Author Topic: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?  (Read 18058 times)

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Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #30 on: July 07, 2008, 03:16:53 PM »

Offline bbc3341

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This C's team that just won the title was almost entirely Ainge's construction, well he did resign Pierce, so it is entirely his in the making... He deserves credit - was luck involved? Sure, but he had the right pieces at the right times to make the moves that he did, and also the stones to make them... He gets my vote for best NBA GM.
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Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #31 on: July 07, 2008, 03:38:19 PM »

Offline tenn_smoothie

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i would not say the best - no.

have you forgotten the merry-go-round of trades the Celtics have been through during Danny's tenure ? he made several bad trades that seemed to be made out of panic ...............  and the rebuilding plan changed from month to month at times.

he made one great deal, along with a few solid ones, that brought a title. i'm afraid he may be back to playing a daily game of chess with the players.
The Four Celtic Generals:
Russell - Cowens - Bird - Garnett

The Four Celtic Lieutenants:
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Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #32 on: July 07, 2008, 03:47:15 PM »

Offline Hoops

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Last year everyone was ready to fire this dude, and now everyone wants to call him the Best GM in the NBA. He had one good season. He has to repeat it again.

There might be some logical reasons not to annoint Ainge as the best GM, but this is not one of them. Just because a group of under-informed fans, including Celticsbloggers, wanted to fire him last year doesn't mean he wasn't doing a great job. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, but it does surprise me that people aren't able to see the big picture in these situations. To use the chicken poop/salad analogy, chicken poop doesn't magically become chicken salad overnight. There's an incubation period, if you will. It takes a little time. During such a incubation period, the opinions of impatient observers mean very little.

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #33 on: July 07, 2008, 04:32:06 PM »

Offline bbc3341

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How quick we forget the team he was left with with the Vin Baker disaster and everything else. I am amazed that people still criticize him for bad trades. He was stockpiling draft picks and younger players and also at times trying to bring in some legit players to at least make the team competitive. His plan from the beginning was to garner enough assets to be able to make a big move when the timing was right. Worked to perfection.
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Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #34 on: July 07, 2008, 04:43:29 PM »

Offline Who

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I'm not sure what to make of Danny. We'll see what he does over the next 5-10 years.

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #35 on: July 07, 2008, 04:54:12 PM »

Online JSD

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He got a little lucky having a dance partner for the KG deal -- that is good fortune.  I'll grade him in a few areas:

Drafting - A ... his greatest talent is evaluating young talent.  He has consistently gotten good value out of unfavorable draft positions.  Even his one "mistake", Gerald Green was a no brainer pick where he took him (the way that draft unfolded).  He might be the best drafter in the game.

Trades - B ... this should be lower.  His trades are not very good, but he made one GREAT deal and has generally been adept at admitting mistakes and correcting mistakes.

Free Agency - B ... was hamstrung when the Celtics were seen as a pariah franchise.  When they became a sexy one again, he has picked good guys to target. 

He is an excellent GM.  Outside of the Spurs or Pistons organizations, you can do no better in this league.

I most definitely disagree with this assessment on trades. The trade for Raef Lafrenze was the only bad trade DA has made as the teams GM and if you want to get really technical that wasn’t even a bad trade when you consider Raef to Theo’s expiring, Theo’s expiring to KG.

And why would you say ONE good trade?

Jiri For a 1st round
Ray Allen
KG

There’s 3 right there.


The only color that matters is GREEN

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #36 on: July 07, 2008, 05:45:57 PM »

Offline Sweet17

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He did a nice job - but Patriots have him beat by a long shot, IMHO. The Red Sox are right there as well..

Pete

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #37 on: July 07, 2008, 07:12:39 PM »

Offline JBcat

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It took a little bit of time but considering what Ainge had to work in his initial season he didn't have many assets to work with.  He had role players getting older without much value, too many fringe players, hardly any what you would call good prospects, Antoine Walker whose value was starting to decline, and Pierce.  Check out the roster.   I loved some of those guys on that team such as Williams, Battie, and McCarty but as far as those guys having trade value it wasn't much.
Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Tonk Delk, Eric Williams, Jr Bremer, Shammond Williams, Tony Battie, Walter McCarty, Vin Baker, Mark Blount, Bimbo Coles, Kedrick Brown, Grant Long, Bruno Sundov, Ruben Wolkowyski, Mark Bryant, and Mikki Moore.
He said at the time the team needed to get much younger and find guys with upside.  Looking at this roster you knew it was going to take a little bit of time.   He is one of the best GMs right now (basketball only) but to be considered the best he will need sustained success.  At least he doesn't have one really huge blunder on his resume such as Dumars with drafting Darko and passing on Carmelo or get extremely lucky with the top pick in the draft such as the Spurs with Duncan.   I still think it would have been interesting what Ainge would have done if we landed the first or 2nd pick last year.  Would he trade Pierce for more young talent and have the eastern conference's version of the up and coming Trailblazers or still roll the dice with the trades he made???

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #38 on: July 07, 2008, 09:42:11 PM »

Offline cordobes

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R. C. Buford/Pop and it's not even close. Ainge can change that in the future, of course. He's doing a great job.

Pritchard?

