5.26.2019

Ainge a Source of Disagreement

September 2, 1984

AINGE WORKS WHILE EVERYONE TALKS

Maybe it's because he played against the Red Sox before he played for the Celtics. Maybe it's because his finest moment as a collegian took place in the Providence Civic Center. Maybe it's because he's a fast white man in a game dominated by fast blacks.



Whatever the reason(s), it's clear that people love to talk about Danny Ainge. Walk into any New England barber shop, taxicab or saloon, and you'll have no problem starting an argument on the merits or demerits of Ainge.

"I get the same thing everywhere I go," admits Ainge. "People ask me, Are you going to get traded?' and How come K.C. doesn't like you?' and all kinds of junk. I guess it's good that people notice I'm there, but I know there's still people that don't think I can play."

Ainge has been busier than most of his teammates this summer. After a championship season that roared into mid-June, many of the exhausted Celtics eschewed roundball for the duration of the summer. Ainge, meanwhile, plunged into the Southern California Summer League in San Diego, then jumped to the Pro-Am league in Salt Lake City. He averaged 28 points and 9.4 assists in San Diego, then 38 points and 12 assists in Utah.

"I made a commitment to myself to work harder this summer," Ainge says. "I don't want this year to go like last year did (16 minutes, 5.4 points per game). I want to play more and contribute more . . . I have to have K.C. gain confidence in me, and the way to do it is not by talking to him but by showing him on the court."

Ainge provides the Celtics with nice backcourt insurance while negotiations with free agent Gerald Henderson remain stalled, but he still thinks he might be traded.

"People always ask me if I'm secure with the Celtics," Ainge says. "Well, I don't think there is such a thing. Larry Bird is secure, and that's it. There's probably a couple of guys who are expendible, and you just never know. It something I've never ruled out, but I'm not going to worry about it, either."

Heading into his third full season, Ainge sees 1984-85 as a turning point in his career. "I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, but I don't think I've lived up to my own expectations," he says. "I think I'm a much better player than I've shown, but I haven't done it on a regular basis, and that's what I have to do now."

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