Danny Ainge takes responsibility for recent Celtics fights

February 15, 2021 | 14h09

The Celtics’ game couldn’t be much worse.

After an 8-3 start to the season, Boston has lost 10 of its last 15 games, giving the team a 13-13 record as the season approaches halfway through.

Perhaps the lowest point of the season for the Celtics came on Sunday, when they were embarrassed by the worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards, 104-91. Sunday’s defeat came less than 48 hours after the defeat to the Pistons, who hold the second worst record of the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics game hasn’t been encouraging lately. The president of basketball operations for the Celtics, Danny Ainge, seems to know that too. In an interview with The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, Ainge took the blame for the team’s recent game and said the coaching staff is not to blame.

“Right!” Ainge said in response to a question whether it is time to start criticizing him. “We are not playing with the passion we need. I think it depends on the players. And the team players are on my own ”.

Ainge told Shaughnessy that “There are things I could have done better” and he “will take on that responsibility”.

“This is a team that was put together by me and we are not playing with enough consistency and urgency,” said Ainge, “and it is my job to see what we can do to improve the team, but this is always much more difficult than improving internally. . “

With the March 25 negotiation deadline just over a month away, some are speculating whether it is time for the Celtics to negotiate to get them out of their slippage. Ainge did not rule out the possibility of a negotiation.

“Just changing faces doesn’t always change things,” said Ainge, “but it may have to come to that.”

If the Celtics decide to make a switch, they have some assets at their disposal. They have the $ 28.5 million exception they received when Gordon Hayward left for the Hornets in November. They also have five players who were selected in the first round in the last three drafts, in addition to Tristan Thompson, who can now be traded after signing a $ 19 million contract for two years in the off season.

Although the Celtics have some ways to trade if they decide to look for one, Ainge doesn’t seem ready to go there yet. He told Shaughnessy that now “it is definitely not time to panic, but it is always time to reflect.”

Ainge said she saw her team’s “consistent lack of urgency” at this point, but said the team’s recent playoff runs and the start of the 8-3 season could be the cause of this. Because of that, the team’s youth and the injuries it has faced this season, Ainge said he did not think “it is rock bottom”.

“The bottom line would be if we expected to win a series of playoffs and lose to a team that we should win,” said Ainge. “That would be rock bottom. I’ve seen too many bad stretches of basketball in the regular season to consider that rock bottom. But having said that, we have been playing very, very badly and inconsistently and not with enough urgency in recent weeks. “

Ainge knows that her fan base has been tough during the fights too. However, he appreciates this.

“I like the fact that the fans are not patient,” said Ainge. “We need to be more urgent. I like it when players realize that our fans hold our players and all of us accountable.

“To wear this uniform, there is a lot to do. People are looking for you because of the success you have had, and part of that is that you need to go out and act and live up to expectations.

You can read Ainge’s interview with Shaughnessy here.