Ainge tried to get Kobe (to Phoenix) back in 1996, Warriors said we're not trading the #11 and took Todd Fuller

[ForeverTFC]

Tatum is pretty much Kobe and he's still only 21 so looks like Ainge got the last laugh.

And this is how you destroy your basketball credibility in one sentence

Know I forgot the green font but how did both jokes go over your head

Read on Twitter

[MagicBagley18]

I wonder if Ainge knows he’s become a meme at this point?

pretty sure he doesn't care about what a bunch of douchebags on the internet think, but keep doing you

Looking at the fans in this thread bashing ainge and knowing they’d take him as their teams gm in about 2 seconds also teams whose ainge’s team just eliminated as recently as last post season or have owned in previous post seasons taking shots.

Please. Rent free

imagine simping on a mediocre NBA general manager

Imagine being a fan of an nba team whose own city cares more about nascar, college basketball, college football and a million other things before it’s own nba team and then making your username the name of one of its players and calling someone else out for “simping”

Pot meet kettle.

[The_Hater]

I think my favourite part of this story is how a newly hired assistant basketball coach, who just retired as a player, claims he was making phone calls to try and facilitate trades like he was the GM or some other member of the front office.

And he must have been spending an awful lot of time in Philly watching high school basketball games during the previous season because golly, scouting HS players was a key part of his job description as an NBA Asst basketball coach.

[cl2117]

And he would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids...

I honestly hope Ainge is in on the joke at this stage.

[KembaWalker]

pretty sure he doesn't care about what a bunch of douchebags on the internet think, but keep doing you

Looking at the fans in this thread bashing ainge and knowing they’d take him as their teams gm in about 2 seconds also teams whose ainge’s team just eliminated as recently as last post season or have owned in previous post seasons taking shots.

Please. Rent free

imagine simping on a mediocre NBA general manager

Imagine being a fan of an nba team whose own city cares more about nascar, college basketball, college football and a million other things before it’s own nba team and then making your username the name of one of its players and calling someone else out for “simping”

Pot meet kettle.

You'll never see me in here telling people Mitch Kupchak is loving rent free in their heads lmao or calling people douchebags for criticizing them or laughing at their meme behavior. That'd be like me have a breakdown because someone made a 7' white guy Jordan draft joke.

Pot definitely did not meet kettle

[ayyayyron]

Little known fact, but Danny Ainge also told Portland to take Jordan over Sam Bowie.

He also told Boston to take Draymond Green over Fab Melo

[CeltsFlow]

I wonder if Ainge knows he’s become a meme at this point?

pretty sure he doesn't care about what a bunch of douchebags on the internet think, but keep doing you

Looking at the fans in this thread bashing ainge and knowing they’d take him as their teams gm in about 2 seconds also teams whose ainge’s team just eliminated as recently as last post season or have owned in previous post seasons taking shots.

Please. Rent free

imagine simping on a mediocre NBA general manager

Don't get cocky just because you're nearly .500 for the first time in years. Btw, Kemba is doing well

[MagicBagley18]

imagine simping on a mediocre NBA general manager

Imagine being a fan of an nba team whose own city cares more about nascar, college basketball, college football and a million other things before it’s own nba team and then making your username the name of one of its players and calling someone else out for “simping”

Pot meet kettle.

You'll never see me in here telling people Mitch Kupchak is loving rent free in their heads lmao or calling people douchebags for criticizing them or laughing at their meme behavior. That'd be like me have a breakdown because someone made a 7' white guy Jordan draft joke.

Pot definitely did not meet kettle

Lol cats no more

[Texas Chuck]

I think my favourite part of this story is how a newly hired assistant basketball coach, who just retired as a player, claims he was making phone calls to try and facilitate trades like he was the GM or some other member of the front office.

And he must have been spending an awful lot of time in Philly watching high school basketball games during the previous season because golly, scouting HS players was a key part of his job description as an NBA Asst basketball coach.

Donnnie Nelson was a Mavs assistant coach who in reality was the guy who drove the decision to draft Dirk and trade for Nash at the same time.

