Mike Gorman On Potential Celtics' Draft Strategies
BOSTON (CBS) -- We're still a couple weeks from a bunch of ping pong balls deciding the Celtics' lottery fate, but it's still fun to speculate what Danny Ainge will do until we know for sure where the Celtics will pick in June's NBA Draft.
Boston finished the season 25-57 but lost a tie-breaking coin toss with Utah and owns the fifth-best chance at receiving the top pick in June's draft. They have a 30 percent chance to land a Top 3 pick, but are more likely looking at the sixth (34.2 percent) or fifth (23.7 percent) pick.
Mike Gorman, the CSNNE play-by-play voice of the Celtics, joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich on Thursday morning, and shed a little light into what Ainge and Co. are thinking leading up to their selection.
"Everything hinges on where the lottery pick lines up. There are lots of plans depending on where they end up in the draft," said Gorman. "The one thing you have to keep in mind is Danny will have a board in front of him with the best players. He will have them rated one through whatever, and as they get drafted he'll cross them off. When his pick comes up he's going to take the highest-rated player.
"If that means it's Julius Randle and they get another power forward, he's going to take him," said Gorman. "What he does with him or others after is different, but where these balls bounce is really important.
"If they get down into the Top 3 that changes everything. They definitely draft and probably look to trade their later round pick," Gorman said (Boston also owns the 17th overall pick via the Brooklyn Nets). "I think they have all these strategies worked out… but until we know where they're picking it's all conjecture."
Gorman also touched on the struggles of the Indiana Pacers, Miami's quest for another title, and Brian Scalabrine's future with the Golden State Warriors:
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