Tatum says he was Ainge's pick all along

[Roy H.]

“The Celtics were going to always pick me No.1, but Philly didn’t know that. They thought that Boston was going to pick Markelle, so Philly traded the pick and gave Boston a pick for next year. So Boston was like, we can still get the player we want along with next year’s pick. We also get the player we want for less money. Boston still got all that they wanted and Philly had to give up all that to get Markelle. Philly didn’t know Boston was going to get me.”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=jAeH3KLOeHc

[Celts Fan 508]

Any amazing talent evaluator, myself  included, knew that Tatum was the best prospect in this draft.

[SCeltic34]

I don't follow all the pre-draft hype and analysis all that closely - I'll look at some mock drafts, watch some videos, but otherwise don't pay attention to all the "experts".  So my questions:

1) Were there any mock drafts at all where Fultz was not #1?
2) Were there any mock drafts where Tatum was ranked ahead of Ball?  Or where Tatum was #1?
3) I think it became quite obvious that whoever Ainge was set on at #3 was the same player he would have taken at #1 following the trade to Philly.  But what made Ainge so sure that Tatum would be there at #3?  Clearly he had reliable sources indicating that the Lakers would take Ball - but say if the Lakers took Tatum, what was Ainge's plan B?

[greece66]

Great find Roy.

[hwangjini_1]

I don't follow all the pre-draft hype and analysis all that closely - I'll look at some mock drafts, watch some videos, but otherwise don't pay attention to all the "experts".  So my questions:

1) Were there any mock drafts at all where Fultz was not #1?
2) Were there any mock drafts where Tatum was ranked ahead of Ball?  Or where Tatum was #1?
3) I think it became quite obvious that whoever Ainge was set on at #3 was the same player he would have taken at #1 following the trade to Philly.  But what made Ainge so sure that Tatum would be there at #3?  Clearly he had reliable sources indicating that the Lakers would take Ball - but say if the Lakers took Tatum, what was Ainge's plan B?

We may never know ainge backup plan, but I suspect ainge would have taken Jackson over ball.

Oh, and a tp for Roy. Thanks for the info.

[green_bballers13]

Liked the interview. Tatum seems well spoken, calm, and confident. I think he's probably more mature and professional than a lot of the other rookies. I have no doubt that he will go off at least once this year for 20+ points. We will see soon enough how skilled he is. This was a way better decision than picking Fultz.

The Celtics are committed to winning at this point. They're going to sign IT, so Fultz wasn't that enticing. Neither was Lonzo and his dad's preferences. I don't think this team needs a young pg. They needed a skilled wing scorer, and they got two in Tatum and Hayward.

Win totals don't mean that much to me. If they win 48+ games, cool. I'm more concerned about the team improving, and they certainly have with Tatum, Hayward, and Morris (minus AB and KO).

Danny deserves a lot of credit for this offseason.

[nebist]

Not really the thread for it, but it just occurred to me that Joe Johnson might be a solid comp for a Tatum outside of the normal Pierce/Melo ones people make.

[green_bballers13]

I don't follow all the pre-draft hype and analysis all that closely - I'll look at some mock drafts, watch some videos, but otherwise don't pay attention to all the "experts".  So my questions:

1) Were there any mock drafts at all where Fultz was not #1?
2) Were there any mock drafts where Tatum was ranked ahead of Ball?  Or where Tatum was #1?
3) I think it became quite obvious that whoever Ainge was set on at #3 was the same player he would have taken at #1 following the trade to Philly.  But what made Ainge so sure that Tatum would be there at #3?  Clearly he had reliable sources indicating that the Lakers would take Ball - but say if the Lakers took Tatum, what was Ainge's plan B?

If I were Danny, I would have tried to trade down again and pick De"Aaron Fox or Dennis Smith. I think they were valuable enough to include in another trade. I would trade into perpetuity and collect endless amounts of assets. He pulled the trigger on the KG trade- he will one day have the ability to do so again.

