Don't blame Ainge

[HondotoRondo]

Ainge, the GM, is ten times better than Ainge, the player. Besides adding Allen and Garnett (with a wonderful assist from McHale) to help us to title No. 17, he has also locked up the best coach in the NBA. As far as the Green-Perkins trade derailing our run at No. 18, give me a break. Perkins wasn't there when we got off to our great start this year, and he was incredibly underwhelming for OKC. Green is going to be a great player. Yes, we still need a center -- but we needed one before we dealt Perkins. I wish Shaq would have held up for the whole season but that was unrealistic. That being said, we still have a hole in the middle. No way we can afford Dwight Howard but we need somebody, like Dallas' Brendan Haywood, to take that spot and that needs to be Ainge's No. 1 priority because our leaders aren't getting any younger.

[Bogg]

Perkins wasn't completely healed this year, he'll look better next season, and OKC didn't lose the Dallas series in the middle: the Thunder outrebounded the Mavs in literally every game that series, including a goofy 55-33 margin in a game four that OKC still somehow managed to lose. The Thunders problems lie with Russell Westbrook not knowing how to play the point guard position and Harden and Ibaka both being a year or two away from being ready. Relying on Shaq and Jermaine O'neal to be healthy for an entire playoff run was foolish from the get-go. All that being said, forget finding a stop-gap center for next season, it's time to tear it down and rebuild, delaying any further is just putting off the inevitable, this year was the last for a serious title run.

[Spleen]

There won't be a #18 for some time to come. The guys have slipped too much to compete at that elite level anymore. They'll still be good, but will wear down again as the season progresses and falter early in the Playoffs. Green has all the tools to be a star but he doesn't seem to have the drive. It is hard to tell if being around KG, PP and RA will rub off on him or not. I am hoping that he will flourish into a star SF for us, though I fear he's more closely related to Ed Pickney than we'd like to admit. We rolled the dice to get him, and even Nenad has flown the coop for about 9 million gallons of borsch. He's probably better off, since even though we were shorthanded at center in the Playoffs, he was still having a hard time getting any minutes here.

As everyone knows, this is a great year for centers. There are several worthy of hanging an air fern off of.

[brettearle]

AINGE DESERVES BLAME


Doc conceded that the Trade was a mistake--DURING the season.

Ainge could have signed TA.

Ainge should never have depended on Shaq healing--in order for him to justify the Trade.

Remvoing Erden from the roster, and adding Murphy, made no sense.

To think that two new guys could learn the system, in such a short period of time, was laughable.

Posey could EVEN have helped in the playoffs--last year and this year. [Posey's limitations are minimized when playing with the Big 3]. Ainge refused to sign Posey. Celtics management have come out recently and said that they would always be willing to spend extra coin.

Powe showed noticeable non-injury ability, toward the end of the season, against the Celtics. Powe adds energy, chemistry, and he knows the club's system. And yet, Ainge signed Pavlovic and not Powe.

The Celtics would never have won the Championship with Perkins--BUT they would have had a BETTER chance....even if Perkins was still hampered by injury.

The ONLY reason that Ainge got the Big 3 is because he had friends [McHale] in the right places. That does not especially demonstrate any ingenuity.

Ainge deserves part of the blame.

[brettearle]

BATTIER NOT GREEN

Spleen,

I respect your opinions--but I think Green is a spotty defender, an anemic rebounder, and a player without a decent inside game.

I believe that his clutch play is mediocre.

He is a finesse player. He is not tough.

The Celtics need more guys like Shane Battier and less guys like Jeff Green.

Green is NOT the future--despite Ainge's hopes and claims.