ESPN

An old friend won a big award for his efforts in revitalizing another franchise:

Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird was voted the NBA's Executive of the Year on Wednesday, becoming the first person to win that award, plus the MVP and Coach of the Year honors. The Pacers went 42-24 and are tied 1-1 with Miami in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Bird's moves to strengthen the team during the offseason included promoting Frank Vogel from interim to head coach and signing starting forward David West.

Bird's connection to Boston is kind of obvious, but remember, too, that Vogel was Boston's one-time video coordinator and the Pacers landed West only after the Celtics' failed attempt to facilitate a preseason deal with New Orleans in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge finished with one third-place vote, which landed him in a six-way tie for 14th place. Did Ainge deserve better considering the rash of injuries Boston endured this season and the way the team surged later in the year with help from the likes of Mickael Pietrus, Greg Stiemsma, and Brandon Bass? Sound off in the comments.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Thursday night that he worked on deals of all varieties -- big and small; for now and for the future -- but ultimately couldn't hammer out a swap that made sense for Boston and its potential trade partner(s) before the NBA's 3 p.m. deadline passed.

"I guess what prevented any trade was making at least two teams in a deal happy, or satisfied that a deal was worthwhile," said Ainge. "But as late as 2:57, there was still trades that were possible and being negotiated. We were close to handful of different types of trades -- small to bigger -- that just couldn’t be resolved. That happens often."

Asked later if he approached the deadline as a buyer or a seller, Ainge added, "I was looking at both opportunities, to strengthen our team for the playoff run this year and/or build some chips and some assets for future. We actually had a lot of conversation on both sides, but nothing seemed good enough to do."

Ainge acknowledged the lingering need to add a big man and said the team will move slowly with an eye on who becomes available via buyouts over the next eight days before the waiver deadline for playoff eligibility.

"We do need to add a big man," said Ainge. "We’re waiting to find the best big man available. And we’ll be a little bit patient on that, and see who is available."

As for buyouts on the Boston side, a possible scenario with both Chris Wilcox and Jermaine O'Neal, Ainge said he will know more soon.

"We haven’t gotten there yet," he said. "That is a possibility, but I haven’t addressed that with any of our players yet."

Ainge said he is scheduled to meet with O'Neal on Friday. The veteran center has missed the last 11 games after aggravating a long-standing left wrist injury. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Thursday in San Francisco that he didn't expect O'Neal to be back with the team this season.

"I’m actually going to meet with [O'Neal on Friday]," said Ainge. "I've just have been swamped the last few days since I got back from L.A. ... [O'Neal is] actually working out here [at the team's practice facility in Waltham]. I have an appointment with him tomorrow."

And does Ainge expect a resolution?

"I don’t know. Good question, I don’t know what’s going to come from that meeting," he said.

LOS ANGELES -- Three days before the NBA trade deadline, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Monday night that all is quiet at the moment, but acknowledged that the team will likely be seeking another big body and stressed that the addition might not necessarily come via a trade.

Ainge said there remains uncertainty surrounding centers Jermaine O'Neal (left wrist) and Chris Wilcox (cardiac issue) and that he will head back to Boston on Tuesday to find out more about their long-term prognosis. He seemed to acknowledge the potential that both players could miss the rest of the season, but said that determination won't be made until later this week when he meets with both players and team doctors.

But Boston is certainly examining the market for a center.

"We need another big body at some point," Ainge said. "Depending on the [medical] results, if Chris and Jermaine can play, that changes things, then we don’t need any more bigs."

But Ainge kept coming back to needing another big, which seems to hint to a likelihood that at least one -- or both players -- will not be back this season. Even so, Ainge said the need for another center does not necessarily mean the team will make a deal before Thursday's deadline.

"I don’t feel like we have to do anything, other than we eventually have to get another big body," Ainge said. "But I don’t think you have to make a trade at all."

