I have admired Danny Ainge for never tanking - never punting - and rebuilding his team on the fly. But things may have gotten out of hand in the past several years.
If Danny is truly saddled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it just may be that his impulsiveness has had some negative effects on the Celtics performance this season. Ainge has been Celtics boss since 2003, and for the past four years, he has been constantly plugging holes in his roster as players come and go.
First, it was Al Horford in 2016 coming to Boston in free agency. Then Kyrie Irving showed up in 2017 in a trade that sent beloved Isaiah Thomas off to Cleveland. Gordon Hayward also joined the Celtics in 2017.
In 2019, things started to go downhill when both Horford and Irving left town as free agents. Aron Baynes, who had been acquired in 2017, was traded - as was point guard Terry Rozier in a move to pick up Kemba Walker as a replacement for Kyrie Irving.
Hayward left the Celtics fold in 2020, and Ainge quickly acquired Tristan Thompson to man the center spot and Jeff Teague to fill in at point guard off the bench.
Danny Ainge takes responsibility for the Celtics' struggles
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 15, 2021
"There are things I could have done better, but I’m not going to mention names. I’ll take this responsibility."
(Via The Boston Globe | h/t @celticsblog ) pic.twitter.com/3gZG4KEqEO
So Ainge is taking responsibility for his team's underachieving 13-13 record, but he is not naming anyone else. We can start with Teague and Thompson, both of whom have not lived up to expectations. And despite being so likable - and a great teammate - the acquisition of Kemba Walker, an undersized guard in Brad Stevens system, has to be questioned.
It may be time for Ainge to slow things down. This may just not be the Celtics year. In the East, the 76'ers, Bucks and Nets are surging, and out West, the powerful Jazz, Lakers, Clippers and Suns await the victor from the Eastern Conference.
If the Celtics are going to continue losing, fans may want to see more of Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams, Aaron Nesmith, Rob Williams and (when healthy) Romeo Langford. ADHD may be adversely affecting Danny Ainge's ability to settle down and ponder the decisions that will affect the Boston Celtics beyond 2021. His urgency to quickly fill holes in the roster simply has not worked.
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