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Chapter 664 - 281. The Collapse of Ainge_3

Chapter 664: 281. The Collapse of Ainge_3

Hill thought that he had reached the twilight of his career. Having been with the Bobcats for a few months, he gradually solidified his career-ending goal — to assist Zhang Yang in the championship quest.

Actually, he was also vying for a championship for himself.

Playing a healthy season and then moving to the Lakers, who were in dire need of a strong small forward, might have been a safer choice.

But although he had shed his superstar persona, he still cared about pride, and the notion of clinging to the coattails of the ’96 generation... He was unwilling.

Assisting a group of young talents to win a championship, both the value of the championship ring and the sense of achievement and satisfaction, was far superior to joining the top or second favorite for the title!

Just as Hill was about to call Zhang Yang back to the locker room for treatment, Zhang Yang suddenly said, "We might not be the ones who are the most upset about losing tonight."

Hill, "Hmm? If we’re not the ones who are the most upset about losing, who is?"

Zhang Yang, "The Celtics’ management, they’re probably cursing us right now."

Hill, "Uh... yeah... you’re right!"

...

Just as Zhang Yang and Hill guessed, back in Boston, Ainge started throwing things around in his living room upon hearing the news of the win.

They won again! Those damned players actually won again!

Ainge: Damn you, Jordan, you’re targeting me, aren’t you!

He felt as if the whole world was against him.

After beating the Bobcats, the Celtics’ record advanced to 7 wins and 8 losses, slightly stabilizing their position as the eighth in the East, only one win behind the seventh-place Toronto Raptors with 8 wins and 7 losses.

But this was clearly not the record Ainge wanted. If it was just to make it to the playoffs, they wouldn’t have tanked last season. They were in contention for the playoffs last season as well.

He wanted a high draft pick! A new core for team-building! A big three!

Last season, Ainge had two plans.

The first plan was to tank to get ’modern-day Russell’ Oden, have Pierce mentor the young talent surrounded by quality role players, and aim for the championship... At that time, Oden was considered a Duncan-like player, NBA-ready with All-NBA level talent.

The second plan was to rob the Timberwolves, trading Al Jefferson for Garnett and expiring contracts for Ray Allen to form a big-three combo.

But the tanking failed, and the second plan collapsed due to Garnett’s promise to renew his contract.

In the offseason, Ainge had a third plan — to trade Pierce and Al Jefferson for a young core.

Armed with potential assets like Jeff Green, Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Adam Morrison, Tony Allen, along with the in-their-prime All-Star forward Pierce and Szczerbiak’s expiring contract, the Celtics were initially the most sought-after team in the league following a shift in power.

But he demanded too much — want Pierce? Trade a top young talent, only someone on the level of Deron or Paul was good enough to negotiate, at the very least someone like Roy; want Al Jefferson and Jeff Green? Also possible, bring an All-Star, he wouldn’t mind having Bosh, Anthony, or at the very least Gasol...

Although NBA teams seemed like amateurs, there wasn’t a second general manager like Billy King, an epic one.

The Celtics quickly went from being sought after to being deserted in the free market.

Missing out on Oden and the ultimate trio, not finding a fool to rip off... After the offseason, Ainge had to restart the tanking plan.

Reliable sources indicated that the next year was a big draft year — with talents like Derrick Rose from the University of Memphis, UCLA’s Russell Westbrook, North Carolina’s James Harden, Kentucky’s DeMar DeRozan, USC’s OJ Mayo, and Michael Beasley from the University of Kansas... This array of explosively talented guards would all be entering the draft next year.

Ainge: Not giving me the top 2 picks, can’t I get one of the top 5?

As long as they tanked to the last in the East, the lowest pick they could get would be the fifth, and out of these six players, they were bound to scoop up one!

Pierce, who would be 31 in a few months and was deemed non-essential after the failed big plans, was not in Ainge’s eyes the future of the team; Jeff Green, Al Jefferson, and Adam Morrison lacked the talent he envisioned for a team core, far from it. In his mind, Morrison had washed out, Green lacked talent, and even at his peak, Jefferson barely stood a chance to be an All-Star...

Getting a top 5 draft pick, then trading Pierce for a young interior talent, would allow for a rebuild around a young inside-outside duo... Ainge’s plan lined up again!

Then, he faced fierce resistance from the players.

Ainge didn’t express his goals openly, but the Celtics’ players could clearly sense the team’s intent to tank from Rivers’ game strategies, which infuriated Pierce and Al Jefferson.

Last season, Ainge coaxed them with visions of potential and spoke of loyalty, yet behind their backs, he used them as bargaining chips in deals with others. And this season, it continued!

Both of them, along with Tony Allen, Jordan Farmar, Ryan Gomes, Boykins, Glenn Davis, and other competitive teammates, fought desperately to win every night.

Just like last season’s Timberwolves, with core players unwilling to tank, Ainge could only rage impotently. He couldn’t just order Rivers not to play Pierce and Al Jefferson, could he? To get a good price for the two, he had to allow them ample playing time and shooting rights...

Of course, there was another way — dump Pierce and Al Jefferson at a lower price and get rid of them quickly.