If the Celtics can't find a deal that brings back a proven big man -- and doesn't sacrifice future financial flexibility -- the team could examine other options to clear roster space, including releasing (or buying out) a player on its currently maxed-out 15-man roster. The Celtics then would have the ability to add a big man, either another buyout player or a free agent, maybe one toiling in the D-League in order to fill the void up front. But clearly the preference is to add an impact big man as opposed to someone to give the team emergency size.

Ainge said that if rookie center Greg Stiemsma, who is battling a right foot ailment but gutting through with the team in need of minutes up front, continues to show he can be serviceable at backup center, it also takes some of the urgency off finding a big man. But it's clear the team is in pursuit of a big to bolster the roster entering the stretch run.

As for the medical uncertainty making his job harder at the deadline, Ainge said he was more concerned about the others around the team.

"It makes [Kevin Garnett's] and Brandon [Bass'] job harder, and [coach] Doc [Rivers'] job harder," Ainge said. "We have to play different obviously, we’re [potentially] losing our two centers that have started for us this year. We’ll have to find a way to win other ways."

As for the potential for trade activity, Ainge suggested nothing is imminent -- big or small -- with the Celtics.

"There’s nothing going on right now, but we’ll see," he said. "There’s always a lot of calls. That's no different than usual, you get calls a lot. That doesn’t always translate into any results."

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge called Rajon Rondo the team's "best player" and reaffirmed on Thursday that he's not actively trying to trade his 26-year-old point guard.

During his weekly call to Boston sports radio WEEI (93.7 FM), Ainge acknowledged the out-of-control nature of trade season and the rumors spawned at this time of the year. But Ainge took umbrage with the idea that the team would even consider shopping Rondo.

"He's our best player, he's the most important part of our future," said Ainge. "There's no way we're actively trying to trade Rondo. That make no sense, no logical sense."

Ainge went on to note that another team could always bowl over the Celtics with an offer to obtain Rondo's services and admitted he couldn't turn down one that made the Celtics better, but concluded, 'I've made zero calls to try to trade him, and I won't."

A handful of Ainge quotes of note from the call that focused almost exclusively on Rondo and the rumors:

* On communicating with Rondo after new rumors: "I talk with Rondo regularly, as [coach] Doc [Rivers] does, so we have continual conversations. I have conversations with them often, so I don’t run to him every time there’s something being said or something being done. But I’m very confident that Rondo knows what I think of him, what I feel about him as a player and how important he is to our team. I feel like Rondo is making incredible strides as a player, as a leader, as a teammate, and as a player in every way -- offense and defense -- it’s almost as silly to me as when the Patriots lose two games and people want to blame Tom Brady. When you’re the best player on a team that’s not living up to your expectations, you’re a hot topic."

(Read full post)

Let's take a moment to honor Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. For what? We'll let Grantland's Bill Simmons fill you in:

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made his routine in-season appearance on sports radio WEEI's The Big Show on Thursday afternoon. Here's a handful of highlights from the 13-minute interview (listen HERE):

Ainge: I was not trying to trade Rajon Rondo: Ainge tried to avoid rehashing the offseason trade talks involving Rajon Rondo, but did stress that he never shopped Rondo and insisted his name came up only as the Celtics pursued an available impact player in Chris Paul.

"I sat down with Rondo when he got back into town, when the lockout ended, and I just told him the truth of what was going on. And that was it," said Ainge. "I've had conversations since -- I told him exactly what was happening...

"There are stories that come out later that try to dispute what I said [about not trying to trade Rondo at a season-opening] press conference, but I stand by that. I was not trying to trade Rajon Rondo. There's a big difference between trying to acquire a player and trying to trade a player. I know that some people say, 'Oh, that's just semantics.' No it's not. Rondo knows what I was trying to do, and he knows I wasn't shopping him around and trying to trade him, like has been reported. There's a big difference."

Ainge likes what he's seen from Rondo this season, but downplayed the idea of the feisty point guard using trade chatter as motivation.

