Opinion: Is this the end of the road for Danny Ainge after Celtics' disappointing season?
No matter how many times Danny Ainge was asked this season, the Boston Celtics' president of basketball operations made it clear that Brad Stevens’ coaching was not the reason for the team's disappointing season.
So if it wasn’t coaching, that leaves two possibilities.
When pressed, Ainge suggested injuries and COVID-19 had an impact on Boston’s 36-36 season that ended in a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series loss to Brooklyn in five games on Tuesday.
“It’s not the way we envisioned this season going,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said.
Jaylen Brown missed the end of the regular season and playoffs with a wrist injury. Kemba Walker missed the start of the regular season, played in just 43 of 72 games and a knee injury sidelined him for the final two games of the playoffs. And Tatum was bothered by lingering after-effects of COVID-19 for much of the season.
“I’m sure under perfect circumstances — no COVID and no injuries — our season looks a lot different,” Tatum said.
Stevens had a forthright answer
“You take everything into account, but the reality is all 30 teams were dealing with that — obviously not the major injury like Jaylen’s — so I would say objectively, we have to get better,” he said. “There’s ways to do that. But when you talk about being in the mix, that’s where we want to be.”
Stevens listed the ways to improve — through internal development, trades and free agency. The development part is on Stevens and his staff.
The other two areas? That’s on Ainge. If he's around. On Wednesday morning, 12 hours after the Celtics lost, ESPN reported Ainge is considering stepping down.
The East is loaded at the top with Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Milwaukee. Miami had a down year after reaching last season’s Finals. New York and Atlanta seem to be on the rise.
Where does Boston fit in? Have they been left out?
This offseason requires deep introspection for the front office, and who is on the roster next season starts with Ainge. He defended Stevens and pointed to health reasons. It’s his job to give Stevens the roster that can compete with upper echelon of the East. The status quo isn’t the answer.
"We have enough information that shows we need to get better," Stevens said.
Having Tatum, Brown and Walker — when he's healthy — puts Ainge in an advantageous situation. Players should want to play on the same team as those three, especially with Tatum's growth and trajectory as a superstar.
Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard, Carsen Edwards, Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, Grant Williams, Robert Williams and Tristan Thompson are under contract for next season. Evan Fournier, Luke Kornet and Semi Ojeleye are unrestricted free agents, and Tacko Fall is a restricted free agent.
Can Ainge deliver? He can’t squander these years with Tatum, 23, and Brown, 24.
After the game, Thompson, who won a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers, said of Tatum: “One day he’ll be holding an MVP trophy. That’s his potential. He could be one of the best in our game. If you ask LeBron (James) and the older guys, I think Jayson Tatum is a good person to pass the torch to and the league is in good hands.”
Tatum is in a position of power. At his age, he’s figuring out how best to use it. His new five-year deal begins next season, giving him a chance to influence the roster — if he wants to have that discussion with Ainge. It doesn’t sound like he does. At least not right now.
“I’m sure that I could make suggestions,” Tatum said. “I kind of feel like everybody has their job, and my job is to show up and play basketball, not to suggest trades or who to bring in, who to let go and things like that. It’s not what I do.”
It would be wise, though, for Ainge to get Tatum’s input on the direction of the team.
There will be pressure on the Celtics by the time the 2021-22 season starts. But before that, the pressure is on Ainge.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After disappointing Celtics' season, is the end near for Danny Ainge?
