Mistakes happen. We sleep in a little too late or we forget to do a project. But for us, mistakes are simply, just that – mistakes. For the thirty NBA teams, mistakes cost them, potentially, tens of millions of dollars, a playoff appearance, or even a championship. They have been riddled throughout history. It can be draft picks (Blazers fans know what this is like), it can be free agency (can I get an amen from Knicks fans?), or it can be virtually anything else (in the case of the Kings, EVERYTHING ELSE). Thus, we present the worst mistakes from each NBA team over the past ten years.
The Boston Celtics Biggest Mistake In the Past Ten Years
The Boston Celtics have been one of the better teams in the NBA over the past decade, having made the playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons. President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge hasn’t made many mistakes over that stretch. The assembling of “The Big Three”: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen brought banner 17 and renewed success to Boston. Ainge quickly rebuilt by trading Pierce and Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets for a king’s ransom. The Celtics followed up by hiring Brad Stevens as head coach, who has emerged as one of the best coaches in the NBA.
Those two major moves, along with many other beneficial trades and signings, have brought the Celtics back to relevancy. Despite the Celtics’ continued success, their biggest mistake has been a failure to add key depth through the draft.
Of course no GM can be perfect. They are all bound to make mistakes, especially late in drafts. In fact, Ainge has been a solid drafter late in the first round. He drafted Avery Bradley 19th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft and Jared Sullinger 21st overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. That being said, when he had chances to add to already-stacked teams, Ainge drafted players who provided nothing to the Celtics.
The 2008 NBA Draft
On the night of the 2008 NBA Draft, the Celtics were fresh off a championship victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The “Big Three” core was still intact, but key role players were likely on their way out. James Posey was an unrestricted free agent, Tony Allen was a restricted free agent, and Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown both retired.
With the 30th pick, the Celtics’ options were limited. They selected J.R. Giddens, a shooting guard out of New Mexico. He won Mountain West Conference co-player of the year as a senior. Giddens was a great all-around scorer with NBA-ready defense and athleticism. It seemed as if he would have minutes right away. The Celtics lacked a player with his skill set off the bench.
Consequences and Possible Alternatives
Giddens hardly saw the court. There weren’t enough minutes to go around behind Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Tony Allen, and Eddie House. Giddens only played in six games his rookie year, averaging just over a minute in each of those appearances. In his second season with the Celtics, he appeared in 21 games, averaging less than five minutes per appearance. Halfway through the 2009-10 season, the former Mountain West player of the year was traded to the New York Knicks, where he played in 11 games. Giddens has not played in the NBA since then.
Many other players were available. The Celtics could’ve selected Mario Chalmers out of Kansas to backup Rajon Rondo. Boston also lacked a center off the bench to backup Kendrick Perkins, so Ainge could’ve taken a risk on DeAndre Jordan. His rare athleticism for a player his size made him a top-15 pick in many mock drafts. To go along with his athleticism, the freshman out of Texas A&M likely could’ve perfected his fundamentals — his only downside — underneath the tutelage of Kevin Garnett. The Los Angeles Clippers drafted Jordan with the 35th overall pick.
The 2011 NBA Draft
Coming off the 2010-11 season, the Celtics were desperate to add youth. They had just been ousted in five games by the Miami Heat. Boston needed a backup point guard, scoring on the wing, and front court depth to stay competitive.
With the 25th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Celtics selected Marshon Brooks then subsequently traded him to the Nets for JaJuan Johnson out of Purdue. The Boilermaker had a successful senior year, being named a first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year. He was an overall good player, with a versatile offensive game and good defense.
That being said, the Celtics needed a strong big man off the bench. Johnson didn’t fit that bill; he weighed just 220 pounds, which is skinny for a 6’ 10” player. Lacking the strength to make an immediate impact on a contender, Johnson would need time to bulk up, or else he’d get bullied by bigger players.
Consequences and Possible Alternatives
Johnson never played consistent minutes. He appeared in 36 games as a rookie, averaging 8.3 minutes a game. He didn’t bulk up, so other big men outmatched him physically, as his scouting report weaknesses suggested. The once promising big man played just one year in the NBA. He now plays in Italy.
To be fair, not many other quality players were available at this point in the draft. Jimmy Butler was selected 30th, but he neither fit a need nor was the best player available; nobody predicted that he’d become the All-Star he is today. The Heat selected Norris Cole, who could’ve backed up Rondo, after Johnson. Cole played consistent minutes with the Heat for four seasons.
Since the Celtics were desperate for scoring, they could’ve kept their original pick in Brooks. Although he was out of the NBA in three years, he was a scorer. He put up 12.6 points per game as a rookie on 43% shooting, which would’ve made him a solid backup for Allen and Pierce.
It’s hard to blame the Celtics’ front office for these mistakes, but late first-round drafting has been their only mistake in recent years. They had multiple chances to add necessary depth to playoff teams. Instead, they selected players who turned out to be worthless.
