Danny Ainge as a General Manager (drafts)

[vxmike]

lol @ anyone who thinks the Horford signing was bad. Other teams were ready to max him out. He's putting up 15/7/5 with 2 blocks per game, has provided excellent leadership in the lockerroom, made the Celtics players for Durant, and ended the myth that star free agents won't sign in Boston. And, oh yeah, despite injuries to all their best players, they're second in the East right now.

Horford isn't a difference maker in the playoffs. Signing him for huge money into his mid 30s was a bad idea. For $25M he doesn't move the needle like he should.

There were better signings out there or they could have sat on that cap room. They should have pursued either Cousins or Butler with the BKN picks and that could have persuaded another star in FA last summer or this coming one.

Signing stars in FA is much less likely with the new CBA, unfortunately. By the time those BKN picks develop Horford will be old and BOS will be fighting cap hell with new deals for Crowder/Thomas/Bradley.

You mean like the cap hell that the Cavs and Warriors are facing? How many teams in the league would be happy to change places with Boston right now? Ainge has orchestrated an incredibly quick rebuild. It's good to think a few years down the road, but it's not like the Celtics have only one path going forward. There is a lot of flexibility in their future.

The Celtics have a real possibility of getting the top seed in the East, while getting the first pick in a great draft. Think about that for a minute.

Cavs and Warriors have multiple stars or key players signed to pre 2016 contracts. Green, Klay, Love, Kyrie, and Tristan are all signed for multiple seasons at the old max. Boston has only Crowder signed at a cheap deal past next season. The Cavs and GSW also both have owners that will spend any amount to keep their rosters...do the Celtics?

Ainge still has time to trade those picks if he wants, but the clock is ticking. Those two remaining BKN picks could be 4th or lower too. Let's also not pretend that even top picks these days rarely contribute to winning their first few years with everyone coming out at 19 or 20. Not to mention the bust rate on top 5 picks is still significant.

[MrBigShot]

Ainge is an excellent GM. I'd say as far as actually selecting players in the draft that's probably his biggest weakness, but he makes up for it in other ways.

[sportfan6197]

His drafting is atrocious but he is great at trades.

Year Round Pick Name
2016 1 3 Jaylen Brown
2016 1 16 Guerschon Yabusele
2016 1 23 Ante Žižić
2015 1 16 Terry Rozier
2015 1 28 R. J. Hunter
2014 1 6 Marcus Smart
2014 1 17 James Young
2013 1 16 Lucas Nogueira
2012 1 21 Jared Sullinger
2012 1 22 Fab Melo
2011 1 25 MarShon Brooks
2010 1 19 Avery Bradley
2008 1 30 J. R. Giddens
2007 1 5 Jeff Green
2006 1 7 Randy Foye
2005 1 18 Gerald Green
2004 1 15 Al Jefferson
2004 1 24 Delonte West
2004 1 25 Tony Allen
2003 1 16 Troy Bell
2003 1 20 Dahntay Jones

2016 2 31 Deyonta Davis
2016 2 35 Rade Zagorac
2016 2 45 Demetrius Jackson
2016 2 51 Ben Bentil
2016 2 58 Abdel Nader
2015 2 33 Jordan Mickey
2015 2 45 Marcus Thornton
2012 2 51 Kris Joseph
2011 2 55 E'Twaun Moore
2010 2 52 Luke Harangody
2009 2 58 Lester Hudson
2008 2 60 Semih Erden
2007 2 32 Gabe Pruitt
2005 2 50 Ryan Gomes
2005 2 53 Orien Greene
2004 2 40 Justin Reed


Didn't find anybody in the second round and hasn't drafted well since Avery Bradley.

I love when people just copy and paste draft lists lmao without even checking things over.

First of all guys like Nog, Green, Foye, Brooks were not his pick. This list misses guys like Rondo and Olynyk who were good draft picks .

You're also missing out on context. Ainge's teams have missed the postseason once in the past 10 years which means very few lottery picks. He's had two picks in the top 13 during his netire tenure and neither looks like a bust. Yeah he's taken some late firsts swing and misses like Fab Melo, Giddens, JJ, Hunter, but expecting all those to be hits on stacked teams is ridiculous. Some of his guys proved to be quality guys but just needed playing time (Moore, Green).

No one is saying Ainge is a great drafter but how can you call a guy a below average drafter without any busts in the top half of the draft?

[sanitylaker]

his draft record is atrocious. If not for the dumbness of Billy King, Ainge should have been fired already.

I don't think there's a GM in the league that has wasted so many 1st rounders like him.

[Curmudgeon]

Deyonta Davis and Rade Zagorac were drafted for Memphis. Ainge traded those two picks for a future first because he had 8 picks and didn't have roster space for so many players.

[jrob23]

He's probably the best G.M. regarding trades and seeing value in veterans. He is a pretty dismal drafter (1st round of 2016 was good though) and a poor evaluator of prospects.

[Clutch31]

His drafting is actually quite bad. He struck gold with trades a few times though. A few of them where so lopsided that you have to ask yourself if the tradepartners where durgged or something. His free agent signings are far from impressive. He signed some old veteran big names in a time where those guys where ringchasing, but nothing spectacular.

