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“Luck is a wonderful thing. Or is it destiny?”
That is an excellent question. It’s a question posed by RedsArmy.com reader TenaciousT. And it’s right on the money, because those are the only two options to explain how the Celtics have gotten to this point. It’s either luck, or destiny… because I’ll tell you this: It’s certainly not by design.
Danny Ainge is stumbling through what might be an historic offseason for the Boston Celtics. Every move he wanted to make this offseason has fallen through… leading him to look in another direction. The funny thing is, that other direction, has built us a contender.
Let’s start by taking a look to what was actually the first move in Danny Ainge’s grand plan: tanking.
We should not forget that Danny’s plan “A” was to tank the season and roll the dice on a #1 or #2 pick. The Celtics ended up winning 24 games, and they were in a prime position to do just that. But then we got the #5 pick. It was the first in a series of Danny Ainge’s plans “A” that didn’t work out, but in actuality put us in a better position.
Getting that draft pick would have kept us in a “rebuilding” mode. We would have kept Al Jefferson and Danny would have drafted Kevin Durant (yes, he would have. Trust me on this one) to go along with Pierce and build a team for the future. But getting the 5th pick sent Danny into plan “B”… trade the pick for a proven veteran, perhaps a star.
So his first option with that pick was to use it in a trade for Kevin Garnett. Rumors ran wild as we headed into the draft. There were 3 team deals. There were 4 team deals. Nothing Danny tried could work out, mostly because Kevin Garnett saw a team that wasn’t ready to compete. He didn’t want to leave Minnesota to go to a team that would only have been a little better. So KG said he didn’t want to come to Boston… and there went plan “A” for the 5th pick.
Once again, the move Danny Ainge wanted to make was shot down, so he had to turn to plan “B”. He swung the deal for Ray Allen and Glen Davis. It was not a monumental deal at the time, but it would ultimately be huge in getting Garnett later on in the offseason. KG saw that the C’s were suddenly making moves… regardless of whether they were the moves Danny initially wanted to make. Only after Danny was forced to do something like make the Ray Allen deal, did he actually get KG.
After creating the new “Big 3,” it was time to fill out the roster. After signing a couple of role player in Eddie House and Scot Pollard, Danny saw that he had a hole on the perimeter. Plan “A”: Get Reggie Miller. And Danny almost did it too. Reggie was ready to do it. He was all set to come out of retirement and play for the Boston Celtics. But then he thought better of it, and he said “Thanks, but no thanks.” Out goes another plan “A” for Danny.
So plan “B” is now coming together in James Posey. And once again, it’s better than the original plan. Posey can hit the 3 when he’s open, but he’s primarily a defensive player. Posey now fills more than one need on this team where Reggie would have simply been a sharpshooter.
Danny does deserve credit for not sulking when his best laid plans haven’t worked. He kept trying to figure things out. But I do find it a little disturbing that Danny’s initial instincts and efforts haven’t produced a single situation that we see on this team today.
The Boston Celtics are now considered by many to be a contender. You can tell the players think so because they now want to come here. The team’s jerseys are flying off store shelves and the games are already selling out. But just keep in mind that what we’re seeing on the floor is the result of moves Danny Ainge was forced to make… not moves that he initially wanted to make. Danny’s plans included Kevin Durant… and then they included KG without Ray Allen. And then they included Reggie Miller coming off the bench.
As a Celtics fan, I’ll take what I can get. But I know what I’m getting is not the result of Danny the Genius. He’s not exactly Red Auerbach sending nobodies away for eventual Hall of Famers. This team is the result of dumb luck.
Or is it destiny?
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The Accidental Contender |
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Plan A Didn’t Work For Danny But Plan B Has Turned Boston Into A Contender |
