Celtics president of basketball ops. Danny Ainge heard the ridiculous speculation that Boston may be better off without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward during the team’s improbable postseason run, but Ainge knew better.
The C’s are “much, much better” with both injured stars in uniform.
Danny Ainge: "I get a kick out of the fact that, everywhere I go, people don’t think we need Kyrie or need Gordon Hayward. I have a much longer memory and remember how great those guys were. … So we need Gordon and Kyrie … we’re much, much better with Kyrie and Gordon.
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) May 28, 2018
Unlike last summer, which saw a flurry of moves that suddenly turned them into an unexpected title contender, Boston should have a relatively quiet offseason.
Per the AP:
With Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving coming back from injuries to join fellow All-Star Al Horford and young stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics general manager doesn’t really need to do much to give the NBA’s most-decorated franchise a chance at its 18th title.
And that’s not really in Ainge’s nature.
“I like this group of guys,” he said Monday, a day after the Celtics lost Game 7 of the conference finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We’re not looking to make changes, other than a handful of tweaks.”
But he also said: “You never know what opportunities will present themselves.”