[casketball]

Smart was a good pick at least. I'd say most of the current core were the right pick at the time.

[TTP]

Drafting is a crapshoot. You can be a great GM without being a great drafter. It's also just very difficult to get the sample size required to separate luck from skill.

Trade evaluation is much more defined and Ainge has pulled off some phenomenal trades.

[Patsfan1081]

Is still don't understand why Ainge gets all the attention yet no one comes hear and criticizes any other GM, maybe jealousy? Ainge is good at making deals yet he's been average in the draft. People site he hasn't found any talent in the second round, which is a bit comical, almost all of his picks were in the fifties. Same in the first round, most of his picks have been later in the draft because they've been a playoff team. Smart and Brown are exceptions yet we won't know if he really did well on them for a few years. But his other picks in the teens or twenties have been a mix result, as are most GM's.

[Patsfan1081]

His drafting is actually quite bad. He struck gold with trades a few times though. A few of them where so lopsided that you have to ask yourself if the tradepartners where durgged or something. His free agent signings are far from impressive. He signed some old veteran big names in a time where those guys where ringchasing, but nothing spectacular.

People who say his drafting is bad never give any reasoning behind it or site examples.

[Patsfan1081]

his draft record is atrocious. If not for the dumbness of Billy King, Ainge should have been fired already.

I don't think there's a GM in the league that has wasted so many 1st rounders like him.

Again, how has he wasted first rounders? Just saying it doesn't make it true, missing on a pick isn't a huge rarity. Tell us all the first round picks he has wasted.

[reload141]

his draft record is atrocious. If not for the dumbness of Billy King, Ainge should have been fired already.

I don't think there's a GM in the league that has wasted so many 1st rounders like him.

Again, how has he wasted first rounders? Just saying it doesn't make it true, missing on a pick isn't a huge rarity. Tell us all the first round picks he has wasted.

Don't bother, the guy has an agenda against Boston in all his other posts Boston related...

[Zaschrona]

Best GM in the league. Amazing trader, solid drafter, really good with FAs and new contracts.

[Clutch31]

His drafting is actually quite bad. He struck gold with trades a few times though. A few of them where so lopsided that you have to ask yourself if the tradepartners where durgged or something. His free agent signings are far from impressive. He signed some old veteran big names in a time where those guys where ringchasing, but nothing spectacular.

People who say his drafting is bad never give any reasoning behind it or site examples.

Valid point, but for a gm that has had so many draft picks there's not one that even comes close to a draft steal. It has nothing to with him not having many lottery picks, because gems can be found in every draft. I'm not saying he's a bad gm, in contrary, i think he's been great for the organization, but some aspects he could have done better in my opinion.

[magicmerl]

His two greatest moves were really boneheaded by the other GM (McHale and King).

But not a lot of clunkers in there. He does a great job of never doing what Atlanta just did, going from one direction to another and ending up with less talent/picks along the way.

[Gurton Buster]

His drafting is actually quite bad. He struck gold with trades a few times though. A few of them where so lopsided that you have to ask yourself if the tradepartners where durgged or something. His free agent signings are far from impressive. He signed some old veteran big names in a time where those guys where ringchasing, but nothing spectacular.

People who say his drafting is bad never give any reasoning behind it or site examples.

Valid point, but for a gm that has had so many draft picks there's not one that even comes close to a draft steal. It has nothing to with him not having many lottery picks, because gems can be found in every draft. I'm not saying he's a bad gm, in contrary, i think he's been great for the organization, but some aspects he could have done better in my opinion.

Drafting rondo late in the first round, an all star, must've slipped ur mind right... smh. Drafting tony allen late in the first round must've just gone over your head too.

almost everybody in the gb has their personal bias against the celtics and its clouding y'alls judgement, but its cool.


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[zimpy27]

Celtics need to pull the trigger on trading assets for a franchise player or they may as well tank and load up on draft picks, what's the point of being a playoff team while getting rebuild pieces?

[Gurton Buster]

his draft record is atrocious. If not for the dumbness of Billy King, Ainge should have been fired already.

I don't think there's a GM in the league that has wasted so many 1st rounders like him.

Potential 1st seed in the east and potential 1st pick in the draft.

nuff said


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[robbie84]

He's an excellent drafter. Look at his picks vs the rest of the NBA's GM's.
Who's better?
-Buford
-Presti
-Bucks GM
... who else?

There was an enormous analysis done on the history of the NBA draft and General managers ranked in order of drafting prowess based on the careers of drafted players at their positions. Ainge was 3rd I believe behind Presti and Buford, this was before Giannis was drafted.
If anyone has a saved link please share.

Ainge has had Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown as top 5 picks. That's it (and Marcus was #6).

And I noticed someone said that he almost threw in the 2017 Brooklyn pick for Justise Winslow which is completely wrong- that pick was never offered up and never reported offered up. Danny discussed this trade in detail on Boston's sports radio show 'Toucher and Rick' and said the unprotected Brooklyn picks were not going out unless a superstar was coming back. The Winslow trade was the C's own pick, the Clippers pick and some 2nd round picks.

Also lol @ the Bulls fan saying it would be a critical mistake to not give up Jaylen, the two Brooklyn picks for Jimmy Butler....
Never happening mate.