Skip to main content

Danny Ainge's Celtics/Nets trade could rival Red Auerbach's maneuverings

Red Auerbach was a wheeler-dealer extraordinaire. But his protege, Danny Ainge, made one bold move that may end up rivaling Red's dealings. If the Jay Team of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (both products of Ainge's deal with the Nets) continue to improve, the acquisitions of Bill Russell, JoJo White, Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Robert Parish may soon have competition.


Admittedly, Red's maneuvering to draft Russell in 1956 was brave and masterful. Eleven Championships later, the deal of Ed Macauley, Cliff Hagan and the Ice Capades for Russ looks borderline-brilliant. How about JoJo? Auerbach took him with the 9th pick in the 1969 NBA draft as other NBA GM's passed because of White's 2-year military commitment. Red somehow got that stint shortened, and that is a story in itself. JoJo helped bring two more Titles to Boston.


Auerbach drafted Bird as a junior-eligible out of Indiana State. Fans got to see Larry's final college season, knowing that he was coming to Boston. Red was smart as a whip and sly. Larry was not viewed as a "sure thing" at the NBA level, but he turned out to be one of the most-skilled players ever to take to the hardwood. Red knew the rules of the NBA draft and went after Larry before everyone else thought of it.


DJ, Kevin and Robert came to the Celtics with more wheeling and dealing by Auerbach. Danny Ainge, who became the fifth starter in that group, lasted until the second round in the 1981 draft, when he was taken by Boston. The concern was that Ainge had plans to continue his baseball career, but Red took a shot, and it paid off.

No one yet knows the ceiling of Brown and Tatum because they haven't reached it yet. They are in their fourth and third years, respectively, but they have rocketed into stardom this season. Ironically, Danny went against his mentor's mode of operation. Red shied away from trading his veterans as their skills deteriorated, but Ainge went right ahead and sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets. There was some luck involved, as the picks turned out better than anticipated, and both Jay Team members were taken with the 3rd overall picks in the respective drafts. Both players seemed locked into long-term stints with Boston - and hopefully that will yield one or more Titles. Looks like a bright future.

Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @CausewayStreet and Facebook


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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 four 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.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Rules of survival: When search-and-rescue turns into body recovery

 How the Hell did this happen? Two days after 19-year-old Emily Sotelo was supposedly dropped off in Franconia Notch (NH) at roughly 5:00 AM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2022 by her mother, to hike several mountains alone, the search continues for the young lady. Photo by Linda Lane The information from news agencies indicated that Emily started hiking the trails while it was still dark. She was supposedly wearing only sneakers, a coat and workout pants. I can persona;ly attest that the weather in the area was very cold with high wind speeds, and gaining elevation on the trails would only add to the horrendous conditions. Ms. Sotelo was reportedly a seasoned hiker, but had little or no experience hiking in winter. At the peaks, temperatures on that Sunday dropped to zero degrees with a wind chill of minus-30 degrees. It is beyond my comprehension to imagine a hiker-of-experience tackling that kind of travel - in extreme weather - with only basic clothes and few (or no) supplies. I have hik

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

 As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo