Danny's Bet on Baby

Several teams, including Detroit, New Orleans and New Jersey, talked with general manager Danny Ainge about sign-and-trade scenarios with Glen Davis, but none of those worked out because Ainge never wanted to let him go to begin with.

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Have you ever bet on a stock or mutual fund, even a minor investment, that took off like a rocket? The bet not only made you richer, but it made you look smart. As a result, you became reluctant to get rid of the stock and cash it in. It was good to you, and so you wanted to ride it out a while longer. That's what Glen "Big Baby" Davis did for Danny Ainge.

On draft day in June 2007, Ainge traded Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the No. 5 pick to the Seattle Supersonics for Ray Allen and Glen Davis. Had the trade just been for Ray Allen, that would have been one thing. Danny would have merely looked shrewd. But getting Baby thrown in has made Ainge look brilliant, almost Auerbachian.

In hindsight, Baby is clearly one of the ten or fifteen best players selected in the entire draft. Whether he's better than Jeff Green, whom the Sonics drafted with the 5th pick they received from Boston in the trade, remains to be seen. But Davis is clearly better than several players taken in the top ten, including Yi Jianlian. While the verdict is still out on Green, the Sonics traded away West and Wally later that same season, which makes the deal even more one-sided.

It's hard to believe today, but there was a time when every move Danny made was closely scrutinized and then widely criticized. No more. Sure, you could take issue with the Patrick O'Bryant and Mikki Moore signings. But he didn't have too many other options. He also let James Posey get away. But if he kept Posey, maybe we don't get Sheed, and I'd much rather have Sheed than Posey.