Ainge’s roll of the dice may pay off

Boston Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge laid his cards on the table Thursday night in Boston following his team’s draft and trade selections.

“They have no excuses, this team out there,” he said.

Well, Danny. Maybe they do – you.

First of all, nobody associated with the storied franchise should refer to his team as “they.” Obviously referring to recent comments made by Paul Pierce about his – Pierce’s – hoped-for future for the Green, Ainge did the absolute worst thing that a front office guy could do in the face of player criticism of the direction of the team: He responded in the media. Let’s face it. If anyone in Boston is under fire, it’s Ainge. It’s certainly not Pierce.

A careful evaluation of draft day 2007 will shed a bit more light on the proceedings and give some insight into where the Celtics are headed.

As a former NBA talent scout, I’d venture a guess that the Men in Green are on the cusp of one more major move. Yes, you read that correctly.

Here’s why.

In this day and age, appeasing superstars, regardless of their salaries, is more than half the battle. Yes, that is a sad matter of fact. Sad but true.

Now, in Beantown, Ainge, who whines a little too much himself, has set the Celtics up for immediate success with the draft night acquisition of seven-time All-Star Ray Allen. Allen, acquired from the Sonics for Boston’s fifth pick, Georgetown’s Jeff Green, can light it up with the best of them.

Toss into that mix Boston’s Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak, a player whose career may, in fact, be over, and you’ve got the makings of a pretty good-looking deal – on paper.

Here’s the problem.

Allen is coming off heel surgery, and, at 32, he may not be what he once was. For the moment, let’s say all this works, and the new C’s look about as good as they have for a long, long time. In the best-case scenario, Boston fans can call on Al Jefferson, Pierce, and Rajon Rondo to complement Allen.

Fast forward to another deal, perhaps one for disgruntled Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett, and you’ve got the makings of a blockbuster summer for Mr. Ainge.

Remember: The Celtics also nabbed Southern Cal’s Gabe Pruitt in the draft. They also got the services of Louisiana State’s Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who, by this time next year, may be remembered as the biggest steal in the 2007 draft.

If I were still working for the Marty Blake Scouting Agency, I would call all this a solid draft. Big Baby is the frosting on the cake. Yes, he’s a little heavy, but so was another LSU guy named Shaq before he came into the league.

For Ainge’s sake, I hope all this works out. I would caution him to play out office bickerings behind closed doors. Stooping to the level Pierce sought as a personnel guy can only cause hurt feelings.

After all, this is a business, fellas. What will make the Allen deal shine? Another high-fiber player, that’s what. Without that, I’m afraid we’re back to the Pierce and Antoine Walker days: Not enough basketballs to go around.

30-Second Time Out

Has the 4th found you lamenting the recent play of the Red Sox? Fear not! Seems like no team wants to take advantage of the sub .500 play in the division and make a run for glory. Boston’s upcoming series with Detroit will gauge how good this year’s team really is.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net