Grading Danny's offseason moves

[Jvalin]

My take on our offseason :

Hayward, 4(minus 1)-year max --> (A)
Tatum at #3 --> (B+)
Semi at #37 --> (B+)
Baynes, 1-year deal for $4,300,000 --> (B-)
Nader, 4(3+1)-year deal for $5,917,045 --> (C+)
Theis, 2-year deal for the minimum --> (C)
Pistons trade --> (D+)
Larkin, 1-year deal for $1,524,305 --> (D+)
Sixers trade --> (D-)
stretching Jackson over 7 years --> (F) - obviously it's a minor move but I hate it anyway

Kadeem Allen at #53 (meh whatever)
Jabari Bird at #56 (meh whatever)


Overall   C-

[Sophomore]

It's reasonable to argue that DA should have drafted Fultz instead of Tatum plus the option. Personally, I think you have to give the Tatum pick/Sixers trade an incomplete. If Tatum pans out and we get a second mid-to-early lottery pick that's an A+.

I don't see how you're giving the Larkin signing a D+. Seems more like a meh, or maybe gets a underweighted B. He's the 16th contract, so he only makes the team if he shows himself better than someone else.  And the owner gets a boost for being willing to spend guaranteed money on at least one player who won't be on the roster.

Why a D+ for the Pistons trade? Of course AB is a better player than Marcus Morris. But we have to develop other 2s (my bet is that by playoff time it's going to be Jaylen Brown in that slot) and we desperately needed a 4. Obviously we weren't going to have budget to keep AB, IT, and MS next year. It's a sensible deal. I would have liked Danny to get someone like JaMychal for that spot, but I don't know that an S&T was possible there.

Theis is another meh or incomplete for me. He might be a cheaper Jerebko with a little more athleticism, in which case B+ or A- but underweighted because we're talking about a bench player. If he can't get off the bench or make the team because he fouls too much or simply isn't a good-enough player, then it's a lower grade but who else ya got?

What would you have done with AB?  Especially if you also wanted Ainge to draft Fultz, what were you hoping for him to do about our frontcourt situation?

[ThePaintedArea]

Hayward, 4(minus 1)-year max --> (A)
Tatum at #3 --> (B+)
Semi at #37 --> (B+)
Baynes, 1-year deal for $4,300,000 --> (B-)
Nader, 3(plus 1)-year deal for $5,917,045 --> (C+)
Theis, 2-year deal for the minimum --> (C)
Pistons trade --> (D+)
Larkin, 1-year deal for $1,524,305 --> (D+)
Sixers trade --> (D-)
stretching Jackson over 7 years --> (F) - obviously it's a minor move but I hate it anyway

Kadeem Allen at #53 (meh whatever)
Jabari Bird at #56 (meh whatever)


Overall   C-

Impressed by your attention to detail, though I don't agree with all your assessments - more importantly, I wouldn't find it easy to grade something like the Sixers trade, as an example - that one could turn out a lot of different ways, depending on where the pick winds up, Fultz' knees, etc.

Short-term, this summer's moves might not translate into more wins, especially in the first part of the year, since the complement of bigs is younger and less experienced - and less capable of playing the way they've been playing the last couple of years. I think that the pessimists will find some vindication in the team's actual results for the season. But I would urge caution and a calm look at the big picture.

It looks like Jayson Tatum is going to get a lot of burn. There will be mistakes.

I think that the long-term picture is rosier. And there will be small victories and vindications for the optimists along the way - the emergence of Jaylen Brown as a star, for instance, looks worth betting on.

[BitterJim]

Giving each deal a grade in a vacuum doesn't make much sense. In a vacuum, stretching Jackson may seem like a bad move (although his hit is so small that it will have no effect on our cap - not like the Pistons with Josh Smith or the Bucks with Larry Sanders), but it was the only way to sign Nader to any deal other than a 1 or 2 year minimum. Similarly, the Tatum pick and 76ers trade are impossible to judge individually.

[droopdog7]

I mean, if you're going to weight all the grades evenly I see how you arrive at a C-.  But frankly, all of those smaller moves are insignificant and really shouldn't have much of any weight at all. 

The grade probably comes down to how you feel about Hayward and Tatum signings and the loss of AB.  Hayward will clearly make us better but I can see how some would think he's not a max player.  But he is a clear upgrade over AB and he is an all star.  As far as Tatum, I guess we'll see.  DA didn't like Fultz, and my guess it is because of what's above the shoulders more than physical skills.  And I'm not calling him dumb, just that he has a peculiar way about him. 

I think overall I'd give DA a B+.

[Sophomore]

As far as Tatum, I guess we'll see.  DA didn't like Fultz, and my guess it is because of what's above the shoulders more than physical skills.  And I'm not calling him dumb, just that he has a peculiar way about him. 

Agree - Fultz showed great moves and physical talent in SL. The Celtics evaluators clearly saw something else they didn't like, and it does look like an attitude/approach issue. Hopefully they're right about him and Tatum both...

[hwangjini_1]

My take on our offseason :

Hayward, 4(minus 1)-year max --> (A)
Tatum at #3 --> (B+)
Semi at #37 --> (B+)
Baynes, 1-year deal for $4,300,000 --> (B-)
Nader, 4(3+1)-year deal for $5,917,045 --> (C+)
Theis, 2-year deal for the minimum --> (C)
Pistons trade --> (D+)
Larkin, 1-year deal for $1,524,305 --> (D+)
Sixers trade --> (D-)
stretching Jackson over 7 years --> (F) - obviously it's a minor move but I hate it anyway

Kadeem Allen at #53 (meh whatever)
Jabari Bird at #56 (meh whatever)


Overall   C-

so, in this thread:

Hayward, 4(minus 1)-year max --> (A)

pretty much carries the same weight as these?

