One Great Summer

Danny Ainge shows off his new head coach and all four of his 2004 draft picks. credit: Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images

By: Brian Gleason

If you're running the basketball operations department for an NBA team, your head has to be spinning faster than a Pedro Martinez curveball, after one of the craziest summers in league history.

Some teams locked up top-notch coaches, with New Orleans adding Byron Scott and the Lakers adding Rudy Tomjanovich.

Others hit a home-run on draft night, with Orlando snagging Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson and the Bulls drafting Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon.

Still others broke the bank to retain their free agents, with Detroit holding on to Rasheed Wallace and Denver retaining Marcus Camby.

And finally other teams added All-Stars, with Houston acquiring Tracy McGrady and Phoenix adding point guard Steve Nash.

But there's only one basketball operations head honcho in the league who accomplished all four for his city and franchise.

In just a few short months Danny Ainge has turned around the feeling and direction of the Boston Celtics. He added one of the top coaches available, nailed the draft, re-signed his big free agent and acquired an All-Star. Not bad for one summer.

It all began on April 29, when he locked up former NBA Coach of the Year Doc Rivers. Buzz around the league questioned why Rivers would even consider the Celtics, then once aboard analysts questioned whether the former All-Star teammates could coexist. But Ainge and Rivers have obviously formed a bond, which has allowed the two to transform a roster that was lacking cohesiveness at the end of last season.

Then on draft night Ainge came up big again. Holding the 15th, 24th and 25th picks of the first round (not exactly a GM's dream), Ainge nabbed one of the top high school players in the country and two of the most successful players in college basketball.

Al Jefferson, the 15th overall pick, averaged an incredible 42.6 points per game as a senior in high school last season, and matched #1 overall pick Dwight Howard every step of the way in summer league. He used a polished post game and aggressiveness on the boards to average 18.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in the Reebok Vegas Summer League. The 6-10, 265 pound forward has a great chance to end up the steal of the 2004 NBA Draft.

After stealing Jefferson early, Ainge then solidified the roster taking ready to contribute college players with the 24th and 25th picks. Ainge took Delonte West, who helped lead St. Joseph's to an undefeated regular season, and Tony Allen, who guided Oklahoma State to the Final Four last year.

In West, the Celtics get a sharp shooting point guard who immediately increases the basketball IQ of the roster, while Tony Allen brings pure athleticism and tenacity, which fits the Danny Ainge mold perfectly.

With the team and the city still buzzing from the draft, Ainge then pulled a shocker, accomplishing something that seemed impossible when the Celtics season ended in April. Ainge was able to re-sign one of his harshest critics from a year ago.

Mark Blount, one of the most sought after free agents in the league is coming off a breakout year that saw him record a career-high 19 double-doubles. Blount re-signed with the team on July 14, surprising the league, and giving the Celtics one of the hardest working centers in the NBA. Combined with a healthy Raef LaFrentz, the Celtics now have one of the top frontlines in the Eastern Conference. The signing also proves that Ainge has the team heading back in a positive direction.

But the summer wasn't over and Ainge wasn't done improving the team. The Celtics needed another big name, as well as some veteran leadership to go with a young lineup. That's when Ainge pulled the trigger on a trade that brought nine-time All-Star Gary Payton to Boston. The trade also brought the Celtics another first round draft pick, and after an amendment, allowed the C's to keep promising young point guard, Marcus Banks.

With Payton, the Celtics get a player who has excelled in leadership roles at every level of the game, which will benefit both Banks and West. He's been to the NBA Finals twice, won two Olympic gold medals and been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight times.

Last season Payton was also able to average nearly 15 points per game on a team that consisted of All-Stars Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. And as recently as the 2002-03 season, Payton averaged over 20 points per game.

So after adding a premier coach, youth and athleticism, as well as veteran leadership, your head must be spinning. But the good news for Celtics fans is that it seems that there was one person who was in control.

It was definitely one great summer for Danny Ainge.