Multi-talented Ainge chooses modesty in the face of praise <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>BOSTON — When it comes to the full gamut of sporting experiences, few can top Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge. High school All-American in three sports (basketball, football, baseball). Major leaguer. NBA All-Star. Playoff coach. And now, NBA executive of the year. But even though his wheeling and dealing engineered the biggest turnaround in NBA history, Ainge prefers to linger offstage, deflecting praise to his coaches and players. Sunday night before the Celtics' Game 2 win against the Los Angeles Lakers to take a 2-0 Finals lead, Ainge reposed in a private room beneath TD Banknorth Garden. "This really isn't about me," he says. "This is about those guys playing with banged-up knees, banged-up ankles. … I've been there. All the work we do doesn't matter if those guys aren't buying in." After finishing 24-58 last year — the second-worst record in franchise history — Ainge and the Celtics hoped to land one of the top two lottery picks, with the opportunity to select Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Ainge still might have traded the pick, because he knew veteran Paul Pierce wanted no part of a rebuilding plan. When Boston fell to fifth, he began working the phones. "Like any team, we were hoping for a good lottery draw," Ainge says. "But we weren't sitting around waiting for the lottery to happen. We had Plan B's and C's and different things we wanted to do had we won it. We were prepared to take action the day after the lottery." Ainge had discussed Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Garnett even before the lottery. "As a matter of fact," Ainge says, "Minnesota might've been hoping for us to have success with the lottery if they didn't, because of the possibility of retooling with a higher draft pick. But it was just conversation. There's a lot of conversation in this league, and things don't happen." First, Ainge had to make Boston a desirable destination for Garnett, which made his deal for the Seattle SuperSonics' Ray Allen crucial. "I don't think Garnett would've come if they didn't have Ray Allen," ESPN analyst Jack Ramsay says. "Getting that to work was a masterful piece of diplomacy." Ainge sent the No. 5 pick, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to Seattle for Allen and the 35th overall pick (Glen Davis). Then he shipped promising young forward Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks to Minnesota for Garnett. "He got two superstars for the fifth pick in the draft and could-be-really-good-young player in Al Jefferson and a bunch of other guys you could find in the NBA all over the place," ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy says. "In one year he was able to change that team from a 24-win team that basically had a dismal future to a team that's in (the Finals). That's an incredible feat." It was the kind of coup GMs dream about, but Ainge says he doesn't remember pumping his fist when he finalized the Garnett deal. "A lot of times in our business there is a lot of buildup and then a lot of letdown," he says. "As the deals are coming down, you have to know when to walk away. … You don't get too emotionally involved. "I probably took my two boys and my wife out for ice cream. That's our way of celebrating." Once the major new talent was in place, the team responded with the NBA's best record (66-16). And the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals for the first time in 21 years. "The players and coaches really make these deals work," Ainge says. "This is a credit to Kevin and Ray and Paul, the whole group. And (coach) Doc (Rivers) got them all to see things the same way. "But 66 wins? You can't predict those kind of things. You hope for them, but it really comes down to the players and coaching being on the same page and getting it done." Says ABC analyst Mark Jackson, "The thing I give Ainge his biggest compliment for is patience. How many guys would've fired Doc Rivers last year? … He trusted his head coach, his ability to get the job done, and stepped up and made bold trades. Sticking with Doc was the best move he made." Now his team is two wins from its record 17th NBA title. "I've had success in sports and I've been fortunate to be surrounded by good people," Ainge says. "I have good owners who encourage me to do my job in a way that makes it easier. I have an excellent coach and good players. They all make me look good. I guess that's the key to success."</div>
I thank Danny as much as the next guy for what he's done, but let's not forget that at points, we weren't going absolutely anywhere! I've said it last year, but he would have been an dumbass not to have done something. Having the fifth pick, Al Jefferson as well as other young guys, and an insurance-covered 10 million dollar expiring contract is nothing to laugh at! We've spent quite some time sucking since he took over.
