Just Out of Ainge
Is it weird to say I’ll miss an NBA GM?
Well, that’s what I’m prepared to do. On Wednesday, it was announced that Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, would be resigning immediately. Apparently, the move was in the works for some time and did not come as a surprise to many within the organization.
Ainge is pretty much the only GM my favorite team has known during my entire fanhood. To this day, the things he did in those early years taught me a lot. And not just about sports or how trades and the salary cap work, but also about life.
In a weird way, Ainge taught me about progress and valuing assets. I read about him working other executives to extract just a little bit more in trade negotiations. I saw him acquire seemingly average players and package them for elite talent later. He also knew when to let aging or diminishing players walk and kept contingency plans ready for when things went south.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t apply some of what he did to my personal situation. I thought of myself as the new GM of a terrible team when I returned home from college with almost no money. In the same way that he found value in role players, I found value in old clothes, books, video games and other dated electronics. I sold it all knowing that even just a few dollars here and there could eventually equate to something big. I made a few grand in the process and convinced my friends to do the same. I imagine that’s the mentality that Danny had in trying to construct a champion out of the roster he inherited in 2003.
Perhaps the most amazing part of his tenure, (outside of turning a last place team into a first place one), was the location from which he worked. He didn’t have sunshine, palm trees, nor big celebrity personalities on the sideline to sell his organization. Boston isn’t a glamour market like LA, Miami, or New York, and many idiots out there think it’s the most racist place on the planet. Somehow, through his grit and grind, he convinced a solid list of players and coaches to commit to his team for a long time.
His mentality, is one I grew to respect, admire, then emulate. Even in moments when we feel we have nothing, we must search for positives and turn them into building blocks. I’ll miss reading rumors of Ainge’s trade negotiations and roster reconfiguring. I hope he continues to apply that competitive spirit, maybe in a low stakes setting like cards with friends. Meanwhile, I’ll keep living with the lessons his executive career taught me. Never give up, every move matters, and one day your patience and persistence will pay off.
