Posts tagged Danny Ainge at FanHouse

The Boston Celtics signed Darius Miles to a non-guaranteed contract today, a mere 860 days since he last appeared in an NBA game. Does this make him officially relevant again? Not yet -- he still has to survive training camp cuts. From the Boston Globe:

"He's coming to training camp and he's going to try to prove that he can make the team," said Celtics general manager Danny Ainge. "He has come in for a couple of workouts. He'll try to make the team somehow."

That's hardly a ringing endorsement, but as Henry Abbott notes, the fact that they gave him a non-guaranteed contract rather than a simple training camp invitation suggests Miles can still play. We'll have to wait and see in the exhibition season if that's really the case.

Even if he makes the team, though, he'll have to sit out the first 10 games for apparently testing positive for Phentermine, an appettite suppressant, at some point over the last two years. Phentermine is a controlled substance, which makes it illegal to possess without a prescription, and is banned by the NBA's drug policy, which Lindsey Hunter found out the hard way in May 2007.

The NBA named their Executive of the Year today, and not surprisingly, the prize went to the Celtics' Danny Ainge. The Celtics were able to go from one of the worst teams in the league a season ago to the team with the most regular season wins this year, a feat that's worth recognizing to some extent. But as our headline states (sentiment courtesy of Matt Moore), Ainge was really more lucky in getting Garnett (by way of his relationship with Kevin McHale) than he was skillful in pulling off any amazing deal.

The alternatives to Ainge though aren't really that exciting either. The Lakers' Mitch Kupchak finished second, largely because he didn't acquiesce to Kobe's off-season trade demands, and because he was able to get Pau Gasol from Memphis for Kwame Brown. As great as that deal was though, Mitch wouldn't have even pursued it had Andrew Bynum not gone down with a knee injury. Still, Kupchak is the one who put together this Laker roster over several seasons, and now that it's all come together, he seems like the logical choice.

One final note on this award, and that's the fact that inexplicably, third place went to Hornets' GM Jeff Bower. Now, either the people who vote for this award are completely lazy, or they simply don't know what they're talking about. The only difference between this year's Hornets roster and the one from last season is the addition of Morris Peterson and Melvin Ely. So those guys are the reason NOLA has the Spurs down 3-2? I don't think so. Plus, Bower didn't even draft Chris Paul or Davd West, so how he can receive so much credit for the team's success this season is beyond me.

As reported yesterday, Paul Pierce was fined $25,000 for making a "menacing gesture" at the end of the Sunday's Game 3 loss. It was unclear at the time what the gesture meant, but it certainly resembled some kind of gang-sign, which is probably why the NBA decided to crack down. (Decide for yourself: it's around the 30 second mark of this video.)

After hearing about the fine, though, the Celtics are upset, claiming that hand gesture is something Pierce has been doing all season long. From the Boston Herald:

"Watch what Paul does when he's introduced. He's done it for every game," said Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge. "That's not anything related to" gangs.

Before last night's game, Ainge sought out commissioner David Stern in the press room and the two engaged in an animated discussion. Ainge was clearly seen trying to demonstrate the blood, sweat and tears sign that Pierce makes when he is introduced before games.

Apparently the Celtics are also a bit miffed of the timing of the fine -- instead of happening in the morning, when it could make it's way through the news cycle and be old news come tip-off, it wasn't announced until 6pm, right when Pierce is supposed to be busy preparing for the game and getting into his game face. Also, I can't imagine Ainge is happy about Al Horford escaping Stern's attention -- after all, no matter what signs Pierce may or may not have been flashing, he was reacting to Horford's taunts in the first place.

I can't figure out what's my favorite part: John Salley's story about Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas, Danny Ainge talking about Xavier McDaniel's "little one" or me laughing at Reggie Miller's awesomely 80's haircut.

(hat-tip: MC Bias)

Most of us (including myself) have taken for granted that the Clippers would soon grant Sam Cassell his freedom to sign with another team, but that may not actually be the case. It seems Clippers owner Donald Sterling isn't inclined to give Cassell the remainder of his $6.1 million salary just to walk away.

Sterling is notoriously cheap, and if he holds firm on this, it'll likely infuriate a lot of NBA fans (particularly those in Boston). But seriously, why should he subsidize a title run by the Celtics? Professional basketball is a business, not a charity. If Danny Ainge wanted Cassell's services so bad, he could have traded for him at the deadline. Since that didn't happen, the ball is in Cassell's court.

