Ainge misses out on another superstar, overrated GM

[shi-woo]

Ainge's biggest mistake was blowing his wad on Kemba who is on the wrong side of 30, undersized, and injury prone. The celtics don't need him.

You're not winning a ring with the best players on your team being 22 and 23. Kemba was signed for the sole reason that we would have lost the cap space vacated once Kyrie left, and Jaylen Brown/Smart's extensions kicked in.

I'm 100% convinced that Kemba was signed for the simple reason of keeping the team playoff caliber while Tatum and Brown settle into their primes, and then use his cap hold to fill out the roster in a s&t later in the contract.

Once Kyrie walked, it became a cap game for Ainge, and to be honest he's still trying to figure it out. But there is no way he could just let that cap space sit tight, they had to bring someone in. Kemba was the best option even if he was just a for show signing.

[AussieCeltic]

We’ve been to 3 conference finals in 4 seasons whilst still in “rebuild” mode. But apparently it’s better to rebuild like the Sixers, Hawks or any other team in the eastern conference who has rebuilt over the last decade.

[JJ_PR]

I think teams should be wary of mortgaging their future for disgruntled stars. I don't think Harden gets the Celtics over the humph, especially if they trade away all their depth in the process.

[Darth Celtic]

The Celtics have to win at least one with Ainge, or else he'll be seen as a GM who just couldn't pull the trigger.

You do realize they already did?

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The one over a decade ago?

How many championships has your gm got you in that same time?

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[Darth Celtic]

Ainge's biggest mistake was blowing his wad on Kemba who is on the wrong side of 30, undersized, and injury prone. The celtics don't need him.

You're not winning a ring with the best players on your team being 22 and 23. Kemba was signed for the sole reason that we would have lost the cap space vacated once Kyrie left, and Jaylen Brown/Smart's extensions kicked in.

I'm 100% convinced that Kemba was signed for the simple reason of keeping the team playoff caliber while Tatum and Brown settle into their primes, and then use his cap hold to fill out the roster in a s&t later in the contract.

Once Kyrie walked, it became a cap game for Ainge, and to be honest he's still trying to figure it out. But there is no way he could just let that cap space sit tight, they had to bring someone in. Kemba was the best option even if he was just a for show signing.

This guy gets what nobody on the gb and it seems nobody on the Celtics board gets either.

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[SMTBSI]

It fascinates me that we're literally the only team that's apparently supposed to trade for every single star, and any time we don't it's a massive failure.

Any time a star moves, 28 teams don't get him. That's 28 teams for which the price and circumstances weren't right. But, only the Celtics get this thread every single time.

The Nets best two players were around 30. They add another 30 year old and go all-in now. It makes sense.

Our best two players are 22 and 24. We would have had to give up the 24 year old and a bunch of picks to get Harden. We wind up with a likely non-title-favorite, and, if Harden walks, we're left with a soon-to-be free agent Tatum, and no way to fill out the team around him. It would have been a brutal gamble for us to take. I'm very, very glad we weren't in on this one.

My working hypothesis is that there are several fanbases out there that are bitter at us for not trading them Tatum or Brown for their disgruntled star, and enjoy trying to make us regret it. Trust me, it ain't working.

For my part, I wish Ainge had "overvalued his guys" even more than he did. Would have loved to have Sexton, or whoever we would have gone for at #8, on this team. Scary Terry too. Bunch of young players all on the same timeline growing together.

With every season that passes, I get more and more convinced that the correct thing to do is almost always the exact opposite of whatever the GB tells you to do.

[LakersSoul]

We’ve been to 3 conference finals in 4 seasons whilst still in “rebuild” mode. But apparently it’s better to rebuild like the Sixers, Hawks or any other team in the eastern conference who has rebuilt over the last decade.

How the mighty has fallen.

Boston is now satisfied with just reaching the ECF and comparing their franchise with 76ers and Hawks?!?!

[MrSparkle]

Ainge is 1 of 3 GMs with a steady job for 15+ years. Second only to Buford in playoff wins. Just 1 chip, but obviously a few legit contender seasons went down the drain due to major injuries. Still winning.

They have the youngest 2-man winning tandem in the NBA.

I am very certain they’re not worried about jack****.

[halifax]

they overrate all their players.
gerald green
rozier, smart
al jefferson
and yes even tatum (he's a top 25 player but not a superstar)
jaylen brown is an above average starter.

you don't get many chances to pair prime tatum with a superstar like harden.

[MrSparkle]

they overrate all their players.
gerald green
rozier, smart
al jefferson
and yes even tatum (he's a top 25 player but not a superstar)
jaylen brown is an above average starter.

you don't get many chances to pair prime tatum with a superstar like harden.

Yeah, that “overrating” got them Garnett and Kemba and 15 years straight of deep playoffs.

[SMTBSI]

Ainge's biggest mistake was blowing his wad on Kemba who is on the wrong side of 30, undersized, and injury prone. The celtics don't need him.

You're not winning a ring with the best players on your team being 22 and 23. Kemba was signed for the sole reason that we would have lost the cap space vacated once Kyrie left, and Jaylen Brown/Smart's extensions kicked in.

I'm 100% convinced that Kemba was signed for the simple reason of keeping the team playoff caliber while Tatum and Brown settle into their primes, and then use his cap hold to fill out the roster in a s&t later in the contract.

Once Kyrie walked, it became a cap game for Ainge, and to be honest he's still trying to figure it out. But there is no way he could just let that cap space sit tight, they had to bring someone in. Kemba was the best option even if he was just a for show signing.

This guy gets what nobody on the gb and it seems nobody on the Celtics board gets either.

The funny thing is, if we'd done the opposite, we'd get clowned for that too.

Overpaying an FA like Horford or Kemba makes sense when you have nothing else to do with that money, and are about to lose the right to legally spend it. At least with the contract on the books, you have the opportunity to spin it into something else later (and wring whatever you can out of the player in the meantime). Doing nothing and letting that salary slot vanish into thin air is the kind of thing that gets your ownership group characterized as "penny pinchers".

There's a cost to maxing a non-max-caliber FA, but there's also a huge opportunity cost to letting a max salary slot vanish in a puff of smoke.

[AussieCeltic]

We’ve been to 3 conference finals in 4 seasons whilst still in “rebuild” mode. But apparently it’s better to rebuild like the Sixers, Hawks or any other team in the eastern conference who has rebuilt over the last decade.

How the mighty has fallen.

Boston is now satisfied with just reaching the ECF and comparing their franchise with 76ers and Hawks?!?!

The only teams that have won in the last decade have featured Lebron, Curry, Kawhi or Dirk.

So there are only a handful of teams who have been in better position in the last decade.

Obviously we’d prefer championships, but we’ve been ultra competitive while going through a complete rebuild yet everyone says it’s a complete failure. Then pretty much every team is a complete failure now.

Lakers are lucky Lebron wanted to go to LA to set up his post basketball career and happened to managed one of the best superstars to force his way to his team otherwise you’d be in mediocrity like you were post Kobe.

[Triple M]

The Celtics are fine. They have Tatum and Brown locked up and can build around. They aren't on LA level but by the time Tatum reaches his peak he will be competing against AD, Luka, Giannis, and Embiid. With only Embiid having a long term star attached to him

[halifax]

they overrate all their players.
gerald green
rozier, smart
al jefferson
and yes even tatum (he's a top 25 player but not a superstar)
jaylen brown is an above average starter.

you don't get many chances to pair prime tatum with a superstar like harden.

Yeah, that “overrating” got them Garnett and Kemba and 15 years straight of deep playoffs.

don't include kemba. it ruins your entire post.

[MrSparkle]

they overrate all their players.
gerald green
rozier, smart
al jefferson
and yes even tatum (he's a top 25 player but not a superstar)
jaylen brown is an above average starter.

you don't get many chances to pair prime tatum with a superstar like harden.

Yeah, that “overrating” got them Garnett and Kemba and 15 years straight of deep playoffs.

don't include kemba. it ruins your entire post.

Oh I'm sorry , are there 30 Steph Currys to go around?

I love GMs who let starters walk and don't try to replace them with all-stars.

[NoZoLakers]

Ainge will only trade if he can turn a moldy month old sandwich for Wagu beef

[BigGargamel]

LOL @ Tatum not a superstar. Yeah...he is. And he's only 23 years old.

The only available superstar I would have traded Tatum for was Anthony Davis. And he made it pretty clear it was the Lakers or bust.

[Wreckus13]

Lol celtics fans are really saying they would rather have Jaylen Brown over James Harden. If you can get a player of that caliber you do it.

[God Squad]

I understand the criticism of Ainge, But Harden isn't the player I'd move Jaylen and other assets for personally.

[Jazztop]

At some point, Ainge needs to be called out for his lack of action to acquire a premiere all star. He has missed out on PG, KL, AD, Harden, CP3, Im running out of fingers to keep it counting.

Ainge problem is he is too emotionally attached to this assets, sometimes you just need to let it go in order to go for the ring. Right now, they are capped out as a ECF round team not having enough stars to move on.

He will be a case study on missed opportunities by a GM.

I mean, I guess if they win it all or at least win the East in the next 2 seasons then you can justify it but I think there’s enough there to say that he should have pulled the trigger on this deal right now. I just don’t see the Celtics winning the East without a next level superstar