Is it too early to put Pat Riley and Danny Ainge/Brad Stevens in the category with the all time great GMs like Red Auerbach, Jerry West, RC Buford, ect?
When you think of the most successful and best ran franchises over the last 15-20 years you think of the LA Lakers, SA Spurs, and the GS Warriors. However, in and around these 3 Dynasties the other two consistently relevant and competitive franchises have been the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics. Only one team wins the title each year and not every franchise can be a dynasty. But when your franchise is able reinvent and rebuild themselves several times over, maintain a winning culture, and consistently compete with those dynasties for a long stretch of time I think that deserves a lot of credit in its own right.
Over the past 25 years Pat Riley has built 4 different championship contenders for a total of 14 seasons of championship contention. In the last 15 years Miami has been to 6 NBA finals and won 3 of them. They've consistently drafted well(Wade, Herro, Bam), made great trades(Zo, Hardaway, Shaq), and have been able to sign top shelf players as free agents(Lebron, Bosh, Butler).
Over the past 15 years Danny Ainge, and later Brad Stevens, has been able to build 2 seperate long running title contenders for total of 10 seasons of championship contention. They've made it to 3 NBA finals and have won a title. Like Miami, Boston has also drafted well(Tatum, Brown, Smart, Williams) and traded well(Ray, Allen, Rondo, Kyrie, Horford). And of course Ainge was famously able to build a "treasure chest" of draft picks that was the envy of the league for a few years.
Where does Pat Riley and the Ainge/Stevens combo rank among all time GMs?
Where does Pat Riley and Danny Ainge(w/ Brad Stephens) rank among ATG GMs?
Moderators: Clyde Frazier, Doctor MJ, trex_8063, penbeast0, PaulieWal
Where does Pat Riley and Danny Ainge(w/ Brad Stephens) rank among ATG GMs?
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- Sixth Man
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