFrentz with a pit stop at Sebastian Telfair and finally at Kevin Garnett.