Danny Ainge says he decided to step down as Celtics general manager due to burnout and health. But is there more to the story?
At the team's all-hands presser, Ainge revealed he first started thinking about leaving when he suffered a heart attack in May 2019. "This is not a 'this moment, this season' decision," Ainge said. "This is much more well thought out than that. I've always trusted my instincts, and my instincts told me this is the right time for me, my family and the Boston Celtics."
Ainge says the hardships of steering the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated his timeline. "The past two years have been tough," he said. "The job hasn't been as much fun."
All of that checks out, and of course, seismic organizational shakeups usually don't happen overnight. The Celtics issued a press release announcing Ainge's retirement and Brad Stevens' ascension upstairs at 11:01 a.m. — roughly 12 hours after their season had ended. It's apparent this shift has been in the works for some time.
Stevens said Wednesday Ainge first seriously broached him about the idea a couple of months ago. Ainge, 62, told the Globe he came to his final decision shortly after the NBA trade deadline, citing the recent deaths of franchise legends John Havlicek, K.C. Jones, Tommy Heinsohn and Paul Westphal
"It just made me really reflect on life when you lose those really close to you," Ainge said. "You always say when you have someone die that's close to you that life is short. You feel it. And there are things I want to do more of."
Interestingly enough, Ainge didn't say Wednesday he was retiring from basketball. He left his future plans unclear. "I don't know what my future holds," he said.
Ainge's ambivalence suggests he may not be content spending the rest of his life on golf courses. He's done with the Celtics, but he may not be done with basketball.
Maybe some internal drama played a role in his departure as well.
Around the trade deadline, Ainge and Wyc Grousbeck made a few semi-critical statements about the team's uninspiring play. Their comments bothered some players, reports Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
"There were several inflection points where the roster might not have felt supported, particularly after Ainge and team governor Wyc Grousbeck gave a series of interviews ahead of the trade deadline with their assessments that the team was not competitive," Weiss writes. "Though the commentary may have been fair, sources suggest it may have contributed to the lackluster spirit that was watching this team throughout the year."
The reported discord lines up with Ainge's timeline: The NBA trade deadline was on March 25. Ainge admitted the last two seasons wore on him, and pushback from players over media interviews could've sealed his exit.
Or maybe that happened over the last week. Ainge's remarks about not hearing of racial incidents involving Black players in Boston "shocked" people around the NBA, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
It's notable that no player on the Celtics verbally pushed back against Kyrie Irving for stepping on the logo. Instead, they showered him with post-game hugs.
It's apparent changes need to be made. As time wore on, perhaps it became more obvious to Ainge, and everyone else, he was the one who needed to go.
