More Ainge Watch: Next Celtics Coach; That JR Smith A Knucklehead

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

This is your official "Ainge Watch" station. . .

~ The Next Celtics Coach?

APRIL 7, 2004:
WHO WILL AINGE PICK
AS NEW C'S COACH? 
By Christopher Price - Boston Press Box
While John Carroll has done a better job guiding the Celtics to within shouting distance of a postseason spot than anyone has expected, his chances of sticking with this team beyond 2004 as head coach are remote at best. Carroll is seen by most as an interim coach who is simply keeping the seat warm until Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge brings in his own guy.
But who will that guy be? While Carroll has likely parlayed these three months into a head coaching job somewhere (maybe college, maybe pro), it's not likely he'll be asked back. Ainge is on record as saying he wants no part of the job. (He recently told the Globe "I have no desire to coach. I like what I'm doing right now.") 
But what kind of guy does he want? He will likely search for someone after his own, offensive-minded heart. He will also look for a name, but won't break the bank to make a big splash. And he'll make sure he gets a player-friendly coach who can work the locker room like Jim O'Brien (who has already been floated as the next head coach in Portland). Wyc Grousbeck said last week on WEEI that he will leave the decision completely in the hands of his basketball guys  that means it's Ainge's call, for good or bad. 
Here are a few options, and some odds on whether or not they'll take the job. 
Paul Westphal: 3-1. This is a guy who probably has the best shot at the job, if he chooses to leave the most beautiful campus on the world in Pepperdine. But the C's clearly still have the mojo to lure him back to the NBA. And he's a guy who has some real NBA experience. In Phoenix, he led the Suns to three of their most successful seasons in franchise history. In his first season in 1992-93, the Suns won a club-record 62 games and made just the second appearance in the NBA Finals in team history. Two years later, Westphal became the second-fastest NBA head coach to win 150 games. And he's worked with Ainge before  the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. The only knock against him is his sometimes sour reationship with big stars. In Phoenix, he and Charles Barkley were on the same page. In Seattle, he had a well-publicized rift with Gary Payton. (We can just imagine him with Ricky Davis.) 
Doug Collins: 8-1. An intriguing pick. He's got the impressive resume (the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards), the commitment to high-octane basketball, and is currently out of work. And a certain No. 23 would likely provide a very impressive character reference when it comes to working with an NBA star. Does he want to climb down out of the TNT booth and return to the sidelines? Don't know, but he provides an intriguing name to add to the mix. 
Dennis Johnson: 10-1. An interesting long shot. Even with a very public supporter in Paul Pierce, it's not likely Ainge would turn the keys over to his old backcourt mate. But DJ's coaching stock is on the rise. And thanks in large part to Pierce's endorsement, he could make his way to Boston as an assistant after Portland cleans house this offseason (as they are expected to do). 
Byron Scott: 20-1. After he called out Celtics fans last spring, wouldn't that be interesting? But if Jackson leaves Los Angeles, Scott would likely be the choice to lead the Lakers. However, it's worth mentioning that Scott's basketball pedigree compares favorably to Ainge  his relationship with stars aside (hello, Jason Kidd), he also came of age as a player in the 1980s, and shares a commitment to guard-powered, fast-break basketball. 
Phil Jackson: 25-1. The Zenmaster is clearly tiring of Los Angeles, but it's unlikely he would leave southern California for Boston. The Celtics aren't his style  he would be part of a rebuilding process, and he's more the type of guy who would go somewhere as the final ingredient in a championship mix. And the Celtics are far from that. 
Christopher Price can be reached at capeleaguer@xxxxxxxxxxx



~ From the Russilo Report:

Ainge was quoted on a Boston Radio station (1510 The Zone) when asked about his three major trades during this season. "We have a lot of options and I've said from the beginning, this is about acquiring talent, changing our style of play and acquiring talent and once we acquire talent we can then start worrying about how the pieces mesh." 
The number of players declaring for the NBA draft increases with each passing day, some make sense like PG/SG Ben Gordon others leave NBA scouts scratching their heads: see Trevor Ariza (freshman UCLA). As the names pile up, so does the talent level and Ainge should have plenty of talent to choose from. 
Fast Breaks 
-The consensus among GM's and scouts was that this draft is wide open after Emeka Okafor and Dwight Howard. If Luol Deng makes himself eligible many people at the PIT felt Deng would go number three. 
-Another GM thinks the draft order will all be sorted out by the time June comes around. "There is more uncertainty right now about who's in and who's out, it won't be by that way leading up to the draft, the lottery caliber players will be identified like it usually is." 
-Howard vs. Okafor? A Western Conference scout had this to say; "I love Okafor, I'm an Okafor guy, I don't know too many scouts that aren't. With that said I'd still take Howard." 
-Many high school kids are holding up the process. J.R. Smith who is committed to UNC has impressed a few scouts with his performance in the McDonalds and Hoop Summit games, one scout felt Smith would forgo joining the Tar Heels but that NBA team should be warned. "He's (Smith) a knucklehead. Roy Williams might think he's losing out but in the end he's avoiding a huge headache. I don't think Smith is a kid who's going to listen in college because he'll feel he should have gone in the draft all year, or at least he will be thinking that as he hoists up thirty footers." 
-An interesting take on the Jim O'Brien saga from this Western Conference scout. "Jim is not an NBA guy, I don't know him and I don't know what went wrong up in Boston. He must have had a deal in place with another team before he left. No one is talking about him as their next coach and there are going to be a lot jobs open this summer. Jim was always seen as an assistant, next thing you know he's making millions and flying in private jets, and he can't get along with Ainge's philosophy? Jimmy, some people got real problems." 
-Look for Antoine Walker to be shopped heavily this off-season. For one year at 14 mil. left on his deal for next year, Dallas will look to package him to finally get a big guy who can play more then 15 minutes a game. As far as Walkers next deal, an Eastern Conference scout had this to say, "Walkers going to be a mid-level guy for the rest of his career." 
-Regarding which high school kids are going to declare in the upcoming draft, an agent who represents a kid who will remain nameless until it becomes official offered this opinion, "They're all coming out, who wants to wait around in College and become the next Darius Rice."