traded who for what?

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

*sigh*

Sometimes, I think Ainge does this sort of thing because he knows he'll 
piss people off.  This is the guy who, earlier this year, sententiously 
quoted, "The best trade is the one that doesn't happen."

I know he's been saying to everyone who will listen that he's building for 
the future; but more and more, I think he's mortgaging the future of Paul 
Pierce.  I look at the Orlando Magic and see what Tracy McGrady goes 
through, surrounded by a team that he has to carry most nights.  I remember 
the false hope given the Wizards last season with Michael Jordan.  Then I 
have visions of Pierce, a year or two from now, asking Antoine if there's a 
roster spot open in Dallas.

There's a difference between boldness and recklessness, and while I'll be 
the first to admit I'm not savvy enough to run a team myself, I can't help 
but think Danny crossed that line in his rookie year as a manager.  It's 
like watching Charlie Brown trade Lucy for a pizza--which, BTW, makes a lot 
more sense to me than some of the Ainge trades to this point.

I realize that I may be reading it wrong, and Ainge might end up looking 
like a genius a year or so from now.  Yet, he's taking a huge risk, and I'm 
not sure he has the cards to pull out a win.  If there's a person in NBA 
management nearly as universally despised among former NBA players (many of 
whom now hold management positions of their own) as Ainge is, I've yet to 
hear of him.  The notion that they do any deal that benefits the Celtics is 
laughable.  The main reason Red made those great deals is he suckered the 
other teams.  Nobody had any desire to give him anything of value, and he 
outsmarted them.

Danny isn't an idiot, but he's NOT as smart as Red at making deals.  He 
appears to believe he can rejuvenate the team by going with an uptempo 
offense.  Fine, but not at the expense of completely abandoning any thought 
of defense.  Especially not in the middle of an already difficult 
season.  Morale is starting to plummet to Pitino-era levels, and that's 
something to be avoided at all costs.

I love the Celtics, and I've always rooted for them, even when things were 
going badly, but Danny's going to have to work really hard to convince me 
this latest trade is a good idea.

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
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