Ainge No Longer the "Larry Bird of Guards"

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record 27-8
January 8, 1984


For 21 years, his was a life touched by greatness with ease. There were summer days in Eugene, Ore., when he would participate in preseason football practice in the morning, play a doubleheader in the afternoon, and go five-on- five under the lights at night. His name was in the major league baseball encyclopedia (1979) before he finished his All-America hoop career at Brigham Young. In 1981, the Celtics and Toronto Blue Jays battled for his services, and when it was over, Danny Ainge was famous, wealthy and a Boston Celtic.

Great things were expected. Philadelphia assistant coach Jack McMahon predicted Ainge would be "the Larry Bird of guards." It hasn't worked out that way. In Ainge's rookie year, Bill Fitch kept him under wraps until injuries forced him to do otherwise. Andrew Toney took advantage of an inexperienced and unprepared Ainge in the '82 playoffs. Last year, Ainge started 75 games, improved his shooting percentage from .357 to .496, averaged 9.9 points and poured in 25 points in Game 2 of the Milwaukee massacre.

Then the Celtics acquired Dennis Johnson. After the preseason, new coach K.C. Jones decided that Johnson had won Ainge's starting job. Ainge was the third guard until Quinn Buckner, and then M.L. Carr, started playing well. Ainge's minutes dwindled from 25 to 18 to 10, then to 5, 4 and finally an ugly DNP (Did Not Play) Wednesday night against Washington. What now? Ainge has NBA quickness and is no longer a defensive liability, but he has never been the shooter or scorer everybody thought he'd be. He has been particularly ineffective in the half-court offense. No longer a cocky shooter, Ainge appears tentative and fragile.

Can the Celtics afford to keep a 24-year-old guard that makes big money but rarely plays? Is Ainge a player with a future in Boston, or trade bait for a top-round pick? "I haven't talked to anybody about him," says Red Auerbach. "He's in a little bit of a slump; he'll shake it off. He's just got to play his game and not worry about what everybody's saying or reading. All he's got to do is please K.C. and play his game." "How come everybody makes such a big deal out of this?," asks K.C. "The whole thing depends on performance. The other guys have been playing well, but Danny's got all the tools. It's just a matter of him getting his confidence back, and he'll be ready. He's down now, no doubt, but when I was here we had Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Sam Jones and Frank Ramsey. I was buried for five years."

"I'm not giving up on the Celtics," says Ainge. "I still feel I have a future here and I don't believe they've given up on me. If I did, I'd definitely ask out of here, but I don't believe that to be the case. "Right now, there's nothing right with my game. I haven't been playing well; everybody goes through that at one time. I've just got to wait for my chance to do it again."