During last summer’s rookie combines—where prospective pros attend tryouts in NBA cities hoping to impress their future employers—a popular question posed to several players by media was whether there were any particular coaches or executives that left them in awe during the whole process. The majority of them answered with the same name: Danny Ainge.
That’s right, Boston’s GM, the 55-year-old former BYU standout and native of Eugene, Oregon, who, coincidentally, spent two years playing for the Toronto Blue Jays before entering the NBA draft. (Also coincidentally: Ainge’s birthday is March 17! The GM of the Celtics! Born on St. Patrick’s Day! What a world!)
His brief stint at Exhibition Stadium aside, Ainge is an NBA lifer: A two-time champion with the Celtics as a player who suited up for four teams total (Boston, Sacramento, Portland and Phoenix) during his 14-year career. After retiring, he coached the Suns for four seasons in the late ‘90s before returning to Boston to take over the front office in 2003.
Ainge orchestrated the trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston, for which he was named the Executive of the Year in 2008. When all’s said and done, however, it could be the trade that sent Garnett and Pierce to Brooklyn, as well as the Celtics’ current direction that end up being the most praiseworthy of Ainge’s tenure.
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The current composition of the Celtics is far from a championship-calibre team. But it’s probably not as far off as you think.
For starters, Ainge got himself the perfect bench boss, Brad Stevens, who, at the time of his hiring, was considered by many to be the best coach in college basketball. Ainge signed Stevens to a six-year, $22-million contract, which shows a degree of faith and loyalty up front that Stevens has reciprocated. During his season and a half in Boston, Stevens’ name has come up in rumours surrounding every high-profile college position with the potential to become available—Indiana, North Carolina, Duke, etc.—and, each time, Stevens has adamantly denied any interest in leaving the Celtics. “I’ve committed to being here,” he told Paul Flannery of SBNation, “I’ve already left a situation once and that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to choose to do. This is something that as long as they want me to be here, this is what I want to be doing and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”
Stevens has coached through five trades involving more than a dozen players so far this season and, against all odds, has a rotating cast including Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, Brandon Bass, Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller and Neon Jesus only 3.5 games out of the seventh seed in the East.
That’s not to imply that these guys are scrubs—they’re all young and capable NBA players and some, like Smart, have the potential to be great. Clearly, the bottom half of the East being terrible has a lot to do with the C’s staying within striking distance of a playoff spot, but it’s hard to ignore the strides they’ve made as a core group.
Stevens has them playing up-tempo, unselfish basketball. They play at the third-fastest pace in the league, behind only Golden State and Phoenix; they’re fourth in assists per game (24.6) and assist percentage (62.9), eighth in second chance points per game (14.4) and 10th in steals per game (8.0), and they allow the fourth-fewest opponent fast break points per game (10.9).
Every player on the roster is either on a rookie deal or an expiring contract and yet they play within the system, they’re selfless and they work their tails off. The next time you watch a Celtics game, wait for a loose ball and check out how many guys in green hit the floor trying to recover it. The ball may as well be Walmart’s last flat screen on Black Friday.
Then there are the draft picks—sweet lord, the draft picks. Go ahead and peruse them for yourself.
Boston Celtics’ Draft Rights:
2015: Their own first-round pick, the Clippers’ first-round pick, Dallas’ first-round pick (if it’s between No. 4 and 14), Phoenix’s first round pick (if it’s No. 12 or higher), Philadelphia’s first-round pick (if in the playoffs) or second-round pick, their own second-round pick (if it’s between 30 and 55), and Washington’s second-round pick (if it’s 50 or higher).
2016: Own first-round pick, Brooklyn’s first-round pick (unprotected), Cleveland’s first-round pick (if 11 or higher), Dallas’s first-round pick (if its 8 or higher and they didn’t already get it in 2015), Phoenix’s first-round pick (if its 12 or higher and they didn’t already get it), Minnesota’s first-round pick (if 13 or higher) or second-round pick, Philadelphia’s second-round pick (if they don’t land the first-rounder in 2015), the better of Dallas’s and Memphis’s second-round picks, Miami’s second-round pick, and Cleveland’s second-round pick.
2017: Their own first-round pick (along with the right to swap with the Nets), Cleveland’s first-round pick (if 11 or higher and not received previously), Dallas’s first-round pick (if 8 or higher and not received previously), Memphis’s first-round pick (though this one is unlikely for very complicated reasons), their own second round pick (unless it’s 46 or higher and they swap first-rounders with Brooklyn), the Clippers’ second-round pick, and Minnesota’s second-round pick (if they don’t get the first in ’16).
2018: Their own first-round pick, Brooklyn’s first-round pick (unprotected), Dallas’s first-round pick (if not received previously and 8 or higher), Cleveland’s first round pick (if not received previously and 11 or higher), Memphis’s first-round pick (maybe, still complicated), and their own second-round pick.
2019: Their own first-round pick, Dallas’s first-round pick (if not received previously and 8 or higher), Cleveland’s first-round pick (if not received previously), Memphis’s first-round pick (maybe, if not received previously through a complicated transaction), and their own second round pick
Yikes. Get all that?
Talk about pulling the trigger on the Garnett-Pierce deal at the perfect time. If you’re a Nets fan, you might just want to check out for the next three years.
If you break down the rights by how and when the Celtics will most likely receive them, Boston’s future should look something like this:
2015: Two first-rounders, three second-rounders
2016: Five first-rounders, three second-rounders
2017: One first-rounder, two second-rounders
2018: Two first-rounders, one second-rounder
2019: Two first-rounders, one second-rounder
The Celtics essentially have three unprotected first-round picks from the Nets coming in the next three years—right when the Nets are projected to be floundering. The Celtics can have their cake and eat it too. They can be a playoff team for the next three seasons and still potentially come away with a top lottery pick each June.
Really Boston couldn’t have scripted it any better. They have a front office that inspires awe in rookies, a well-respected coach known for his ability to motivate young players and squeeze every ounce of effort out of his squads, a bevy of draft picks that can double as trade bait, and a core group of young players with a ton of potential playing their hardest every night.
The Celtics will be a powerhouse again, sooner than later. Sometimes all it takes to get back on that path to success are some incredibly well-timed personnel moves, millions and millions of dollars, and the clout that comes with being the winningest franchise in NBA history.
It’s just that easy.