[Bucketgetter]

I don't follow all the pre-draft hype and analysis all that closely - I'll look at some mock drafts, watch some videos, but otherwise don't pay attention to all the "experts".  So my questions:

1) Were there any mock drafts at all where Fultz was not #1?
2) Were there any mock drafts where Tatum was ranked ahead of Ball?  Or where Tatum was #1?
3) I think it became quite obvious that whoever Ainge was set on at #3 was the same player he would have taken at #1 following the trade to Philly.  But what made Ainge so sure that Tatum would be there at #3?  Clearly he had reliable sources indicating that the Lakers would take Ball - but say if the Lakers took Tatum, what was Ainge's plan B?

Its funny, the very first mock draft I saw after the Celtics had won the lottery and the order was set had the Celtics taking Tatum number 1. It was on CBS sports, so a pretty reputable site. I guess that guy was right.

[byennie]

I don't follow all the pre-draft hype and analysis all that closely - I'll look at some mock drafts, watch some videos, but otherwise don't pay attention to all the "experts".  So my questions:

1) Were there any mock drafts at all where Fultz was not #1?
2) Were there any mock drafts where Tatum was ranked ahead of Ball?  Or where Tatum was #1?
3) I think it became quite obvious that whoever Ainge was set on at #3 was the same player he would have taken at #1 following the trade to Philly.  But what made Ainge so sure that Tatum would be there at #3?  Clearly he had reliable sources indicating that the Lakers would take Ball - but say if the Lakers took Tatum, what was Ainge's plan B?

If I were Danny, I would have tried to trade down again and pick De"Aaron Fox or Dennis Smith. I think they were valuable enough to include in another trade. I would trade into perpetuity and collect endless amounts of assets. He pulled the trigger on the KG trade- he will one day have the ability to do so again.

It makes no sense to trade the #1 guy on your board for #5 or worse, who might be a whole two tiers below. Danny wasn't trying to just accumulate assets, he was getting a FREE asset by trading down and still getting his guy. Huge difference.

[Celtics4ever]

It was a smart move if Ainge got his guy he wanted and traded down and got an asset.

There was something disquieting to me about Fultz when I watched him play.   He seemed to hide in the game when had against him when the game tightened up and passed up chances to hit the big shot.   A lot of the games he posted a ton of stats but they were empty.   I am glad we did not take him.  I think a lot of the concerns about him putting up a ton of stats but not being a winner may be validated this season.  Only time will tell.

The hype machine guys at ESPN and some of the other networks never mention stuff like this because all they do is hype the players up until told to tear them down.   Fultz has undeniable talent but I think he is lacking in intangibles.

[moiso]

That is going to be the company line.  Who knows if it's true.  Maybe Ainge would have taken Fultz if he couldn't have gotten future assets.  And why was he so determined to work out Josh Jackson if he was so sure that Tatum was his guy?

[bopna]

That is going to be the company line.  Who knows if it's true.  Maybe Ainge would have taken Fultz if he couldn't have gotten future assets.  And why was he so determined to work out Josh Jackson if he was so sure that Tatum was his guy?

Was intrigued by him I guess..but it wouldn't really make any sense if Tatum was your man all along but flew all the way to Sacramento for a supposed to be workout at the last minute to see a player they wouldn't draft anyway...seems odd to me as well.

[billysan]

I have no doubt this is true but what concerns me more is who is the 'leaker' in the Philadelphia front office? This was a possibly great result but a real risk if Danny had bad Intel wasnt it? He took a risk here that may sink our ship if the info was no good.

In two years if Fultz is an all star and Tatum a bust, imagine how Danny will look.

[Celtics4ever]

Was intrigued by him I guess..but it wouldn't really make any sense if Tatum was your man all along but flew all the way to Sacramento for a supposed to be workout at the last minute to see a player they wouldn't draft anyway...seems odd to me as well.

Where I am from we call it "Covering all the bases"  aka " hedge one's bets"

To account for or provide a way to address every possible outcome, scenario, contingency, etc

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cover+all+the+bases