It is impressive Ainge brought two all star players to Boston. However, I still think Morey has done the better job based on what was given up, as well as future outlook. Morey used the 26 pick, the 08 second rounder, Vspan, the 09 second rounder and was able to add Brooks, Landry, Scola, Francis, and keep Bonzi. Yes there is developing to do, but more importantly, none of these players have long or expensive deals. There is very little risk involved since we didnt give up much, and if they dont work out we are only committed to a couple years at limited cap numbers. They may not have the impact of KG and Allen, but we had our superstars in place so they didnt need that kind of impact. Ainge gave up 10 players or picks to get KG and Allen. Yes some are scrubs but now you have to replace them with even worse players since KG and Allen eat up so much cap space as does Pierce. It is a scary big 3, and in the East could do big things. But Garnett is looking for 125 million or so over 5 years and will be well past his prime at that point. As good as Garnett is, he isnt worth almost two Yao Mings.
I dont understand why Morey is lucky but Ainge and Pritchard are good? Wasnt Pritchard lucky that Portland won the lottery. Wasnt he lucky that his owner bought multiple first round picks. Wasnt he lucky our deal to get Roy last year got messed up. Also isnt he the GM who traded to get Stevie only to pay him 30 million to leave and "luckily" fall into Morey's lap. As for Ainge, wasnt he lucky Minnesota couldnt win with KG. Wasnt he lucky, the Suns didnt land KG. Wasnt he lucky, he didnt trade for Marion instead. Wasnt he lucky, Seattle won the #2 pick which made it easier to trade Allen. Wasnt he lucky, KG changed his mind about coming to Boston. Results are results. Morey is the GM. He gets credit and blame for the moves made, regardless of you feeling he is lucky.
I thought about that too, but it only points out why I dont think Ainge has done the same quality job as Morey. Look who Boston has left. Their starting line up will probably be Perkins, KG, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo. That is a good lineup. But it leaves their bench as Scalabrine, Gomes, Tony Allen (coming off torn knee), Big Baby, and a bunch of total scrubs. I dont see them trading any of their starters, and I wouldnt want any of those bench players for Rafer (maybe Big Baby, but dont need two rookies at PF). That team literally has nothing on the bench and limited future picks or cap space to improve anytime soon.
Boston sure will be long in the tooth without alot of resources for future building (giving away young talent and some solid draft selections). Boston had stuff to trade in other words. I don't think these trades are anywhere near what Morey accomplished with literally next to nothing to work with.
Aside from the Oden and Roy picks, Pritchard acquired other picks and made trades that has Portland in an enviable position for winning, perhaps even as early as this year. The boy did some wheelin' and dealin'. None of this was "luck." Other teams could have made the deal but didn't. You're saying, "Wow, this guy or that guy was lucky to be born on a certain day and for having parents that made him eat Wheaties." Ainge didn't pull the trigger until all the ducks were in a row. I stand by my statements about Moneyball Morey.
I have to say I hated the Ray Allen trade for the Celtics at the time. But now that they got Garnett as well, all of a sudden it looks like a good move. Sure, they'll be in terrible shape in a few years with three aging stars making around $60 million by themselves... but they'll be good right now. Speaking of which: has any team ever dedicated more cash to just three players? Ever?
He did some wheelin and dealin but remember several picks were simply bought by his owner. It makes being a GM much easier when you get players without giving any back. Im not saying he didnt do a good job, but why do you dismiss Morey's dealing and luck but not this guys. Your point that other teams could have made the deal but didnt, doesnt make sense cuz you say Morey only got lucky to land Scola cuz other Eastern teams couldnt make the deal. Again, why is he lucky the Cavs or other East teams couldnt make a deal, but Ainge not lucky the Suns couldnt make a deal. All the points I made about Ainge and Pritchard being lucky were sarcasm in response to your point that Morey is lucky to have gotten Scola and Stevie. I give Ainge credit and Pritchard credit for what they have done, just dont understand how you discredit what Morey has done. It would be like me saying Yao is a great rebounder because he gets almost 10 a game, but KG isnt a great rebounder cuz he is just fortunate the ball always bounces to him on his 12 rebounds per game.
its a lock...boston will win 50 games and houston will win 60...both will be top seeds in their conferences. ainge and morey deserve major props...
I wonder...would the Celtics be willing to take Alston off our hands? Their team would have a killer starting 5 if they had another distributing point guard. Alston for their first AND second round draft picks next year
Should be interesting seeing how Ainge puts the rest of the Roster together. Beyond the "Big Three" the Celtics have the following on the current roster: 1. Rondo 2. Perkins 3. Scalabrine 4. Tony Allen 5. Leon Powe 6. Glen Davis (unsigned) 7. Brandon Wallace 8. Gabe Pruitt (unsigned) Now how many of these guys do you trust to play solid rotational minute? I think Scalabrine is borderline acceptable, Rajon Rondo will be decent when his inexperience doesn't hurt you, Perkins is an acceptable big banger. Beyond that? Who knows? We are talking the rather flaky Tony Allen, the inexperienced Leon Powe, and a bunch of late-round rookies (who have SOME promiese... when when you have 3 30-something future Hall of Famers, do you take chance of making them play with 2nd round rookies?). Remember, there's a fairly large difference between an average player and one you simply cannot trust... In any case, Ainge has the MLE, the BiAnnual Exception, and minimun contracts to play with, and I think he needs at least the following: 1. a decent veteran PG. 2. a reliable wing to rotate with Pierce and R.Allen so you don't have to rely on late round rookies. 3. a good enough big so Scalabrine and Perkins don't play too many minutes (Glend Davis MIGHT be that guy... who knows). That's a lot to think about still...
He's also got luxury tax to deal with, so that MLE is a LOT more expensive than you'd think. KG, Allen and Pierce are going to make over $55 mil combined next year alone.
