Hayward, 30, has a gamer alternative on his agreement that he can either pick to workout (and stay with Boston) or pull out, in which case he d become a free agent.
” Going into the season, we liked our bench,” Ainge continued. “We were constantly going to have three of five primary players on the court at all times. We were going to play the center by committee, and so we liked our core gamers opposite them. But since we had injuries with Kemba and Gordon, and [ Romeo], that harmed us. Which exposed our bench a little bit at that point.”
” Its a good question, I dont know the response to that,” Ainge confessed. “The league is trying to find out when complimentary firm starts, we do not understand for sure. We think we have a respectable idea of when the draft is going to be, however its not set in stone either.”
Asked when the group may have a concept about when Hayward would choose the alternative, Ainge stated the extraordinary offseason timing– due to COVID-19– suggests Boston is unsure.
Ainge, who likewise conducted a season-ending press conference soon after his radio interview, cited group injuries as part of the problem.
” The bottom line is Im not going to get too stressed out about it,” Ainge explained. “We for sure were not 100 percent. We have guys banged up.”
With the Celtics 2019-2020 season officially closed, Ainge thinks the league is worthy of credit for putting together a bubble system that held together.
” I didnt think last nights video game was fantastic,” Ainge included of Wednesdays clash between the Lakers and Heat. “Im not exactly sure which was worse in between last nights game and the governmental argument from the night before.”
” I think the league has done an amazing job. I believe the product has been great,” he summed up. Still, he wasnt a fan of the first game of the NBA Finals.
Throughout the radio interview, Ainge praised Gordon Hayward for standing firm in spite of his own injury.
” He actually wished to help our team, but you could tell that he was not the player that he had actually been most of the year,” Ainge said of Hayward. “He had an excellent season.”
He is a good gamer, and I understand that nobody understands that yet in Boston. The two video games that we played versus Miami that we won, we scored 56 points in the paint in the last three quarters and we scored 60 points in the paint in another one. He didnt even get a chance to reveal much of that this year.”
Following the Celtics loss to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge got on 98.5 The Sports Centers “Toucher & & Rich” for his last weekly interview of the season.
” I think that we felt it was a series that we should win,” Ainge added. “I think in hindsight, we still take a look at it as a series that we mustve won, and mightve won, without disrespecting Miami because they were playing truly well, and they were all healthy, and fresh. There are a great deal of factors, you can go back and attempt to figure it out, but I think that we didnt play well down the stretch in games, and that had actually been something that we d done all year and throughout the playoffs.”
” First and primary is health,” Ainge stated, though he concurred with Washburns take. “I believe its a reasonable evaluation. I think part of the factor we didnt have different players on the bench was, firstly, we worked really diligently to update our bench going into the playoffs, however the cost was too expensive or they were silly acquisitions where we werent even sure they were that much better.
” Were in a respectable place,” Ainge stated on Thursday of the groups position looking ahead. “But yeah that was a difficult loss, no doubt about it. It was not good, not great play in that series because it was so appealing in those first two series. We couldve played much better in that last series.”
” It is strange, no question,” Ainge said of the offseason.
In his interview, Ainge said that guard Kemba Walker was “absolutely not himself,” and had been playing hurt.
Ainge was similarly positive about the future as he was dissatisfied with the loss to Miami over 6 games.
Asked about it the absence of a midseason addition, Ainge noted that injuries hurt the teams depth.
One review of Boston in the playoffs was an absence of depth. Boston Globe Celtics beat author Gary Washburn faulted Ainge for not including to the teams bench during the season.
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” Were in a quite great location,” Ainge said on Thursday of the groups position looking ahead.” I think that we felt it was a series that we should win,” Ainge included.” The bottom line is Im not going to get too stressed out about it,” Ainge discussed.” First and foremost is health,” Ainge stated, though he concurred with Washburns take.” Going into the season, we liked our bench,” Ainge continued.