"Rondo is just maturing right before our eyes -- he's just incrementally understanding the NBA, and the whole process," said Ainge. "I'm sure that -- as we all are brought to that conclusion at some point -- we really are in a business. You can't get emotional, and then get your feelings hurt. Rondo should take these [trade] conversations that we had this summer as a compliment to who he is as a player. I don't think he uses it as a major motivation. I think he was very motivated. We had received reports all summer how hard he was working this offseason. He showed up in great shape and he came out of the gates playing fantastic basketball for us. He had a great training camp and he has the right mindset when he goes out there on the court."

Pietrus debut on Jan. 11 vs. Dallas?: Ainge cautiously pegged next Wednesday's visit from the Dallas Mavericks as the earliest possible date that veteran Mickael Pietrus could debut with the Celtics. The 29-year-old swingman signed on Christmas Eve, but said he needed another two weeks to rehab his right knee after offseason surgery. "I'm not certain on that, as far as that's going to be the day [Pietrus debuts]," cautioned Ainge. "I haven't even heard the report of how he did today and how much he practiced today."

(Read full post)

Editor’s note: From Dec. 12-23, we’ll count down to the Celtics’ Christmas matchup with the Knicks (Dec. 25 at 12 p.m. ET) by hitting on 12 big topics facing the Green this season.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- When Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was asked at the start of the month what the team's priority was in a soon-to-be-frenzied, post-lockout offseason, he quickly noted, "We need size."

Talk about stating the obvious. The team arrived at camp with only two legitimate centers -- veteran Jermaine O'Neal, who had missed 58 games last season, and D-League standout Greg Stiemsma, an invite untested at the NBA level. Surely, the Celtics needed to add at least one more center to the mix, right?

Boston moved quick to sign Chris Wilcox with its taxpayer mid-level exception ($3 million), then traded for Brandon Bass, stockpiling a power forward position that already included Kevin Garnett and first-round draft choice JaJuan Johnson.

Last week, with the season rapidly approaching, Ainge was asked if the team had enough size to enter the 2011-12 campaign.

"Absolutely, we have enough size," he said. "For sure."

Really? Enough size in the post?

"Take a look out there," Ainge said pointing to the players on the floor behind reporters. "We've got a lot of size."

But guys that can bang underneath?

"We have guys that can bang underneath, too," said Ainge.

Barring a last-minute move, something that you certainly can't rule out as teams start finalizing rosters, the Celtics are poised to go with a potential O'Neal-Stiemsma combo to start the season. One year after a lack of depth at center spot burnt the team a bit when the O'Neal brothers -- Jermaine and Shaquille -- limped through the 2010-11 campaign, Boston appears willing to roll the dice in what's become a bit of a center-free league (save for select locations like Orlando and Los Angeles).

"Obviously, we have flaws," said Rivers. "We’d love to grow a little bit, but we’re not. I think they’re done. Their growth spurts are all over with at this point -- at least upward... I like our team. We’re always going to look to improve if we can. Right now this is who we are."

Earlier in the offseason, Rivers seemed indifferent about needing another center.

"We do, we don't," Rivers said. "If we don't have one, I'm not that upset by it. I'll always take one, so if you can find one for me, please help out. I just think if we have enough 4s that can play both [big-man spots] and if we have enough fouls, we can get away with it."

A breakdown of what Boston currently has on its roster for centers:

Jermaine O'Neal

2010-11 stats: 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
2011-12 outlook: Rivers dubbed O'Neal the training camp MVP and he's looked solid in the small glimpses we've seen this preseason. The question, of course, is whether he can stand up to the rigors of a condensed, 66-game season. He's got a chronically bad knee and a iffy wrist that he elected to skip surgery on this summer. Even still, O'Neal said last week that he wants to play 85 to 90 percent of the team's games this season. He's adamant about staying healthy and he clearly put in the work hoping to ensure that happens. O'Neal talked about taking heightened reps during camp and Rivers has raved about his comfort level at both ends of the court with a year in the system. O'Neal even let potential trade rumors bounce right off of him when the team nearly dealt him away to land David West. If O'Neal stays healthy -- a monster if -- he could be very important to the team's success.

