Danny has always kicked every tire, no news here at all.
Just that Danny is active and then Chad Ford's opinion on things.
Pretty much.
Also Chad Ford typically down on the Celtics, as he usually seems to be. Giving us no chance to contend. He is letting his opinion on that color the possibilities of what he things Ainge will do.
Again, no doubt Ainge has called about everyone. But that doesn't mean he really has considered that much. I believe Ainge knows this year could be very similar to last year and our team could very well be better equipped to beat Miami.
Chad Ford is pretty consistently misrepresented on this board. The fact is, he's one of the few 'insiders' who
actually talks to real sources.
More importantly, it's very hard to blame him or any other objective observer for looking at the Cs and seeing a less-than-championship caliber team. If you were a Bobcats fan or a Blazers fan or a Kings fan, would you bet on Miami or Boston? OKC or Boston? LAC or Boston?
I think Ford's point is clear, and has some value. That is, more than simple tire kicking. Ainge gets that the time is now to either go one way or the other. So he's listening to all of it. If he can't improve their 'win now' chances -- something he likely feels they need to do to have a serious shot -- then he's going to consider, at the very least, more wholesale adjustments.
What Ford doesn't say, but I believe strongly is the case for the Cs and therefore a major factor, is that Pierce is not going to kept on his current contract this summer under almost any circumstances (other than a banner). He'll be offered a much lower 2 year deal -- say, $7-9mil a year. And who knows if he'll take it.
That likely increases the chances of a more lateral team-changing trade a little bit...