Let's face it! The late Red Auerbach was not beloved by many in the NBA community - in large part because he was smarter and more-successful than most of them.
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| Photos courtesy of Mary N. Thawley and Lisa Lane McCarty |
Bird was plucked from the 1978 draft as a "junior eligible" with the sixth-overall pick. Mychal Thompson, Phil Ford, Rick Robey (more on him later), Michael Ray Richardson and Purvis Short went with the first-through-fifth picks, respectively.
Larry not only led Boston to three Championships - but also helped lift the League from hard times. By the way, the NBA changed the draft rules after Auerbach had masterminded this specific heist.
Robert Parish and Kevin McHale came to Boston in another Red sting operation. In the 1980 draft, Auerbach traded the first-overall pick (which became Joe Barry Carroll - who went to the Warriors) for the third-overall pick and Robert Parish. The feisty Auerbach with yet another lopsided (in his favor) deal.
On to Red's fourth larceny. In the 1981 draft he took Danny Ainge in the second round with the 31-overall pick. Ainge was playing pro baseball at the time, but went on to earn two Championships with the Celtics and one All-Star appearance in 1988, his final season in Boston. As an aside - Danny learned, and practiced, many of Red's "larcenous" ways when he took over the reins of the Boston Celtics in 2003.
And last but not least, we come to Dennis Johnson. He came to Boston prior to the 1983-84 season in exchange for the previously-mentioned Rick Robey. Simply another lopsided transaction from the master-deal-maker, Red Auerbach.
Author's Note: The above photos were taken by the late Mary N. Thawley in 1986 outside the old Boston Garden - at the request of my "Celtics Stalker" daughter, Lisa Lane McCarty.
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