Re: Ange WEEI Comments Today

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree.  The celtics have their one bona-fide all-nba
superstar.  They're not going to get another one, although
adding in a player of (say) Shawn Marion's caliber will
certainly help a lot.  I would say that the main thing this
season should be to play Kendrick Perkins 20+ minutes
a game.  If he is what he looks like, the Celtics will have
one of the most talented teams in the NBA 1-12.

Josh

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Celtic4Hire@xxxxxxx>
To: <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <celtics@xxxxxxxx>;
<Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 9:09 PM
Subject: Re: Ange WEEI Comments Today


> I was also troubled by Danny's comments today. I have been very supportive
of
> Danny throughout, both because of his vision and because of his moves
which
> he done well on 90% of them. I thought the plan was to make the Cs like
the
> Kings. Yes, it takes a little bit of luck in any business. However, we are
> already well on our way in achieving that goal of building to being like
the Kings.
> We are already the youngest team in the Eastern conference. We have
athletes,
> scorers, guys who can dribble the ball at every position. We have gone to
> uptempo basketball.You just now have to let them mature and with that
little bit
> of luck, see what you have after a few years. You add the five draft picks
as
> wild cards to find a couple more guys that are keepers and sign another
guy
> with the MLE.  Maybe you can get a veteran or two to sign on for cheap in
a
> couple of years that likes the style of play and the chance for a
championship.
> That should be it.
>
> But now, Danny is seems to be implying that getting an impact player in
the
> lottery draft or another superstar is a requirement to achieve his vision.
> First, the Kings don't have that. They have a lot of above average players
but
> they don't have a Duncan or Shaq. (Of course, they haven't won anything
either.)
> But the Kings never finished in the lottery to gain a player. (Please
don't
> start an arguement of how good you think Webber, Pedja or Bibby are. That
> weren't that good when the Kings traded for them and none of the them are
top 10
> players.)
>
> Second, two guys that NBAdraft.net has listed as the 7 and 8 players are
Ben
> Gordan and J Nelson. Both guys would have come out last year if the Cs
would
> have guaranteed to take them at 16. Therefore, you can get lottery players
at
> 16 but you need another year to develop them. Sure the odds are better
because
> you are taking a risk that they don't turn out the way you expected.
However,
> you can still get the players, they will just be more raw and a little
more
> risky. You just have to have a coach committed to long term and
developing them.
>
> So Danny threw me a little curveball here. Now maybe some of his words got
> lost in translation. Danny is the most assessible GM I have ever seen.
Maybe he
> needs to go scouting for awhile and stay away from the mike. Or maybe he
is
> tired of all the flak and now wants to make it look like he was planning
to hit
> the lottery this year. Danny, we know we lost Vin, Raef, had a coaching
change
> and are changing a style of play. But I think we have hit bottom. We have
> turned the corner. We don't want to become the Bulls.  Build through
power, not
> through weakness. Getting a 7-8 player over a 15 player just reduces the
risk.
> Forget the lottery. Push these guys through the playoffs and you might be
> surprised what you find. There isn't anyone I'm afraid this year in the
East
> except for the Pacers. You shouldn't see them until the ECF. You don't see
West
> trying to get the Griz into lottery and you could argue them don't have
anymore
> talent or a better chance in the West than we have. You might find you may
not
> need Ben Gordan....
>
> DJessen33
>
> << Danny Ainge was on WEEI's Big Show with Glenn Manboobs Ordway,
>  Steve Longsnapper DeOssie and Mike Where Are The Drugs Adams
>  Here's a summary:
>
>
>  BS: Danny How are you?
>  A: Enjoying the gig, so far.
>  A: I Enjoy the challenge.
>  BS: Expect some of the negativity
>  A: Yes ~ Not take too much of a step back ~ Talked to Agents and Players
>  past summer, no one wanted to play for the Celtics because: 1)Climate;
>  2)Selfish Style, 3) Lottey Team, etc.
>  BS: Biggest Barrier you face is to get a legitimate big time player
>  A: Players don't even know who Havilicek is (past Celtics greatness)
>  Getting that star player is obviously the key to being great.
>  A: Time Frame: None of us know ~ Old Celtics got lucky ~ A lot
>  of misfortune in recent times: Lottery, Lewis, Bias ~ Bad tough luck
>  We're trying to change things, Glen, need to have some fortune to get
that
>  star player in here
>  BS DeOssie: Why not blow team up?
>  A: Cites Chicago
>  A; I don't think you have to blow it up - no guarantee.
>  A: If you become really bad, you may be really bad for 4 or 5 years.
>  BS: Understand why you had to trade Walker, but why not wait until a more
> attractive
>  package ~ Why deal at that time?
>  A: Two reasons: Luxury tax/Cap: Impossible to take on multiple contracts,
>  I felt Walker's value wouldn't change  Two teams interested in Walker
>  BS: Why not let Walker's salary run out?
>  A: Only can replace Walker's salary with mid level, got better than that
in
> Walker trade
>  cites 2 firsts, Jiri, LaFrentz, Atkins.
>  A: Walker not the kind of leader I wanted on the team
>  Paul is not that type of leader either; Chucky Atkins better leader than
> anyone
>  on our team.
>  BS: Banks should play more.
>   A: Banks should play more
>  BS: Atkins buries Banks.
>  BS: Conflict going on over winning games and developing players
>  BS: Almost better if you lose.
>  A: Good in both situations, playoff experience and playing Banks,
>  other young players; Morale needs win, fruit of hard work and energy
>  BS: You won by 21 points; Banks played 11 minutes.
>  A; I think that that is not good
>  A: We want to be a good team next year; I don't think a champoin team,
but
> good
>  as team as last two years - a 6th seed next year
>  BS: Fans won't be patient enough to hang around untill Celtics better
>  ~ Going to have trouble finding a good mid-level guy either,
>  they'll opt for Lakers and better clubs.
>  How can you get Celtics competetive in  a short period of team
>  A: I don't think we're that far away.
>  A; We can't recruit a player if in the lottery ever year
>  A: We've got to do a real good job in the draft
>  BS: Jiri a nice find, but problem,  easy to get complimentary players
>  find star players hard part.
>  BS: How do you get them?
>  A: Songaila: I've never saw him play before getting to Boston;
>  his numbers embelleshed there in Sacramento.
>  BS: Songaila playing well
>  A: Told by Celtics coaches that he couldn't play in the NBA;
>  told by coaches that Walter McCarty was a better player;
>   Coach and GM need to be on the same page.
>  BS: You had an opportunity to bring in your own coach, why re-sign
>  O'Brien, why not bring in your own guy?
>  A; Two reasons: Who is my guy and O'Brien and I agreed with each other
then
>  on running, execution of offense, being more attractive to players,
>  but season started, and when it came down to
>  it, OBie felt comfortable in the defense and didn't want to take a step
back.
>  O'Brien didn't want to create a running game or develop young players.
>  BS: Paul Pierce sticking around for retooling?
>   A: Paul Pierce has a challenge ahead of him, play hard every night,
teach
> other players
>  how to win, very difficult; players live in the moment.
>  A; New Coach huge asset to recruit player.
>  BS: How do you without having a top 1, 2, 3 players turn things around
>  A; Have to get lucky; cites other factors.
>  A; I believe our owners, when time is right, will pay to get us over the
top
>  Cap Wise, we have restraints
>  BS: You need to go out in the draft this year, and have to find the next
> great
>  guy, top  5 or 10 player down the line.
>  A; No other way than the draft
>  A; No way to put a time frame on becoming an elite team in the NBA
>  A; You have to get lucky
>  A; Competetive and entertaining
>  A; Some difference between 8 and 15
>  A: By next year, a 40 - 45 win team and a more entertaining
>  team
>  BS: This year's draft, is there a player out there who is LeBron James?
>  A; No, not in the next three drafts
>  BS: So not a great player, no James, and you're telling me the only
>  way is too build in the draft, how in the hell do you get this guy?
>  A: Maybe James top player in the league in 4 years, but
>  occasionally you get players in the draft; bloomers like Jordan who
>  players develop into great players.
>  A: Sacramento most entertaining team in the league and philosophy
>  of having guys who can shoot - ballhandling
>  A:  I believe you need guys who can score.
>  A; Carroll has the most dificult job in the league, not enough practice
or
>  playing time to teach fundamentals, talk to McHale about this
>
>  A; Talked to Bird, Auerbach, Mchale about most important quality in a
coach.
>  Need to have coach on same page as GM, be able to disagree, but then go
>  out and play golf  or have dinner. >>