Pistons trade --> (D+)
Larkin, 1-year deal for $1,524,305 --> (D+)
Sixers trade --> (D-)
stretching Jackson over 7 years --> (F)

i know this is all subjectivity and personal thoughts and feelings by you, but it does seem a bit skewed to somehow weight these are roughly equal in value and impact.

[celticsclay]

My take on our offseason :

Hayward, 4(minus 1)-year max --> (A)
Tatum at #3 --> (B+)
Semi at #37 --> (B+)
Baynes, 1-year deal for $4,300,000 --> (B-)
Nader, 4(3+1)-year deal for $5,917,045 --> (C+)
Theis, 2-year deal for the minimum --> (C)
Pistons trade --> (D+)
Larkin, 1-year deal for $1,524,305 --> (D+)
Sixers trade --> (D-)
stretching Jackson over 7 years --> (F) - obviously it's a minor move but I hate it anyway

Kadeem Allen at #53 (meh whatever)
Jabari Bird at #56 (meh whatever)


Overall   C-

These are completely irrelevant. Why not grade his orders at chipotle at this rate...

[CoachBo]

I mean, if you're going to weight all the grades evenly I see how you arrive at a C-.  But frankly, all of those smaller moves are insignificant and really shouldn't have much of any weight at all. 

The grade probably comes down to how you feel about Hayward and Tatum signings and the loss of AB.  Hayward will clearly make us better but I can see how some would think he's not a max player.  But he is a clear upgrade over AB and he is an all star.  As far as Tatum, I guess we'll see.  DA didn't like Fultz, and my guess it is because of what's above the shoulders more than physical skills.  And I'm not calling him dumb, just that he has a peculiar way about him. 

I think overall I'd give DA a B+.

I'd agree with this. There are a lot of moves on this list that are simply irrelevant - Nader, Theis, Semi, Jackson - and cannot be weighted similarly to the big moves.

[ThePaintedArea]

As far as Tatum, I guess we'll see.  DA didn't like Fultz, and my guess it is because of what's above the shoulders more than physical skills.  And I'm not calling him dumb, just that he has a peculiar way about him. 

Agree - Fultz showed great moves and physical talent in SL. The Celtics evaluators clearly saw something else they didn't like, and it does look like an attitude/approach issue. Hopefully they're right about him and Tatum both...

Equally, the Celtics Brass might have preferred what Tatum offers that Fultz doesn't - apart from his extraordinary maturity, Tatum has the size and length to be one of the premier swings in the league, a matchup nightmare every night.

As for Fultz' drawbacks - two hyperextension injuries in high school are not a good sign for knees that are already back at the end of their range of motion.

[Vermont Green]

Not sure how it could be better.  I am fine with Tatum over Fultz plus we get a future roll of the dice (draft pick).  Would anyone rather have traded half the farm (likely including Tatum) for George over signing Hayward?  Or trading 3/4 of the farm for Butler?

And I actually like Morris.  I don't look at it as trading Bradley for Morris, it is more like trading Bradley and Olynyk for Hayward and Morris.  Not a home run I don't think but an upgrade (move the runners along).

Plus I am excited to see Zizic and Yabusele get their chance.  These aren't really moves per se but are going to contribute to making the season interesting to watch.

Now I hope he doesn't blow it by trading IT, Crowder, and Rozier for Irving.

[Jvalin]

My take on our offseason :

Hayward, 4(minus 1)-year max --> (A)
Tatum at #3 --> (B+)
Semi at #37 --> (B+)
Baynes, 1-year deal for $4,300,000 --> (B-)
Nader, 4(3+1)-year deal for $5,917,045 --> (C+)
Theis, 2-year deal for the minimum --> (C)
Pistons trade --> (D+)
Larkin, 1-year deal for $1,524,305 --> (D+)
Sixers trade --> (D-)
stretching Jackson over 7 years --> (F) - obviously it's a minor move but I hate it anyway

Kadeem Allen at #53 (meh whatever)
Jabari Bird at #56 (meh whatever)


Overall   C-

These are completely irrelevant. Why not grade his orders at chipotle at this rate...

The Sixers trade is completely irrelevant? I would argue it may be the single most important move we made during the offseason (2nd most important at the very least).

so, in this thread:

Hayward, 4(minus 1)-year max --> (A)

pretty much carries the same weight as these?

Pistons trade --> (D+)
Larkin, 1-year deal for $1,524,305 --> (D+)
Sixers trade --> (D-)
stretching Jackson over 7 years --> (F)

i know this is all subjectivity and personal thoughts and feelings by you, but it does seem a bit skewed to somehow weight these are roughly equal in value and impact.

The way I see it, it's more like

Hayward (A) + Tatum (B+) vs. Pistons trade (D+) + Sixers trade (D-)

(in the sense that most of the other moves are of minor importance)

[TheSundanceKid]

Why is the Pistons trade a D+? And why is the sixers trade a D-? Without those two moves you don't get Hayward or the A.

[Dino Pitino]

Hayward's an A.

Tatum + LAL/SAC pick for Fultz when we were gonna pick Tatum first anyway is an win, at worst a B, maybe an A.

Bradley + second rounder for Morris was a small win for us, hence why we had to include the pick, because Morris is just about as potent offensively and is disproportionately valuable to us as a Lebron slower-downer and signed an extra year. Somewhere in the B- range.

Those three moves constitute the bulk of the grade.
Danny makes the honor roll.

[greece66]

What happens if Ainge gets a failing mark?

Can he at least appeal or does he lose his job?