Greg Stiemsma

2011 stats: 9.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.5 blocks (four games in D-League this year)
2011-12 outlook: Stiemsma could still get bumped if the Celtics could hook a serviceable veteran, but he's also intriguing enough to stick around (a bit like Chris Johnson, who the team begrudgingly released in March in order to add point guard depth). Stiemsma's a bit like Semih Erden, young and unpolished, but could be thrust right into the fire due to the lack of bigs on the roster. Stiemsma can defend the basket and post blocks in bulk, it's his strongest asset. Offensively, don't expect much. Rivers noted he's got a solid little elbow jumper, but he's gotta build some confidence to take it (especially since he won't give you much beyond tip-ins around the basket until he develops that aspect of his game). If it comes down to rolling the dice with a veteran that could break down, it might be better to roll with Stiemsma. Much like Erden last season, he might be needed to pull this team through when injuries crop up.

Other options

Newcomers Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox both seem open to the idea of shuffling up to the center spot if called upon. Bass could fill a Glen Davis-like role as first man off the bench with the team utilizing him at both the 4 and 5 (depending on where they want to shuffle Garnett). Both guys are undersized, but they're also athletic and gritty, which might allow them to mask any height deficiency. Expect the Celtics to keep a close eye on what's available. Size doesn't come cheap and the Celtics don't have anything beyond a minimum contract to offer a free agent, so they're going to need someone to take a discount in order to add experienced size at that position. Expect to see Kevin Garnett play a healthy dose of center this season, allowing Boston to use Bass, Wilcox, and Johnson alongside him at times. With a lack of pure centers across the league, the Celtics can mask their own lack of depth at the spot by utilizing their other big bodies to fill the floor.

Editor’s note: From Dec. 12-23, we’ll countdown to the Celtics’ Christmas matchup with the Knicks (Dec. 25 at 12 p.m. ET) by hitting on 12 big topics facing the Green this season.

BOSTON -- During his introduction as a member of the Celtics last summer, future Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal was asked what convinced him to sign in Boston for the veteran’s minimum. Was it the 17 banners hanging above him and the franchise’s rich tradition? Or the four current All-Stars and the team’s title potential moving forward?

Shaq pondered the question a moment before noting, “His name is Doc Rivers."

With Phil Jackson riding off into the NBA sunset last season, you can make the case that 50-year-old Rivers is now the preeminent coach in the league. After guiding the Celtics back to respectability, highlighted by the franchise’s first world title in 22 years, Rivers has ascended to the throne of elite bench boss based on sustained success in recent seasons.

The Celtics proved that by inking him to a five-year, $35 million contract in May. A downright giddy Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, noted at the time, “The most important thing is that we have a really good coach for years to come. That’s exciting."

Few could have envisioned this back during the 2006-07 campaign when fans chanted "Fi-re Doc! Fi-re Doc!" as Boston won a mere 24 contests that season, limping through a franchise-worst 18-game losing streak at one point.

Ainge never lost faith in Rivers and he was rewarded that following season, aided in large party by a roster overhaul that united the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.

Sure, winning goes a long way towards improving public perception of a coach. Bill Belichick was no gridiron genius in Cleveland. But it’s impossible to understate just how much Rivers’ players think of him.

Asked after the Celtics’ season ended in Miami last season what it would be like to move forward without Rivers, point guard Rajon Rondo glumly noted, “I don't even want to imagine.”

Fortunately for Rondo and Co., they won’t have to image a Rivers-less bench. Despite lingering speculation each of the past two seasons that he would walk away to spend more time with his family, Rivers raised eyebrows when he agreed to the five-year extension just days after Boston’s playoff exit in May.

