Happy MOther's DAy All!

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Fire still burning: TV doesn't sate Ainge's hoops fever

by Steve Bulpett
Sunday, May 11, 2003








It generally takes less than five minutes for one word to arise in the
conversation when the subject is Danny Ainge.



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Throughout his playing career, he was described as a pain in the butt, whiny,
ultra-competitive and aggressive, among other things. When anyone looked with
perspective on his game - enough perspective to appreciate the body of work
and its effect on his teams - they simply called him ``feisty.''

It is a catch-all word and it is one of the keys to Ainge's very being, in
there somewhere with faith and family and, at times, golf.

Feistiness is what led Danny Ainge to leave behind a lovely home in Phoenix
and a $1 million-a-year gig doing color commentary for around 30 NBA games per
season for TNT.

Drive never dies

Ainge could beat on pal and former Red Sox pitcher Bruce Hurst on the links
back in Arizona, but the lure of the arena became too great. It's why Charles
Barkley believes Ainge gave up using his driver on the tee during winters in
Phoenix for a chance to drive through snow in Boston.

``You need a challenge,'' said Barkley, a teammate of Ainge's in the TNT
family and a fellow resident of the Valley of the Sun. ``Hey, I haven't made
it a secret that I'm talking and looking myself.

``Yeah, we've got a great job on TV. We work with great people and I think
we're the best, bar none. But it's not really like a great challenge. It's
fun. I enjoy it. But it's not a challenge.''

Ainge's close friend, Kevin McHale, who left a life of limitless hunting and
relaxation himself to run the Timberwolves in his native Minnesota,
understands perfectly.

He's done some television work himself and enjoyed the peripheral involvement
with the game. But there was something missing - something that couldn't be
satisfied with buddies in a $5 Nassau on the golf course.

``It's hard not to be involved when you've been involved a long time,'' said
McHale. ``TV work is great. You can have a lot of fun at it. But the problem
is you don't care who wins or loses. For certain people, you have to have
that. It's something inside you that you need - that competition.

``After a while, when Danny was burned out a little as coach, it's fun to do
the other thing, too. But I think you always have the desire to come back to
this. The competition pulls at you.''

The man Ainge is competing against now would be Rod Thorn, who runs the
basketball operation for the Nets. Thorn, too, knows about the aforementioned
pull. He had a neat vice-president's job in the league office and he left it
to try to rebuild one of the more history-challenged franchises in the history
of the NBA.

The fact he did it quickly with a trade for Jason Kidd notwithstanding, Thorn
knows the challenges that lie ahead in the position. And he believes Ainge's
personality will serve him well.

``Well, you know Danny,'' Thorn said. ``He was a very feisty guy as a player.
He was taking charges all the time.

``He was an agitator sometimes out on the court, and guys would get upset with
him. But he was a tremendous competitor, and that's got to help you when you
take on a job like this.

``The pace is obviously different than a game, but that kind of fire is
important to have when you're dealing with all the challenges of this job.''

Building blocks in place

As for the Celtic task at hand, there is confidence that Ainge can accomplish
much if he remains both patient and true to his knowledge of the game.

``Man, you've just got to surround yourself with good people who you can trust
and hope you can pick well (in the draft),'' said Barkley. ``I think it's
tougher now to pick players than it ever has been.''

When it was noted that it is much tougher these days to trade players because
of the collective bargaining agreement's restrictions, Charles replied, ``But
if you get the right players, you won't be changing that much.

``I think the problem is you've got to look at a foreign kid on tape or in
person a couple of times, or you've got to look at a high school player who's
playing against other high school kids, or you've got to look at a college
player who's only played in college one year. I mean, in the old days you
could see a guy mature and get better in college.

``But I think Danny understands the game. I think he's probably better suited
for this than coaching. I think he's a lot better suited for this. I know he's
not good at relating to some of these younger players.''

Barkley has trouble relating to some of the things the Celtics' younger
players are doing, too. He's openly questioned the team's style of play. But
he believes there is a talent base from which Ainge can build - whether
through adding to Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker or through remaking the team
through trade.

``When you talk about trying to build a team, I think Danny's got the first
part nicked,'' Charles said. ``He's got good pieces to work with. I think Paul
and Antoine, you can work with those guys.

``It's harder to find supers than it is role players. You can have all the
role players you want; you're not going anywhere. You've got to have supers.
You've got to have two electricians to get the lights on in the building and
two stars to build around - or at least one.''

It was Kevin McHale who used to jump in when the subject came to playing hard
and say, ``You can get 12 plumbers who'll play hard, but if you don't have the
talent you're not going to win anything.''

McHale agreed with Barkley that patience is primary in the job because of the
youth aspect and the fact people more closely involved can have another view
of things at times.

``The hardest thing to have is patience,'' McHale said. ``You're drafting
younger and younger kids, and you're going to be in situations where you might
be wanting the coach to play somebody and he's thinking, `Jeez, I can't play
that young guy.' And you're thinking, `Hey, the only way you get experience is
by playing.'

``It works its way out, but very seldom is it overnight that it works its way
out. Sometimes you can turn your team around overnight, but that is happening
so rarely now. Last year at the trade deadline there were two trades, and just
one of real significance. Whereas 10 years ago there might be 15 trades.''

Complete game needed

The potholes are known to Ainge, as well. He has displayed an awareness in
conversations over the last couple of years that ``feistiness'' alone isn't
enough to get it done.

That said, there is still the belief among others that he will succeed.

``I think Danny's going to do a great job,'' said Thorn. ``I think he knows
basketball. He's been in a bunch of different aspects of the game. He's very
bright. I think it's a wonderful choice.

``Obviously they have some good building pieces here with the Celtics, and
it's a team that went to the finals of the conference last year and they're
playing for the right to go this year. So it's a team that has some pieces.
They've got a great player here obviously in Pierce, and we were fortunate
enough to get a great player in Jason Kidd. But we also built our base.

``You've got to be judicious in what you do,'' Thorn went on, ``but Danny's a
bright guy. And bright people will tend to do well.''

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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