Even in years that I didn't follow college basketball that much I would always gear up for the draft. I was quite knowledgeable in the early 80's, but I faded a bit after Lenny Bias in 1986. I don't remember where I was when Reagan or Ford were shot, but I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard about Bias's death. I thought he must have had Marfan's Syndrome. Not cocaine. Not from a player whose character had been vouchsafed by Red Auerbach.
That hastened the fade of Red from the Celtics decision-making core. Not that he was eased out, but that he lost interest.
Tonight's Celtics pick, JR Giddens, I had never heard of. I would be pounding my head if I hadn't seen Ainge draft brilliantly and surprisingly in the past few years.
I felt good for Minnesota getting OJ Mayo. They've taken so much crap for the KG trade, I want them to have some vindication. I really like Al Jefferson, and still believe that other pieces of that trade (Gomes, Telfair) will work out as rotation players. Then the T-Wolves went and drafted a Serbian center I also hadn't heard of. The was a Croat available, Kev. Make your mother's family happy, huh?
Minnesota was better in the second half of the season last year. Forty wins this year, but no playoffs.
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Not that he's shown any ability of keeping them. Two years ago we drafted Randy Foye and sent him to Minnesota for Sebastian Telfair. Though, to be fair, we immediately sent him right back.
I hadn't thought Ainge had drafted that well, but looking over his record, it's awfully good. His first year we drafted Troy Bell (16th) and Dahntay Jones (20th) and traded them for Marcus Banks (11th) and Kendrick Perkins (27th). That's a steal.
The next year, he stole Al Jefferson at 15th, then nabbed Delonte West and Tony Allen at the tail end of the first round. The year after, he snagged Ryan Gomes at 50, and Rajon Rondo at 21st and Leon Powe at 49th.
Plus, he stole Glen Davis in with the Ray Allen trade, a player who may turn out to be better than Jeff Green.
Plus, if you look at the years beforehand... did you remember we dealt Joe Johnson his rookie year for Tony Delk because we were in a playoff push? Man, we were idiots. That's approaching a Jeff Bagwell deal right now.
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