Entrenched, Rivers now commands even more respect from his players as a long-term fixture at the end of the bench. Not that that was a problem before. Garnett has often noted he’d run through a wall if Rivers asked him to, which shows you the type of pull he has with his veterans.

(Read full post)

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge expressed satisfaction in the roster his staff has put together despite strict financial limitations, but was noncommittal when asked if he had completed the roster-building process with the 2011-12 season now less than two weeks away from tipping off.

"We knew coming into the summer that we had limited resources and it’s proven to be very challenging," said Ainge. "It's been a chaotic week. There’s been a lot of time put in, but we’re still trying to build our roster. But we liked the guys that we’ve signed and the team that we have."

How close is he to finalizing the Celtics' roster?

"I don’t know the answer to that," he said. "We only make moves if we think they fit our parameters. We may be done. But we may not be."

Pressed if the team needed another big, Ainge noted, "Yeah, probably so. That would be nice. And not just big, but somebody who can play and is big."

Ainge shed a little more light on the Celtics' roster situation noting that the team used its full tax-payer mid-level exception ($3 million) to ink Chris Wilcox at the start of free agency last week. He also confirmed that Sasha Pavlovic's one-year, minimum deal is fully guaranteed. That means that, outside of trades, the team is limited to minimum contract signings and space is quickly filling up without having to eat a contract in order to add another body.

Ainge passed on the opportunity to discuss free agent David West signing with the Pacers. Boston reportedly had a sign-and-trade agreement in place with New Orleans involving Jermaine O'Neal before the deal fell apart and West signed a two-year, $20 million contract in Indiana.

The Celtics did a nice job not committing to longer-term deals this offseason. Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and JaJuan Johnson are the only players with guaranteed deals beyond this year. Newly signed Brandon Bass has a player option, while rookie E'Twaun Moore has a team option in his second season. The remainder of the team is on one-year pacts, allowing the team financial flexibility this summer.

Even still, the Celtics have committed roughly $85.6 million to 14 contracts and are on pace to pay a hefty luxury tax bill (teams must pay dollar for dollar over the roughly $70 million threshold).

A glimpse at the start of today's press conference featuring Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and head coach Doc Rivers:

WESTON, Mass. -- Doc Rivers has no idea when, or if, the 2011-12 NBA season is going to start. But when, or if, it does, the Celtics' coach already has one potential migraine.

His roster.

It's not who's on it. He's down with that. It's who is not on it.

Right now, with no season in sight, at least any time soon, the Celtics' roster boasts seven names: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Jermaine O'Neal, Avery Bradley and Jeff Green. You could add an eighth by including No. 1 draft pick JaJuan Johnson, but he is not officially signed.

"We've got seven signed players," Rivers said Monday while attending the team's annual golf tournament benefitting the Shamrock Foundation at the Weston Golf Club. He said that was a concern.

So, depending on what happens to roster sizes when the league ends the lockout, the Celtics are looking at anywhere from six to eight players to add in what could well be a short, and frenzied, stretch of free agency. A couple of guys who would appear to be on their short list: Glen Davis and Delonte West, both of whom are free agents and played important roles for Boston last season (when healthy).

Whoever does fill out the roster will be joining a veteran team with a very short window to contend for a championship (assuming it is this season at some point) and, for the third year in a row, a new person in charge of the club's defensive schemes.

For three years, Tom Thibodeau was Rivers' defensive coordinator, if you will, a role that was inherited last season by Lawrence Frank after Thibodeau left to coach the Chicago Bulls. Frank has also left, taking the head coaching position with the Detroit Pistons, leaving Mike Longabardi, who joined the Celtics in 2007, as the team's new defensive mind.

(Read full post)

WALTHAM -- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers held a pre-draft media session Wednesday afternoon at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint. While tempering expectations, the pair did express optimism in finding players that can help the Celtics next season and beyond, but admitted it's a challenge drafting where they are (picks No. 25 and 55) in what's been universally declared a "weak" draft.

