Fine Says Give Ainge Some Time

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PRO HOOPS: Fans: Give Ainge, Celts some time

By MIKE FINE
The Patriot Ledger
The days of Dennis Johnson-for-Rick Robey trades are long past, so when the Boston Celtics make a deal in the 21st century, reaction is bound to be swift and pointed.
Accordingly, when new Celts basketball chief Danny Ainge swapped Antoine Walker and Tony Delk for Raef LaFrentz and Jiri Welsch, E-mailers and talk-show callers responded with near unprecedented fury, having expected, apparently, that the Celtics were on the verge of sprinting to the NBA Finals before this trade.
''It finally occurred to me today how much Danny Ainge ripped my basketball heart right out of my chest,'' read an E-mail from Josh, an avid Celts/Sox fan from Philadelphia who has family in Randolph. ''Seriously, I am just completely indifferent toward the Celtics now, and that's really sad. It first started hitting me when I finally watched them against the Sixers the other night, and even though it was a pretty good game, I fell asleep. I used to get so excited for those games, I wouldn't even be able to lay down. I don't even know when the next Celtics game is, and that's very strange for me.''
That's been a typical reaction from passionate fans who can't believe what's happened to the Celtics. It's just that this instant gratification business is getting a little out of hand. The Celtics hadn't been in the playoffs for 10 years before they were beaten out by the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. Then last spring, the Nets swept them in the Eastern semifinals.
The rationalization is that with Walker and Paul Pierce, the Celtics had two building blocks to get to the Finals. The reality is that the Celtics weren't getting anywhere with Walker. If his playoff dive against the Nets' Kenyon Martin wasn't enough to convince the non-believers, then perhaps nothing ever will.
The fact is - and here we go for the 1,037th time - Walker was a detriment to a smooth-flowing offense. He was a walking halfcourt game, and the Celtics simply cannot play a halfcourt game because they don't have a dominant big man. It's not that he's a bad player. He's fitting in wonderfully with the Mavericks, but he's not playing a whole lot differently than he did in Boston, where 39 percent field goal shooting and 32 percent 3-point shooting was a killer. In Dallas, he's shooting 42 percent from the field but only 27 percent from beyond the 3-point line. There, he can get away with it, and he doesn't monopolize the ball in Dallas, although he sure touches it a lot.
There, too, he's not as overbearing a presence as he was here. He was almost impossible to coach. That's something you won't hear from Celtics management.
So Walker was traded, and now fans are already deeming the deal a failure. The Celtics, they say, are headed for the lottery, which might be true. They're convinced that this is a team that's completely discombobulated. That's true for the moment, but, jeez, will you please chill out?
This is a work in progress that came out of the blocks flying. The Celtics still haven't been blown out of any game, and they've been ahead at one point in most of them, and this is while they aren't even playing as advertised.
The team that's advertised is one that'll run, which was impossible in the past. They started out running quite nicely but have gotten sidetracked. One of the reasons was the loss of LaFrentz for six games. LaFrentz doesn't look like much, but in a fast-paced game, he's capable of 12 points and eight rebounds a game. In a fast-paced game, Vin Baker will get his points, as will Eric Williams and the point guards.
People constantly are saying that Pierce, who at the moment is quite clueless, is the only scoring option, but in a running game, everybody is a scoring option. In a stand-around game, Pierce is the key, as was Walker. In a running game, everyone's a key.
There are so many new parts to this team that it's experiencing growing pains (a rash of knee problems aren't helping, either). But it's very simple: you get a rebound and look for a quick outlet. Wing men spread any defensive pressure, allowing the point guard to make a decision about heading up the middle or passing. The key is to run, and the Celtics did it once. They can again.
Likewise, if they'd stop standing around in the halfcourt offense and pass the ball, it'd sure help a lot.
It's just that everyone expects it to happen after 18 games. They hear Pierce grumbling about players' heads not being on straight, about making mental errors and run with it.
Fans blame Ainge for being rash or carrying out a vendetta against Walker. Ainge had plenty of time to see Walker both as a coach and a television analyst. He correctly determined that this club wasn't going to take the next step with a fast break-killing Walker in the fold, nor was Ainge going to have any money to make necessary changes. Yes, he took on some salary in LaFrentz, but having to re-sign Walker after next season was going to cost even more dearly.
One radio caller the other day went so far as to assert that Ainge is a know-nothing bum who ruined the Suns and bolted. The fact is, Ainge is a very astute observer who took over a Phoenix team that was 0-8 and led it to a winning record. He led the flailing Suns to three straight playoff appearances and a .608 winning percentage before stepping down to spend time with his family.
He saw a Celtics team last season that had FleetCenter fans sitting on their hands. There was no excitement in that building until the first-round victory over the Pacers injected some life into the fans. The Celtics were only going to stagnate further this season.
Yet, Josh from Philly seems to echo his fellow fans' feelings when he says, ''This time, I don't think I'm wrong. I've known from Day One that Ainge screwed this thing up. I think about how much fun basketball became when Obie (coach Jim O'Brien) took over and the team started winning. And I know that we're not going to be that good again for a long time, and I'm honestly just bummed out about the apathy I feel for the team right now.''
That's sad to hear, but Ainge was absolutely correct in his expectations for this team. It can run and will run eventually. Barring injury, it has the potential to be a strong defensive and smooth offensive operation. It's just going to take a bit of time. To judge him on less than two months of play is ludicrous. It would be wrong to judge him even after only one year.
This is, after all, a marathon, not a sprint.
Mike Fine may be reached at mikefine@xxxxxxxxxxx 
Copyright 2003 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, December 04, 2003