Different in that he coached an international team in Europe and was more familiar with Dirk than anyone in the NBA and had been an assistant with the Suns before coming to Dallas to work for his dad and so he had seen Nash firsthand when he was behind Kidd/KJ.

But it shouldn't be the assistant coach element that makes this story a joke, especially since Ainge is now a general manager. Smart teams should take input from smart people regardless of role.

Heck Avery Johnson was making personnel decisions as an assistant in Dallas as well being the driving force behind the Erick Dampier S&T. And he had just retired as a player himself.

[flow]

every story you hear about Kobe and the draft is complete and utter b.s. Kobe was always going to end up in LA as the league recognized his star potential and badly needed a new face of the league and for the Lakers, in the biggest market, to be in the Finals. It's laughable that people honestly believe Kobe would have organically fallen to #13. He was dominating competition, was handsome, articulate and the most skilled 18 y/o the league had ever seen. Him "falling" to the team that would then trade him to the Lakers was the plan all along. Please tell me you people realize this!

You're acting as though Kobe in '96 was like LeBron in '03. He wasn't. At all. Go back and read some scouting reports/draft previews.

.

[OdomFan]

I don't believe this is true but the thought of a Kidd and Kobe backcourt coming up together sounds really amazing. With the right coach on their side they could go down as the greatest backcourt of all time, and could no doubt win championships depending on the rest of the pieces that their front office could put together for them.

[Papi_swav]

This Ainge guy is so annoying. Somebody tell him that these stories are getting old and tired already please. I'm sick of hearing this crap . Every single year it's the same ol story.

[ProcessDoctor]

I wonder if Ainge knows he’s become a meme at this point?

pretty sure he doesn't care about what a bunch of douchebags on the internet think, but keep doing you

I think you're missing the point. It's not about the internet douchebags. It's about the real-life GM's who know it too

[Beethoven]

Next thing we'll hear is that Ainge was close to grabbing Wilt Chamberlain in the draft.

[Jack Dempsey]

I thought it was widely known that Kobe's camp put out a memo to the league (before the draft) that he wouldn't sign with any team not named the Lakers. That's why Calapari and the Nets passed on him at 8th overall.

Sounds like Ainge is talking out of his ass.

IIRC he threatened he would go back to Italy and play there for a season.

But here's what I don't understand, what leverage did he have? I heard some stories that he would have reentered the Draft after a season overseas but was that even possible in 96/97? I'm not familiar with the CBA before the lockout '99 so I don't know. I know some players got drafted twice in the 50s and Sabonis in the mid 80s (the first time was nixed because of his age) but I've never heard of a player gotton drafted twice in the 90s. So, was there a looping hole because of his age/him coming out of HS? Does anybody know?

[Heat3]

How many championships would a team of players that Ainge “almost drafted” win? Surely he is the GOAT scout/GM. Just unlucky in closing the deal

[grindtime22]

I think my favourite part of this story is how a newly hired assistant basketball coach, who just retired as a player, claims he was making phone calls to try and facilitate trades like he was the GM or some other member of the front office.

And he must have been spending an awful lot of time in Philly watching high school basketball games during the previous season because golly, scouting HS players was a key part of his job description as an NBA Asst basketball coach.

Again, I'm not saying this is all completely true with Kobe, but look up the situation. This was not a normal assistant coach. He was hired to be the head coach and everybody knew the deal. The head coach was in on it, the organization was in on it, and a whose who of assistant coaches were in on it.

https://apnews.com/article/e1f70564c284daabcacee4c6de102cfb


He ended up spending an entire 8 games as the "assistant" coach.

[510TWSS]

He would’ve had him too, if it weren’t for those meddlin’ kids.

‘**** outta here Kyrie’

- Danny, probably

[LakersSoul]

Next thing we'll hear is that Ainge was close to grabbing Wilt Chamberlain in the draft.

Ainge might not have been born yet.

Ainge did root for the Celtics to trade for Magic and sign Jordan though. He also tried to get the GM to hear his pitch for Hakeem, Wade, and even Curry.

[Jkam31]

Angie advised the patriots to take Brady in the sixth round as we