"When you’re drafting where we’re drafting, I’m not trying to put a negative spin on this, I’m trying to be realistic, the 25th pick in the draft is probably not going to help us immediately," said Ainge. "But there are some players that we think can fit our roster, fit into the personality of our team and have a work ethic that can make our team better in practice and add depth to our roster."

Ainge did make one thing clear: The Celtics are not entertaining the idea of trading one of next year's first-round picks, particularly the protected pick obtained from the Oklahoma City Thunder (via the Los Angeles Clippers) in the Kendrick Perkins trade, in order to move up in this year's draft.

"We don’t want to move next year’s pick to get into this year’s draft," said Ainge. "Because the picks we have aren’t good enough to get to the very very top of the draft and we think next year’s draft will be better."

Ainge waited a beat before quipping, "Austin Rivers is in next year’s draft," with the Duke-bound high school phenom's father standing next to him. Ainge, who once got fined by the NBA for sitting next to Kevin Durant's mother at a University of Texas game, emphasized that he was joking. "Wait a minute, I can’t say that."

Read on for other highlights, much of it non-draft related, from a 20-minute Q&A session, or hop HERE to view the news story.

(Read full post)

With the 25th and 55th overall selections in the 2011 NBA Draft, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and his staff have been working for weeks assessing the talent that could potentially be available to them. The Celtics held their first pre-draft workout on Wednesday (a power forward-heavy event) at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint -- the latest opportunity for Ainge and Co. to narrow the field of potential draftees.

During his time as the man in charge of the identifying young talent for the Celtics, Ainge has put together a handful of strong drafts, selecting the likes of Al Jefferson, Delonte West, and Rajon Rondo. He's also never been afraid of draft day moves like the ones that saw the C's acquire the likes of Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff in 2006 or Ray Allen in 2007. Here's a look back at five of Ainge's most successful drafts, in chronological order, during his time as Celtics president of basketball operations.

After you read about the top drafts, leave a note in the comments with which draft you think was the best of the bunch.

2004: Celtics draft Jefferson, West, Allen, and Reed

It's rare for a general manager to pick up a franchise cornerstone as well as two legitimate role players in the same draft, but Ainge was on his game seven years ago when he selected a scrawny kid named Al Jefferson out of Prentiss High School in Mississippi with the 15th overall pick, as well as Delonte West out of St. Joseph's and Tony Allen out of Oklahoma State. Jefferson was regarded as an offensive wonder after averaging over 45 points per game during his senior year of high school, and he turned out to be an old school low post scorer with a steady array of jump hooks, upfakes, and up-and-unders. Jefferson was pegged as the Celtics' big man of the future, before becoming the centerpiece of Boston's package for Kevin Garnett in 2007. Today Jefferson's still on the All-Star bubble as a member of the Utah Jazz, which recently lost its longstanding stability when long-time coach Jerry Sloan retired and All-Star point guard Deron Williams was traded. West's gritty playing style was adored by Boston fans immediately, while the super-athletic Allen showed signs of promise, but always seemed to be hampered by knee injuries. Both have proven they can be consistent contributors on playoff teams with championship aspirations. Allen's one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the league playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (Ainge regrets not doing more to re-sign him as a free agent last summer), while West made a couple stops before coming back to Boston last September as a free agent, and was one of the Celtics' most consistent contributors in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat.

(Read full post)

With all this hubbub about finger biting in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs (Vancouver forward Alex Burrows, whom Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron accused of biting Bergeron's left index finger in Game 1 of the finals, will not be suspended for his actions), it seemed like a good time to find the YouTube clip of the 1983 playoff game in which Atlanta's Tree Rollins bit Boston's Danny Ainge. The incident, now affectionately referred to as "Tree Bites Man" from the stellar Boston Herald headline the next day, resulted in a five-game suspension for Rollins.

