Ainge Says No Serious Trade Discussions

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

CELTICS NOTEBOOK

Needs are on deck

Ainge hopes cards fall in right place

By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 6/25/2003

WALTHAM -- Director of basketball operations Danny Ainge is a man with a
plan, or more accurately, several plans. Yesterday, he held a press
conference at the Celtics practice facility and discussed some of his
thoughts about tomorrow's NBA draft. The Celtics' brain trust is in the
final stages of preparation, which means late nights and lots of
candidates to sift through. 

 

''We've narrowed it down into categories based on need,'' said Ainge.
''We've narrowed it down to risk and upside. Position needs. By
Thursday, we'll be very prepared and it will be a very simple process.
I'm hopeful for it to go a certain way.''

Ainge was careful not to tip his hand, and his answers regarding the
team's needs were succinct. Here's the rundown: Ainge has had a lot of
conversations about moving up. He has also had conversations about
moving down. He wants to select a point guard, unless the right guy is
not there at No. 16 or No. 20.

According to Ainge, the Celtics need just about everything. He wants to
increase the Celtics' ''talent pool,'' but he is realistic about the
chances of doing that with his first-round picks.

''I think every draft is important,'' said Ainge. ''You have to come
away with something. When you're drafting 16 or 20, you have to look at
the history of that about one out of every three players becomes a
successful NBA player.

''I wouldn't say that this draft is a make-or-break type of situation.
Again, we're talking about taking the best available player in the
draft. We're talking about taking the 16th-best player in the draft and
the 20th-best player in the draft, assuming everybody does their job.
Realistically, that's just a steppingstone for what we're doing.''

A virtue

The players selected at No. 16 and No. 20 will require patience from
within the organization and from the fans. Ainge said the real questions
might be whether the fan base and coach Jim O'Brien are patient enough.

''It will be my decision who we draft, but we certainly talk,'' said
Ainge. ''We will prepare all the scenarios, but it's not easy to say
we're definitely drafting for three or four years down the road or we're
drafting right now. But Jim understands all those scenarios. He's a
very, very smart man and we see things a lot the same way. He may not be
thrilled with who I draft, but he'll certainly understand why I do what
I do.''

Net fault

When asked what surprised him about the draft process, Ainge cited
misinformation on the Internet.

''Agents are sending out a lot of misinformation on players, so you
really have to be careful of what's real,'' he said. ''There's a lot of
hype on players, especially players that you haven't had the ability to
see.''

Among the Internet gossip that has leaked the last few days have been
trade rumors involving Antoine Walker. Ainge was asked if Walker was
untouchable. ''Nobody is untouchable, including Paul Pierce,'' he said.
''Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded. So, I'm not looking to trade, but
nobody's untouchable, ever.'' Ainge said he hasn't had serious trade
conversations.

''If someone proposes a trade that makes sense, I will do it,'' he said.
''But there's no trade that's even close to happening. I said everybody
is tradeable. Quite honestly, I have had calls about just about
everybody on our roster. When I say that we haven't had any serious
trade discussions, there haven't been any that have gotten to the point
where I've said, `Oh my gosh, that's a really good trade, we've got to
do that.' ''

This story ran on page F6 of the Boston Globe on 6/25/2003.