Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 31, 2005 3:29:22 GMT -5
I was looking through some of the things that was posted earlier, and came across this piece where Ainge is intervied prior to the draft. I was interested in hearing if his thoughts prior to the draft were consistent with what actually transpired.
aol.nba.com/celtics/news/DannyPress_20050624.html
Here are a couple of quotes that are interesting:
Q: Having gone through the draft process a couple times what are some of the things you have learned that make this process easier?
Ainge: I have learned that you really cannot pay attention to the position, that’s when mistakes are made. You should not give to much credence to your roster.
Since the question asked was if he learned anything from prior drafts, his answer may indicate that in either of the 1st 2 drafts, Ainge may have made the mistake of taking a player, or players, based on a need for a specific position rather than going after the best player available regardless of position. I wonder who he felt was a mistake?
Q: Does the new CBA and the ability to send guys down to the NBDL for one or two years affect the way you might look at a player in terms of drafting him?
Ainge: Probably not because I have always been one to look at the upside of a player whether we could keep him or whether we could send him down. It would have been nice to send a player like Kendrick Perkins down to get some minutes but at the same time there is some risk at sending him down and taking him away from the team and your strength and conditioning program. So there is some give and take with the NBDL. It is just an option and I’m glad that we have that option but it does not change how I approach the draft.
So maybe Ainge won't use the NBDL.
Q: You said you do not want to draft by position, what areas do you think the team could really approve in?
Ainge: I think we have a good talent pool, and this is not aimed at anyone individually, but I think our team’s basketball IQ needs to improve. A lot of that is experience but we need to be smarter on the court. I think we need to shoot the ball better and be better passers, which has to do with basketball IQ, taking better care of the ball. Smarter and mentally tougher are the two biggest areas.
So did we accomplish this with the draft, and the acquisition of Brian Scalabrine and Dan Dickau?
Q: After the draft are you expecting to make a lot of changes personnel wise?
Ainge: Yeah, I hope to make some changes to our roster this year.
Getting rid of Payton and Walker and bringing in Brine and Dickau.
Q: Would you feel comfortable going into next year with Delonte and Marcus as your two point guards?
Ainge: Well, you know, I said this before and people jumped to conclusions, so let me say this very clearly: I would be very, very comfortable with Marcus and Delonte as my top two guards, my top two point guards.
And now we have 5 PG's. He brought in Dickau, who could possibly be the starter. Like you said BC, Ainge is unpredictable.
aol.nba.com/celtics/news/DannyPress_20050624.html
Here are a couple of quotes that are interesting:
Q: Having gone through the draft process a couple times what are some of the things you have learned that make this process easier?
Ainge: I have learned that you really cannot pay attention to the position, that’s when mistakes are made. You should not give to much credence to your roster.
Since the question asked was if he learned anything from prior drafts, his answer may indicate that in either of the 1st 2 drafts, Ainge may have made the mistake of taking a player, or players, based on a need for a specific position rather than going after the best player available regardless of position. I wonder who he felt was a mistake?
Q: Does the new CBA and the ability to send guys down to the NBDL for one or two years affect the way you might look at a player in terms of drafting him?
Ainge: Probably not because I have always been one to look at the upside of a player whether we could keep him or whether we could send him down. It would have been nice to send a player like Kendrick Perkins down to get some minutes but at the same time there is some risk at sending him down and taking him away from the team and your strength and conditioning program. So there is some give and take with the NBDL. It is just an option and I’m glad that we have that option but it does not change how I approach the draft.
So maybe Ainge won't use the NBDL.
Q: You said you do not want to draft by position, what areas do you think the team could really approve in?
Ainge: I think we have a good talent pool, and this is not aimed at anyone individually, but I think our team’s basketball IQ needs to improve. A lot of that is experience but we need to be smarter on the court. I think we need to shoot the ball better and be better passers, which has to do with basketball IQ, taking better care of the ball. Smarter and mentally tougher are the two biggest areas.
So did we accomplish this with the draft, and the acquisition of Brian Scalabrine and Dan Dickau?
Q: After the draft are you expecting to make a lot of changes personnel wise?
Ainge: Yeah, I hope to make some changes to our roster this year.
Getting rid of Payton and Walker and bringing in Brine and Dickau.
Q: Would you feel comfortable going into next year with Delonte and Marcus as your two point guards?
Ainge: Well, you know, I said this before and people jumped to conclusions, so let me say this very clearly: I would be very, very comfortable with Marcus and Delonte as my top two guards, my top two point guards.
And now we have 5 PG's. He brought in Dickau, who could possibly be the starter. Like you said BC, Ainge is unpredictable.
