Ainge still scoring for Suns
Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 31, 2007 12:00 AM
We've decided that Danny Aingehas taken the same philosophy he had as a player to the front office of the Boston Celtics:
Keep firing, and eventually something will go through.
And it appears after all his errant attempts to fix the Celtics, he finally might have connected on a Kevin Garnetttrade.
Reports were rampant that the Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves have reached terms on a deal that will send Garnett to Boston for a package that will include at least five players - including forward Al Jefferson- and a first-round draft pick.
Earlier, talks between the two clubs had fallen apart reportedly because Garnett has an option out of his contract after next season and wasn't especially interested in playing for the Celtics.
Then Ainge landed Ray Allenin a trade with Seattle.
So the idea of joining Allen and Paul Piercein the watered-down Eastern Conference must have appealed to the Big Ticket.
The deal is expected to be accompanied by an announcement that Garnett has agreed to a contract extension with the Celtics.
Now, if you were in the camp that thought that the Suns would be crazy to change their core to acquire Garnett, you are celebrating.
And if you were in the camp that thought that the Suns ought to do whatever it took to get Garnett, you should still be celebrating.
That's because if the Suns weren't going to get him, they sure didn't want him falling into the hands of the Lakers, Warriors or - heaven forbid - Dallas Mavericks.
Our spies tell us that was exactly what the Suns were worried about, and Dallas was a much bigger concern than anybody realized.
There is a downside, however. The Mavericks might still be in the market for yet another big man.
Or they just might feel compelled to make certain that the Suns - having jettisoned Kurt Thomasfor luxury-tax relief - do not replace him with anybody of quality.
Either way, they could submarine the Suns' effort to sign free agentP.J. Brown. At the right price, he would make a nice replacement for Thomas.
But with Dallas out of the Garnett picture, the Mavericks might feel inclined to overpay for Brown.
We don't know where that would leave the Suns, other than continuing a search for "a big man" that has lasted nearly four decades.
Anyway, since draft night, the Celtics have gone from a lottery team overloaded with young players that nobody in Boston cared about to a club with three aging but very talented stars that should contend in the Eastern Conference.
Suddenly, the Celtics are relevant again.
And to think Ainge bamboozled his old Celtics buddy Kevin McHaleto do it.
As Ainge liked to say when he was hoisting three-pointers for the Suns:
"Conscience of a rattlesnake."
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