Last July I mocked my crazy friend Neal in a column for suggesting that Danny Ainge would be interested in re-acquiring Antoine Walker. Last Thursday Neal called me and instructed me to promptly give him “mad props.” Here, I’m doing it, but I just have to say that in Neal’s five or so years as an imaginary NBA general manager, he has traded every player in the league at least twice. Poor guys like Jason Williams, Mark Blount and Brent Barry have been moved so much in his bizarro world that none of them have any idea where they were originally born. Not that Neal has any idea where he is most of the time, either, but that’s an issue for the good people at the Betty Ford Clinic, not me.
Back at the ranch, my point is that Walker’s return to the Fleet or the Golden Palace or, god forbid, the Derek Jeter center, was simply the most ridiculous concept one could ever dream up. Until it happened, that is.
Four paragraphs into my piece on how the Celtics had decided to stand pat and not do any major tinkering at the trading deadline, I got a call from a friend of mine telling me that Walker was, in fact coming back. My head was spinning as I tried to sort out exactly what had happened and a little over two hours later I found myself headed to the Celtics’ training facility for the press conference with Ainge. After writing an article on what had transpired that fateful day, I stumbled into my room and quickly fell asleep, wondering if I had ever really understood Ainge’s so-called “Vision.”
When I awoke the next morning I was a new man, complete with an understanding of Ainge and his plan. And what really shocked me was that I liked a lot of what I saw, not just regarding this trade, but also almost every deal that Ainge has made since coming to town in May of 2003.
First, let’s go into what I like about Ainge for getting this particular transaction done. I probably don’t have to tell you that Danny had to have some major cojones for making this happen. Ainge and Walker had a very public spat when Antoine was traded 17 months ago, with Walker calling Ainge a “snake” and Ainge saying that Walker had an unhealthy “grasp on the franchise.” Ainge had also complained about `Toine’s game when he was an analyst for TNT before taking the Celtics gig, so he had to know that taking the same player back would at least be perceived by some as admitting that he was initially wrong. That the deal went down, even with all these external factors is a credit to Ainge. Honestly, do you want the guy that makes the deal to be worried about the public’s perception or making the right deal?
In terms of the trade itself, this is about as low risk as you can find. Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, the immortal Yogi Stewart and a first round draft pick were sent to Atlanta for the former #8. All three players, like Walker, have expiring contracts at the end of this season and Payton is most likely coming back to play for the green and white. The Celtics will now have a 27 game opportunity to see if Walker’s game does indeed fit into what Coach Doc Rivers is trying to do with this team. If they like what they see, they’ll have the opportunity to sign Walker past this season. After spending time with the NBA’s bottom feeders, the Atlanta Hawks, Walker seems grateful to be back where he started his career and may take the hometown discount for an opportunity to stay a little longer. If not, the Celtics can either use Antoine to orchestrate a sign-and-trade with another team or they can just let him walk, having lost a draft pick, but nothing else.
As for those who are upset that Danny gave up a draft pick, get a hold of yourself. Ainge pointed out that there are already six players on the Celtics’ roster that were drafted in the last two years. He correctly stated that “there is a limit on how many young players you can have,” and the Celtics still have four first-rounders in the next 3 years. I get the feeling the people who complain about giving up the draft pick are the same people that made fun of Ainge for always getting draft picks back for his many moves. Ainge traded Walker to Dallas for Raef LaFrentz, a draft pick that turned out to be Delonte West, Chris Mills’ contract that was later traded for a pick used on Tony Allen, and Jiri Welsch, who was just traded to Cleveland for a 2007 pick. If you’re keeping score at home, that means Antoine was traded for LaFrentz and three draft picks, then re-acquired for just one. Ainge had to have some mighty good foresight to know that `Toine’s value would dip so far so fast. Now Ainge has what he paid for Antoine, and Antoine himself. Good stuff.
However, I think the most important reason of all for this trade is that it tells Paul Pierce that this is his last chance with this team. Ever since Walker was first traded, Pierce has looked unhappy and his play has been generally good, but relatively uninspiring. On Wednesday night before the deadline, Seattle called and offered Ray Allen to the Celtics for Pierce and Gugliotta, and while the C’s declined the Sonics’ offer, it’s clear that the Truth is no longer untouchable. Bringing Walker back is a message to Pierce which says, “You claim you played better with your sidekick around? Well here he is. Now produce, or start packing.” If Walker, who never had any problem telling Pierce off before he left, can’t get Pierce’s head back on straight, then the Celtics braintrust will know that no one can, and that Pierce is not the cornerstone of the franchise.
Of course everyone realizes that the Celtics are a better team this season after making this deal. Are they championship contenders? No, but after being a borderline playoff team for most of this year, they seem destined to make it to the second round, and maybe even steal a few games from the Heat or the Pistons. Walker will help in the short-term and if he stays, he can tutor the likes of Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins as they mature and become the backbone of this team over the next decade. That’s competing while rebuilding, and it’s one of the hardest feats to achieve in the NBA.
That’s just one of the many reasons that this trade, a trade which, on the surface, could only be concocted by my crazy friend Neal, makes so much sense.