Danny Ainge Opens up about Rajon Rondo, Doc Rivers and other things on WEEI
May 3, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) during the second quarter in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
There has been a lot of speculation about what is going on with this Celtics team and their relationship with Danny Ainge. Ainge had already come out and said that he exp-ected Doc Rivers back and would allow things to simmer for a bit, but there’s still speculation that Rivers may want out and both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce could be let go.
Ainge came on WEEI radio to clear some things up about the Celtics’ offseason. In the interview he talked about the shape of this team, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, Rondo’s rehab and even Leandro Barbosa. Here are a few quotes from Ben Rohrbach, a blogger for WEEI:
Ainge on Stephen A.'s rumored Doc feud: "I think I have the best coach in the NBA, and I'm not the least bit tired of hearing his voice."
— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) May 9, 2013
Ainge on Rondo: "So far, he looks good." (Also commented on Barbosa. Hmm. Wonder if he's coming back?)
— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) May 9, 2013
Ainge on KG: "I'll touch base w/him some time next week. … He needs time to chill and contemplate his life. I do anticipate KG will play."
— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) May 9, 2013
Ainge: "We're more than 1 player away unless it's a great player. It'll be tough to become a championship team from where we are." Ouch.
— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) May 9, 2013
Ainge on Pierce: "We love what he's done for us, but ultimately we have to do what's best for us. I think he has a lot of ball left in him."
— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) May 9, 2013
Those are some pretty interesting quotes to say the least. It sounds like he’s interested in bringing Leandro Barbosa back–he’s using Celtics’ facilities to rehabilitate. It sounds like if Doc Rivers is willing to return then he’s more than welcome in the Celtics front office. That’s pretty good news there.
Ainge thinks that Garnett will play somewhere this season–he didn’t say whether or not it would be in a Celtics’ uniform. You have to imagine that he’s taking the same stance with Garnett that he is in Pierce.
He said that the Celtics have to do what’s best for them–if that’s letting Garnett and Pierce go then so be it. Looking to improve this team is Ainge’s job and if he’s willing to part ways with those guys to do it then we have to ride with him down that road.
As Ainge said, the Celtics are not one player away from being a contender again. This is a flawed roster and he knows it. Anything to do to improve it should be on his agenda this summer.
Ainge is going to have a lot of work to do. We can fall back on these quotes to see if he stays true to everything that he said in this interview. The interview is here if you’d like to take a listen yourself.