The NBA named their Executive of the Year today, and not surprisingly, the prize went to the Celtics' Danny Ainge. The Celtics were able to go from one of the worst teams in the league a season ago to the team with the most regular season wins this year, a feat that's worth recognizing to some extent. But as our headline states (sentiment courtesy of Matt Moore), Ainge was really more lucky in getting Garnett (by way of his relationship with Kevin McHale) than he was skillful in pulling off any amazing deal.The alternatives to Ainge though aren't really that exciting either. The Lakers' Mitch Kupchak finished second, largely because he didn't acquiesce to Kobe's off-season trade demands, and because he was able to get Pau Gasol from Memphis for Kwame Brown. As great as that deal was though, Mitch wouldn't have even pursued it had Andrew Bynum not gone down with a knee injury. Still, Kupchak is the one who put together this Laker roster over several seasons, and now that it's all come together, he seems like the logical choice.
One final note on this award, and that's the fact that inexplicably, third place went to Hornets' GM Jeff Bower. Now, either the people who vote for this award are completely lazy, or they simply don't know what they're talking about. The only difference between this year's Hornets roster and the one from last season is the addition of Morris Peterson and Melvin Ely. So those guys are the reason NOLA has the Spurs down 3-2? I don't think so. Plus, Bower didn't even draft Chris Paul or Davd West, so how he can receive so much credit for the team's success this season is beyond me.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-14-2008 @ 3:27PM
Jaelyn said...
I suspect Kevin McHale is still on the Celtics payroll...
Minnesota Timberwolves VP of Basketball Operations?
McHale is more suited to a job in the food service industry..."You want fries with that?"
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5-14-2008 @ 4:18PM
frank said...
McHale and Ainge perfect together;
They deserve each other;
The only thing is that Boston may not pass the 2nd round with all that $$$$$$$$ out of the window;
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5-15-2008 @ 12:55AM
George B Vieto said...
Former Celtics players who work for different employers do flock together.
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5-15-2008 @ 12:48PM
mcspartan5 said...
even with k.g., the celts are going down. either the cavs, which is a possibility, or to be sure detroit will defeat the celts. all that talent, (the big three, or whatever they call them) and they can't win on the road or get to the ECS. if ainge is exec. of the year, then doc rivers is the worst coach of the year. somewhere "red" is spinning in his grave.
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5-16-2008 @ 4:32AM
Dave said...
To deem Ainge and the Celts as simply "lucky" in this instance and to compare him to a "lotto winner" is a bit of a stretch, frankly, you and the other idiots on here subscribing to that simplistic view need to pull your heads out of you asses and give the guy a little more respect for the roster revamping that led to their success this year. Whether the Celtics win another game or not this year there's no real way to spin the greatest single-season turnaround in league history into a negative, so you and your party of clowns need to swallow down your collective indignation and just accept the reality of it all, regardless of how unpleasant their resurgence may be to you.
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