Danny Ainge Gets Blunt and Gives Harsh Reality of Struggling Boston Celtics
A few days after taking a good part of the blame for the recent struggles of the Boston Celtics, general manager Danny Ainge was at it again. During a recent radio interview, Ainge didn’t hold back as his team continues to hover around the .500 mark. The Celtics, expected to be a contender in the Eastern Conference, are sitting in sixth place with a 15-15 record and it’s not sitting well with the man in charge.
There’s trouble in Boston
The Boston Celtics are supposed to be better than this. The team is sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and is having a tough time getting above the .500 mark. With young guns Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way, Boston was supposed to make some noise one year after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics have, in fact, made some noise, but it’s been off the court. There’s trouble in Boston. Frustration appears to have set in and some of the players aren’t holding back. Veteran point guard Kemba Walker, in his second season with the Celtics, came out recently and said the team hasn’t been putting forth its best effort.
“(We) just need to play harder,” Walker said, according to ESPN. “That’s it. We’re not playing hard. We’re not playing as hard as we know we can. When you play hard, great things happen. And right now, it just hasn’t been consistent, our play. So like I said, we’re going to continue to watch film and learn from our mistakes and get better.”
Jaylen Brown recently showed his frustration with the Celtics
The Boston Celtics haven’t had a whole lot of success as a team this season. Jaylen Brown, however, has been one of the strong points in Boston. Brown, in his fifth season with the team, is having his best season. After being the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Brown is averaging a career-high 25.5 points per game in the 28 games he’s played.
Brown has teamed with Jayson Tatum to form one of the most talented one-two punches among young NBA teammates. Despite Brown and Tatum, who is averaging 26 points per game, the team has been inconsistent. Brown appeared frustrated after an ugly loss to the Washington Wizards last week.
After the Celtics fell in Washington, losing to the lowly Wizards 104-91 last Sunday, frustration appeared to set in with Brown. Brown was asked how he felt about the team’s ball movement during the game. The Celtics appeared content on just jacking up 3-pointers. After a lengthy pause, Brown could only come up with “no comment.”
Danny Ainge pulls no punches about the state of the Celtics
During a radio appearance on Boston’s 98.5’s Toucher and Rich on Thursday, Danny Ainge didn’t hold back when asked about his thoughts on the state of the team. He was asked if he thought the team was a championship team. “I do not,” Ainge quipped, according to Boston.com. This came on the heels of a previous interview a few days earlier when Ainge said he is the man at fault.
Not only did Ainge think his team wasn’t ready to compete for a title, he continued to take the blame. In the earlier interview, he stressed not to blame coach Brad Stevens. Ainge said Jaylen Brown nor Jayson Tatum were to blame. On Thursday, he was very blunt as to what he believed the problem was. He said his roster stunk.
“Our roster obviously is not good. I mean, we are a 14-14 team,” Ainge said. “There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. That’s who we are. This team, where we are, 14-14 (now 15-15), if there’s somebody to blame, this is Danny Ainge to blame. This is not Brad Stevens. It’s not Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. It’s not good enough right now. And we all know that. And, you know, we need to get better.”
