This trade was the first Enes dumping.Nobody has touched Kanter since then for free. Who would have taken his contract without at least a 2nd stapled to him?
Ainge himself touched Enes again after that, only to dump him again.
This trade was the first Enes dumping.Nobody has touched Kanter since then for free. Who would have taken his contract without at least a 2nd stapled to him?
But the decision is Pritchard over Bane. The 30th pick is irrelevant. They could've taken Bane over Pritchard at 25 and traded 30 anyway for the same package.It just looks awful because Memphis smashed the 30th pick out of the park.
I'm not talking about that at all.But the decision is Pritchard over Bane. The 30th pick is irrelevant. They could've taken Bane over Pritchard at 25 and traded 30 anyway for the same package.
Right. I should have been more clear. Ainge is the only one who ever touched him again...nobody else has.This trade was the first Enes dumping.
Ainge himself touched Enes again after that, only to dump him again.
PP is a way better ballhandler than Bane.Pritchard sticks out like a sore thumb because they were both drafted for the same skill (shooting) but Pritchard does everything else worse than Bane. There was no upside with him like you could say with the others.
Bigger than Bane? I’m confused, aren’t you talking about Pritchard? Bane is 6ft 6Then he drafts who he thinks is the best shooter in the draft and is bigger than Bane.
I assume he meant Nesmith. Both guys are 6'5, but Nesmith has a 6'10 wingspan, compared with Bane at just 6'4.Bigger than Bane? I’m confused, aren’t you talking about Pritchard? Bane is 6ft 6
Bane was the 14th guard taken. I'm not killing Ainge for not batting 1.000 on late picks.I don't get worked up over missing a guy in the late first. The hit rate down there is tiny, I don't sweat low probability picks.
Why draft Pritchard then? They had Kemba on the roster, as well as Smart. There weren't many minutes for him even if they thought he was a PG (and he's pretty much been an SG as a pro because he can't create shots for himself or others). If the Celtics had taken any other player at any other position over Bane, it would at least make sense to me, but I'll leave it there. It's just residual scarring from Ainge's obsession with undersized guards.PP is a way better ballhandler than Bane.
It's not hard to see DA's thinking. He drafted Romeo the year before and seemed to be pretty high on "Romey." Then he drafts who he thinks is the best shooter in the draft and is bigger than Bane. If he drafts Bane, how many minutes is Bane going to get?
I'd have to guess that DA was hoping PP's range and ball handling skills might make him special. IIRC, DA always wanted to see one plus NBA skill - whether shooting, rebounding, or defense - and I presume PP's was his range.Why draft Pritchard then? They had Kemba on the roster, as well as Smart. There weren't many minutes for him even if they thought he was a PG (and he's pretty much been an SG as a pro because he can't create shots for himself or others). If the Celtics had taken any other player at any other position over Bane, it would at least make sense to me, but I'll leave it there. It's just residual scarring from Ainge's obsession with undersized guards.
100% this. Danny was an excellent GM but the knee-jerk Kemba-Ya "Feel Good" Tour because of the Kyrie snub was his biggest blunder IMOThe biggest thing I'll say about Ainge over the last decade, he hit on almost all the really important moves (yes, I am not counting a draft pick in the mid teens or late 20s as super important when you're rebuilding and have a ton of other picks). His biggest mistake since trading Pierce/Garnett was everything around Kyrie - trading the last Nets pick for him (would be nice if the current team had one of SGA/Bridges/Sexton/MPJ), followed by misjudging the situation with his free agency and Anthony Davis, then overcompensating for his departure by giving 29 year old 6'0 Kemba Walker a max deal. I'm sure that if he knew that 3-4 years later Tatum/Brown would be just as good or better than an AD/Kyrie combo and planned accordingly, things would be different. Oh well. Even most of those moves were pretty defensible at the time.
The one positive thing about the Kyrie trade was that it sidestepped a potentially disastrous Isaiah Thomas contract situation, although Ainge and the Celtics still take shit for trading him to Lebron and a team that had just made 3 straight NBA finals.
For the Celtics, I think Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman are high floor, NBA-ready rotation players who would provide value on their rookie scale contracts, and could be had at 26 & 30. If Danny's evaluations says there are guys like that potentially available at those picks, I expect he'll go for at least one of those types, given the importance of guys like that for a team that'll be facing cap decisions.
There were others, if anyone wants to peruse Draft Night.can we give them Pritchard instead and keep Bane
Not sure where this last sentence comes from with Ainge's long history of favoring big guards and combo guards. Over 2 decades the only diminutive guards I recall him drafting were Pritchard and Waters, with the latter somewhere in the 50's which doesn't even really count. Eddie House was a FA flyer after being cut by something like 7 teams in 5 years.Why draft Pritchard then? They had Kemba on the roster, as well as Smart. There weren't many minutes for him even if they thought he was a PG (and he's pretty much been an SG as a pro because he can't create shots for himself or others). If the Celtics had taken any other player at any other position over Bane, it would at least make sense to me, but I'll leave it there. It's just residual scarring from Ainge's obsession with undersized guards.
Nate Robinson, Isaiah Thomas, Larkin if we are including trades. Maybe Larkin was an FA.Not sure where this last sentence comes from with Ainge's long history of favoring big guards and combo guards. Over 2 decades the only diminutive guards I recall him drafting were Pritchard and Waters, with the latter somewhere in the 50's which doesn't even really count. Eddie House was a FA flyer after being cut by something like 7 teams in 5 years.