He talks so much about wanting to win; well, how much is that worth to him? The Clippers still owe him about $2 million. If he walks away from that and signs with the Celtics, he'll still make roughly $400,000, or the prorated amount of the $1.2 million veteran's minimum. Is $1.6 million worth a chance at another title? We'll find out.

The Celtics may have completed their last blockbuster of the summer but they're not yet done tweaking the roster: Danny Ainge worked out a handful of big men in hopes of finding another veteran center to stash at the end of the bench. From the Boston Globe:

Executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed yesterday that the team is working out several free agents this week at its Waltham practice facility, including ex-Celtics forward Eric Williams, center Kelvin Cato, forward-center Esteban Batista, and forward Linton Johnson III.

"These are guys that have other teams interested," Ainge said. "They're taking a look at us and we're looking at them."

The C's already have 15 contracts so a move isn't necessarily imminent, but it might be a wise move. As currently constructed, the bench has only one player taller than 6-9, and that's Scot Pollard. The team could use some height, not only for injury insurance but also to make practices a little more competitive. Williams and Johnson are only 6-8, but Cato (6-11) and Batista (6-10) are certifiable big bodies.

Cato has a longer NBA resume but Batista has more upside. He had a fantastic showing in the FIBA Americas tournament for Uruguay, averaging 20.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game while earning high praise from opposing coaches and players alike. He's only 24 years old, and despite showing little in 13 games with the Hawks last year, he's a low-cost gamble worth taking. The only catch? He's a restricted free agent, meaning Atlanta has the right of first refusal if another team tries to sign him.

Basketbawful turned up this lovable Reebok ad from 1987. It's got Danny Ainge and the late Dennis Johnson squaring off in a game of one-on-one. The whole thing is shot like they're not really playing, or at least can't get from one place to another like NBA players do. Like it's a basketball scene in a comedy. Also, this ad is uncomfortably lurching toward the future; there are dunks, but zero swagger and a punchline based around "footwork."

So the Celtics are now this great team, with all these All-Stars and a legit shot at the Finals. Pinch yourself, it's really true. Luckily, in most important ways, they are still the same laughable organization they were last month. Want proof? Here's boy genius and occasional nutjob Danny Ainge, gushing over the newly-signed Scot Pollard in The Boston Globe:

"He's one of the best offensive rebounders in the game," said Ainge. "He's a terrific post defender. He has a real good feel for the game and he doesn't turn the ball over. I think he's a great teammate in the locker room. He fills a big need for us with interior defense and rebounding."

Look, I get that Pollard is underrated. But lord upon lords, his biggest contribution to Cleveland's run last year was telling kids to do drugs. Hardly the mark of a supreme contributor. And I find it extremely funny that, even when Ainge has just had three superstars fall into his lap, he still talks up minor players like they can turn the team around. Force of habit, I guess.

Maybe he's just incapable of grasping that in Kevin Garnett, he actually did get a top rebounder with a superb feel for the game and good teammate skills. When the real thing comes along, Danny, you need to lay off of the cellar-dwelling fantasies. Or it could just be the shock. I know plenty of Minny folks who are feeling the same way right about now.

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.



Loyalty does not exist.

Not in sports. Not between an organization and a player. It can't. It has no place in the relationship.

That relationship, between the organization and the player, is 100% business. It's an exchange of services for cash. A general manager who counts loyalty as a factor when giving out contracts is a bad general manager. Keep a guy around too long because you like him, because of his past performance, because he's such a nice guy ... and you will, in the long run, pay for it.

Loyalty going the other direction, from a player towards an organization, is just as misguided. Kevin Garnett, for 12 years, has damaged his career by believing in something that doesn't exist.

(Also at the bottom: A Mets fan does something unspeakably horrific, and the Mets respond by trading for a so-so second baseman ... Daunte Culpepper talks to [of course] the Raiders ... and Ricky Davis should make sure his home security system is working ... )

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.


It is time for two things: One, taking all of your "Isiah Thomas is a terrible GM" jokes, and swapping them for Danny Ainge jokes. And two, let's hand out some NBA Draft SchruteBucks ... the Friday FanHouse tradition that gets the weekend rolling.

+81,000, Isiah Thomas. Incredibly, draft night was stolen by Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks. They got a 20-and-10 guy for free.

I suddenly no longer even remember that Isiah destroyed a proud basketball league that had existed for over 50 years, that he gave Jerome James $30 million, or that he traded for a max-contract Steve Francis.

Well, I guess I remember the Francis trade, but only because Zeke just pawned him off on Portland for Zach Randolph, who, barring injury or an inability to leave Scores, will be a perennial All-Star and the best post scorer in the East.