NBA franchises with a >-10 negative income:

Memphis Grizzlies        -10.9
Portland Trail Blazers       -25.1
New York Knicks        -42.2

So yeah, when you can take decisions disregarding any financial consequences, in the present or in the future, and buy tons of draft picks, and pay for a ultra-hiper-mega-expensive scouting operation, and hire executives from every other team (and their knowledge), and diminish  the prices of the tickets just to create a nice environment... isn't your job quite easier? Yeps, Isiah could have done the same and he didn't... but that's Isiah...

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #39 on: July 07, 2008, 11:04:33 PM »

Offline CoachBo

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R. C. Buford/Pop and it's not even close. Ainge can change that in the future, of course. He's doing a great job.

Pritchard?

NBA franchises with a >-10 negative income:

Memphis Grizzlies        -10.9
Portland Trail Blazers       -25.1
New York Knicks        -42.2

So yeah, when you can take decisions disregarding any financial consequences, in the present or in the future, and buy tons of draft picks, and pay for a ultra-hiper-mega-expensive scouting operation, and hire executives from every other team (and their knowledge), and diminish  the prices of the tickets just to create a nice environment... isn't your job quite easier? Yeps, Isiah could have done the same and he didn't... but that's Isiah...

TP. Buford and Pop are the best, by far. Danny has had a great year - but if he sits back and downgrades the bench by letting Posey pass for weak replacements like Pietrus, then he risks his legacy.
Coined the CelticsBlog term, "Euromistake."

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #40 on: July 07, 2008, 11:39:43 PM »

Offline celticsfan8591

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I don't see how you can deny that a lot of Danny's success has been due to luck.  Who would have expected that McHale would have been willing to take such a crappy offer for KG? Ditto for Sam Presti in Seattle.  that being said, no GM has succeeded without some luck.  Would everyone be saying that RC Buford was a great GM if Robinson didn't get hurt, or they didn't win the lottery?  No.  IMO,  the difference between a good and bad GM is how well they taqke advantage of luck.  For instance, McHale got lucky in that people were too concerned with Garnett's age and not enough about his talent.  However, he failed miserably in acquiring role players to put around KG.  RC Buford also got lucky in that David Robinson got hurt and then they won the lottery and got Duncan.  However, unlike McHale, his subsequent moves worked out brilliantly.  Buford saw the talent in Ginobili and Parker that other teams missed, picked up Bowen when no one else wanted him, etc.   Last season, Danny did a great job.  Sure, he got lucky in that Allen and KG  were available, but he also did a great job finding role players like House and Posey and trusting Rondo and Perkins when he was widely criticized for doing so.

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #41 on: July 07, 2008, 11:47:15 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Uh-oh!!

I see a return of one last offseason's most heated thread topics!!

Danny Ainge got lucky vs Danny Ainge is a genius who planned this the whole way through.

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #42 on: July 07, 2008, 11:49:48 PM »

Offline mahonedog88

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Woah now...I wouldn't say he's the best GM in the NBA, definately not sports.

You do have to give him credit on his drafting abilities (minus Marcus Banks) and finding very good young talent in the mid 1st and 2nd rounds.  This includes getting solid bench pieces like Tony Allen (who if healthy and able to play like he did before he blew out his knee, I believe could start for some teams), Glen Davis, Ryan Gomes, and even Gerald Green who I still believe has so much potential and if he wasn't so immature could eventually evolve into a true nba threat.

But you also have to look at his star players, mainly Al Jefferson but even Delonte West as well.

Up until this past offseason though, he was absolutely terrible at trading.  Obviously the Sebastian Telfair/Theo Ratliff trade was horrible, the Wally trade which was more to get rid of Ricky Davis and Mark Blount then it was to get Wally.  Granted, these trades all worked out in hinesight considering we made a championship team because of these trades.  But there's no way Danny said making that Wally trade "ok now I'm gonna wait a few years and trade him, Delonte, and the number 5 pick that we'll get for Ray Allen"

He got very lucky.

Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #43 on: July 08, 2008, 12:26:08 AM »

Offline cdif911

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Uh-oh!!

I see a return of one last offseason's most heated thread topics!!

Danny Ainge got lucky vs Danny Ainge is a genius who planned this the whole way through.


you give a Boston fan a 25 pound piece of gold and they ask you why it isn't 30 pounds....
When you love life, life loves you right back


Re: Is Danny Ainge the best GM in the NBA (or sports for that matter)?
« Reply #44 on: July 08, 2008, 12:41:22 AM »

Offline wdleehi

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Uh-oh!!

I see a return of one last offseason's most heated thread topics!!

Danny Ainge got lucky vs Danny Ainge is a genius who planned this the whole way through.



I was not trying to start that debate. 


I was trying to say that all good GMs have a combination of luck and skill because of this comment

Quote
I kinda just think the SA guy was smart not to bring back David Robinson when he was healthy, lucky to get Duncan, and lucky Tony Parker slipped to where he did in the draft.  Other than that i guess he's pretty good.

Quote
Basically, he drafted two all-stars (Parker and Manu) that every other team passed over.

He has found the best teammates to surround his best player (that the team lucked into)

being a good GM is as much about luck as it is about skills.


Ainge was lucky that two 30+ stars on bad teams came available at the perfect time for the Celtics (when they had a top draft pick, a young stud in Jefferson and two short term large money contracts)  Ainge did a good job gathering those pieces, but had luck in terms of the other teams.



So I am in no way diminishing what Ainge did this past season.  As I said on the 2nd post
Quote
He was the best GM in the NBA last year. 


So I am in no way trying to restart such a discussion. 


 :)