Over the past few weeks, we took a player-by-player look at the Celtics' 2010-11 roster and how each player's (or, in this case, general manager's) season unfolded, assigning a grade for their overall performance. This is the 16th and final entry in the series of report cards:

President of basketball operations: Danny Ainge

Season in a paragraph: Rarely was their a dull moment for Ainge during the 2010-11 season as he made 11 offseason signings while reassembling and revamping the Celtics' roster after a Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's NBA Finals. Despite preaching a love for the team's 15-man roster coming out of training camp and through the early portion of the season, injuries and inconsistent bench play forced Ainge to overhaul 1/3 of Boston's roster at the trade deadline and that left him under heavy scrutiny when the Celtics bowed in the second round of the 2011 playoffs.

Season highlight: With some general managers throwing around foolish money at the start of free agency last summer, Ainge quietly (and quickly) retained coach Doc Rivers on a one-year deal; got Paul Pierce to sign a team-friendly, four-year deal after opting out of the final cap-unfriendly year of his previous deal; and enticed Ray Allen to ink a two-year, $20 million deal. That put the core back together and Ainge built from there, signing Jermaine O'Neal at the mid-level exception, then inking Delonte West and Shaquille O'Neal at bargain-basement veteran minimum deals. The maneuvering gave Boston -- when healthy -- the deepest 15-man roster in basketball.

Season lowlight: You can debate the Kendrick Perkins trade until you're blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is the jury will long be out on winners and losers in the swap that brought Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, and a future first-round pick to Boston (much of it will depend on whether the C's can retain Green and Krstic, and how that first-round pick is utilized). The lowlight of Ainge's season was more likely a Semih Erden/Luke Harangody deal, the rookies shipped to Cleveland for a future second-round pick. Time will tell if Erden and Harangody will develop into solid NBA role players (Erden sure showed potential), but the three players that Boston obtained with its late-season roster space -- Troy Murphy, Carlos Arroyo, and Sasha Pavlovic, contributed next to nothing down the stretch and are unlikely to be back in Boston (while Erden and Harangody had second years on their rookie deals).

Final grade: B+

Teacher's notes: (Ducks and covers) OK, we know this won't be a popular grade among those that think Ainge's maneuvering was the single biggest reason why the Celtics didn't win a world title (And, yes, you can make the case that the team put way too much faith in an ailing 39-year-old center, but it was ultimately health that was the biggest detriment to that title quest, whether it be in regards to Marquis Daniels, Rajon Rondo, or Shaq). Ainge had a rather brilliant offseason making 11 signings. His only errors: Not making Tony Allen more of a priority (even though there's no guarantee he would have been back) and you can make the case that Jermaine O'Neal didn't deserve the full mid-level (though, if he had been healthy throughout the 2010-11 campaign, he certainly might have justified the loftier price tag). Let's remember with the Perkins trade that 1) Boston was desperate for some wing depth with the prospects of playing the likes of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in the postseason and 2) Perkins was almost certainly going to walk away as an unrestricted free agent at season's end (Boston didn't have the cap room necessary to retain him). Ainge has never been shy about making a bold move and did what he thought would put the Celtics in the best position now (Green solidifying the wing better than a scrapheap pickup could have) and the future (Boston envisions Green as a potential building block in the overhaul that awaits after the 2011-12 season).

What's next?: Ainge faces maybe his most daunting offseason yet. Not only must he supplement an aging core with limited resources, he can't even be sure just how limited those resources will be with players and owners still working on the next collective bargaining agreement, a process that is likely to put the free-agent period on hold if/when there's a lockout come July 1. Ainge will have the Nos. 25 and 55 picks in June's draft to work with and while it's unlikely he'll find immediate impact players at those spots, he might be able to find role players that fit the team's desire to get younger and more athletic.

Honor roll: Click HERE to read past report cards.

Don't agree with teacher? Just want to sound off on Ainge's 2010-11 season? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.