Probably a recency bias from trying to hide IT/Kemba in the preceding playoff series. I don't think Danny had a predisposition to select small/defensively deficient PGsNot sure where this last sentence comes from with Ainge's long history of favoring big guards and combo guards. Over 2 decades the only diminutive guards I recall him drafting were Pritchard and Waters, with the latter somewhere in the 50's which doesn't even really count. Eddie House was a FA flyer after being cut by something like 7 teams in 5 years.
Nesmith great pick. I could not take any more tiny guards. Shoooootttttiiiinnnnngggggggggg please!
What do people think about Desmond Bane? Would rather see RJ or Terry, but I didn't realize how good of a shooter he was. 6'6" dude who plays good defense and can shoot? Can't have enough of those...
I'd guess he's on the shortlist. Honestly I think it more likely we take him than Terry (who I still think goes to the Knicks). We have a lot of small PGs, and that weakness was exposed to an extent
Bane please
Wtf did Danny Ainge just draft himself?
I thought Pritchard was the GM we were dealing with
Oof. Not a fan of that. Like the player ok, just not with a first round pick.
Do the Red Claws need a team captain or something?
Payton Pritchard my ass, that’s a clone of Bob Cousy
Don’t understand this kid over Terry or Bane
That’s quite a jump up the board for Pritchard right?
Does the kid play 3rd base and have MLB aspirations
Prichard is two months older than Tatum.
Hopefully, Ainge knows something everybody else doesn’t know
After Nesmith, I was hoping for a point, a big, and a stash (either Europe or the G-League). While Ainge knows far more than I do, Pritchard is not the selection that I had hoped.
I dunno...over nearly two decades of team building I wouldn't characterize having a handful of small guards at different levels of your roster as a fascination. Ainge has primarily sought bigger combo guards during that time and most of those types ARE bigger but yeah some are small. I agree that during that one particular season we did have more smalls than normal but that was an anomaly and not a trend.Nate Robinson, Isaiah Thomas, Larkin if we are including trades. Maybe Larkin was an FA.
And sometimes you hit a Jalen Brunson or Fred VanVleet or Kyle Lowry and look like a genius.I dunno...over nearly two decades of team building I wouldn't characterize having a handful of small guards at different levels of your roster as a fascination. Ainge has primarily sought bigger combo guards during that time and most of those types ARE bigger but yeah some are small. I agree that during that one particular season we did have more smalls than normal but that was an anomaly and not a trend.
To put this in context, since Presti has been in OKC (2007), they have had 15 different guards who were 6-1 and under on their roster during that time. Small guards are going to come through franchises over the years.
Tremendous
83 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.....
Danny really opens up, chock-full of Celtic gems for the Cellar to feast on83 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.....
83 minutes of my life that I would never want back!! Thanks for posting.
Yea, the Len Bias discussion was tee'd up, and thought he was going thereI’m a bit surprised Bias wasn’t covered; only thing else I’d like to have heard him speak about, as he discussed the 1987 team as the beginning of the slide.
Pretty crazy how if KG/Allen aren't made available in 2007 that Ainge would have traded Pierce to who knows where and so many fun years wouldn't have happened, not only the Big 3 years but also the Jay's because they were part of the KG/PP return. Ainge just comes across as so genuine. I would love to hear him talk about trades he was offered that he turned down. Sure would be fascinating.Yea, the Len Bias discussion was tee'd up, and thought he was going there
BUT Danny felt the McHale, Bird, Walton injuries/health woes were the beginning of the end.
Really enjoyed hearing about his Blue Jays background, the KG trade talks, DJ relationship, and KC/Russell bringing him to Sacramento.
The amount of detail Danny offered from HS, College and NBA hoops over the last 50 years was tremendous.Pretty crazy how if KG/Allen aren't made available in 2007 that Ainge would have traded Pierce to who knows where and so many fun years wouldn't have happened, not only the Big 3 years but also the Jay's because they were part of the KG/PP return. Ainge just comes across as so genuine. I would love to hear him talk about trades he was offered that he turned down. Sure would be fascinating.
Yup. And he knows a million guys over the years and can remember AAU guys he played against in tournaments over 40 years ago. It's pretty impressive.The amount of detail Danny offered from HS, College and NBA hoops over the last 50 years was tremendous.
Guys like Kelly Tripucka and G-Town Michael Jackson get mentions. A generation of fans will know exactly who those players are.
I loved hearing the name Ricky Berry too. Ainge was a teammate to so many young players who left this planet early....Berry, Bias, Lewis, DJ, Petrovic, Tisdale, etcThe amount of detail Danny offered from HS, College and NBA hoops over the last 50 years was tremendous.
Guys like Kelly Tripucka and G-Town Michael Jackson get mentions. A generation of fans will know exactly who those players are.
Michael Smith in ‘89. Really rough pick by Red.I loved hearing the name Ricky Berry too. Ainge was a teammate to so many young players who left this planet early....Berry, Bias, Lewis, DJ, Petrovic, Tisdale, etc
What was Red up to with all those BYU guys anyway? Ainge, Kite, Fred Roberts.....he was like Pags is now with his Dukies.
Wow yeah....forgot he even existed. Red/BYU = Belichick/Rutgers I guess.Michael Smith in ‘89. Really rough pick by Red.