NBA Rumors: Danny Ainge Must Go If He Blows Up Celtics' Big Three

"If you're not contending, then you're rebuilding."

Danny Ainge needs to realize what side of this common front-office mantra his team is on.

He thinks it's time to rebuild, when really, there could easily be talk of another championship this season in Beantown. His waffling and poor decision-making have harmed the franchise too much since their last title in 2008.

Now, the Celtics' GM is apparently readily open to the idea of blowing up the team's Big Three, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.

If Ainge swings a deal to move Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce for young pieces that Boston cannot win with this season, he should be fired immediately.

Ainge brought this team together and he should be responsible for their successes and failures.

He knew going into the season that he didn’t have the pieces in place to win it all, which is why he tried so hard to move Rajon Rondo for Chris Paul—a deal he believed would give the team one last chance to win a NBA Finals in the Big Three era.

Obviously, that trade did not work out, and it was never one that would have brought this team over the hump anyway.

Rondo has been averaging 15 points, 9.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds in his 13 games during the 2011-12 campaign, while Paul has put up 18/8.4/3 in his nine outings with the Clippers.

Point guard play isn’t the problem in Boston and hasn’t been for the past few years.

In fact, it’s easy to point out where the Celtics erred and killed their chances for another championship.

February 24, 2011: Boston ships Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

The Celtics looked like real contenders in the 2011 postseason up until the trade, when they ditched their starting center for a bum forward who does nothing exceptional and isn’t even playing due to a heart condition, plus a stiff who went back to Russia this summer.

Boston’s coach, Doc Rivers, admitted that the trade killed them. Ainge apparently tried to bring Perkins back after the postseason, offering Green and Rondo for Perkins and Russell Westbrook.

Sam Presti, the Oklahoma City GM, must have gotten a good laugh from this offer before refusing.

So why didn’t Ainge address the need for a stalwart big this offseason, instead choosing to draft JaJuan Johnson (24 minutes in eight games), sign Chris Wilcox (53 minutes in seven games) and go to war with an over-the-hill Jermaine O’Neal and some future D-League star named Greg Stiemsma at center?

Before the lockout, the beleaguered GM was asked if he would acquire a new center, due to Shaquille O’Neal’s impending retirement and ineffective play overall from the position after the Perkins trade.

"

“Sure,” he said. And then paused, smiled and added, “Does he have to be good?”

"

Ainge spent his time in the offseason trying to get a Rondo-for-Paul deal through and only managed to make minor improvements to the roster, such as Brandon Bass for Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

Now that the Celtics are 5-8 and facing the real probability of missing the playoffs, Ainge must be answer for his preseason carelessness.

Allowing him to blow up the foundation that brought Boston their first championship since 1986 isn’t acceptable.

So how do the Celtics compete this season?

The answer is to bring in a new GM who is willing to work with what they have on the roster and build around their stars.

Perhaps the next guy will manage to swing a trade for a solid center. It’s an easy move and one that a competent GM would have already made, instead of laughing about it at a press conference. 

Once again, if you are not contending, you are rebuilding. Bring in someone who is going to man up and restore this team to glory.