Western Conference teams not cooperating with Danny Ainge's plans for 2019 draft

The Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings are not cooperating with Danny Ainge's plans in the 2019 NBA draft. All three teams are outperforming expectations in the early-going this season.

Here are the picks currently owned by the Boston Celtics in the first round:
Philadelphia/Sacramento: top-1 protected
Memphis: top-8 protected
LA Clippers: top-14 protected
Boston: their own pick

The Clippers are rebuilding - have no stars on the roster - and have the best record in the Western Division. The Grizzlies sit just behind the Clips, and neither team was expected to be nearly this successful.

The Celtics were originally lusting after Sacramento's pick which was projected to end up high in the lottery. If the draft were held today, Boston would get the Clippers pick at roughly #27 in the first round - the Memphis pick at #26 - the Sacramento pick at #18 - and their own at #13. It is early in the season, but few would have predicted any of this.

The Celtics own pick being the most valuable of the four at this point may be the biggest surprise. Their 10-10 record was supposed to be much better. Things will change during the course of the season, but right now Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge may want to look West for answers to their current early-season woes. Why are the three Western teams over-achieving and the Boston crew is under-performing? The right answer may turn the Celtics' season in the right direction.

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC, @CelticsSentinel and Facebook

Photo via NBA

Comments

The Elm Street Nightmare

A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.) Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube Elm Street surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He resided on Elm Street in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He kidnapped a woman at gunpoint on Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was tried, convicted and sentenced for the murders at Superior Court , corner of Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely. I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby: 25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players. and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...

Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

Search This Blog