Ainge Tanking Season says Weisberg

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Atkins diet has Ainge feeling a draft
Tim Weisberg
New Bedford Standard Times

Don't worry, folks. Here's a promise: come spring, the FleetCenter will be rocking as the playoff atmosphere returns to Boston. 

GO BRUINS! 
As for the Celtics, at this point they're more likely to appear at the Fleet as delegates at the Democratic National Convention rather than in the NBA playoffs. 
With Thursday's deadline deal, Danny Ainge is likely looking to tank this season in order to better solidify the Green for the future. They came in as the third team to help facilitate the deal that brought Rasheed Wallace from Atlanta to Detroit; for their part, the Celtics sent Mike James to the Pistons and Chris Mills to the Hawks, and received guards Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter, $3 million in cash, and this year's first-round pick from Detroit. 
"This was definitely about the opportunity to get a first-round pick," Ainge told The Boston Globe. "I'm excited to have three first-round picks in this year's draft. I'm excited to have an impact in this year's draft. It will be fun. We have a lot of options to package picks with players, to trade, to draft, or to move up in the draft. We have to try to get some really good players in the draft. We need to do a lot of work and we need a little bit of luck." 
Ainge also acknowledged that part of his motivation was to keep Wallace away from the Knicks, as the Celts battle New York for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. However, the Director of Basketball Operations isn't necessarily keeping his eye on the standings this year -- it's the players themselves that are holding out hope of playing past April 14's regular-season finale. 
But what about Atkins, you say, the new starting point guard for Boston? He's a solid playmaker with postseason experience, so surely he can lead the Green to the promised land, right? 
Um, no. This is the same guy who was schooled by Kenny Anderson in the playoffs two years ago. They've actually given up more in trading away James, who is the only Celtic besides Paul Pierce to start every game this season, and is ironically the first Ainge-acquired player to be shipped out. 
The idea of trading James for Atkins is a wash, with the Celtics actually giving up a guy making the minimum for a two-year vet in exchange for a guy making more than $4 million a year, who will be on the books for two more seasons after this one. 
Now that's planning for the future, Danny. 
However, three first-round picks does give Ainge a lot of flexibility in this year's draft, which is expected to be pretty deep, although lacking a bona fide future superstar. The Celts might not get a guy who signs a $100 million Nike contract before he plays a single game, but they can add three (or fewer) key parts in Ainge's vision for the future. 
That said, what's the point of tuning in or attending games for the rest of this season? 
Well, Atkins should act as a mentor to the point guard of the future, Marcus Banks. Interim coach John Carroll has said that while the plan is for Atkins to start, he and Banks will split time evenly in order to speed up Bank's development. With Ricky Davis now firmly entrenched in the starting lineup, we may now begin to see a truly faster-paced offense, which will be the primary focus of Ainge and Carroll in the foreseeable future. 
In theory, the Celtics have a lot more talent than they did in October. However, they're lacking in true, matured basketball players. It's a sum that's much less than its individual parts. They're one of the youngest teams in the league now, and what we're watching game in and game out is simply growing pains. 
The removal of James is certainly a blow to whatever team chemistry existed as early as Thursday morning. After all, he's a likable guy, a hard worker and an example to younger players who sometimes feel a sense of entitlement (read: Banks). If it counts for anything, he was also the only current Celtic to visit New Bedford, appearing as part of the caravan at the Boys and Girls club prior to this season. 
But he's gone now, a sign that Ainge can no longer just blow up the team he inherited; he now has to dig into the guys he's brought in as well. 
Thankfully, though, the trade deadline has passed. With no more deals this season, the Celtics can finally form some cohesion heading down the stretch. Thursday night's game against the Clippers was certainly one of the low points of the season, considering the lack of desire, stupidity, and inability to hold onto the ball exhibited by the likes of Pierce on down. It was obvious that there was no sense of team. Something had to be done. 
Ainge visited the locker room following the game, and in a top-secret meeting with the players, he gave them one simply message: we can play better. Whether or not his team buys into that, or even cares that he's talking, remains to be seen. 
Carroll did his part as well, canceling Friday's practice and instead taking his team bowling, in order to give them some bonding time away from the court. For the players, it was a chance to roll some turkeys rather than turning one in. 
It's quite possible that now, without the constant threat of another roster reshuffling, the Celtics can put something together and salvage this season. The question is, should they play for the playoffs or for the lottery? With three first-round picks, it's not impossible for them to earn good draft positioning while scraping up some long-forgotten respect. 
For the future, though, the chance for the first pick in the draft is much more important than a first-round exit. 

Tim Weisberg is a Standard-Times columnist. E-mail him at timweisberg@xxxxxxxxxxxx 

This story appeared on Page E9 of The Standard-Times on February 22, 2004.