Danny Ainge

LOS ANGELES - Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is in the tough position of having to determine whether his veteran team can make a run in the Eastern Conference or whether moves should be made. The Celtics have made a push to stay intact by winning seven of nine games since the All-Star break, including Monday night's 94-85 victory against the Clippers, the type of athletic, above-the-rim team that gave the Celtics fits in the first half. Defense has been a constant, but Boston was able to score late in Monday's game at Staples Center, something it failed to do...

By Tony Massarotti, Boston.com Columnist Sights, sounds and observations while couch-ridden: On those nights the shots are falling, like Sunday, the Celtics look positively unbeatable. There is no one to stop them. From Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to even Mickael Pietrus, Brandon Bass and Greg Stiemsma, the Celtics have a collection of shooters like few other teams in the league. That is why LeBron James, in April, called them the best jump-shooting team in the league.

The Danny and Doc partnership is starting to pile up a few miles. It's Year 8 now, with no outward sign of discord. "I love Doc as a coach," says Danny Ainge, who carries the title of Celtics president of basketball operations. "I trust him. I trust him as a leader and a winner. " "We won't throw each other under the bus," says coach Doc Rivers. "We've both made mistakes. We're both argumentative. We can debate all day and then go play golf, go to dinner, and then go to war. " It turns out that Danny had his eye on Doc for a long time.

LOS ANGELES - Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is in the tough position of having to determine whether his veteran team can make a run in the Eastern Conference or whether moves should be made. The Celtics have made a push to stay intact by winning seven of nine games since the All-Star break, including Monday night's 94-85 victory against the Clippers, the type of athletic, above-the-rim team that gave the Celtics fits in the first half. Defense has been a constant, but Boston was able to score late in Monday's game at Staples Center, something it failed to do...

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge used the brief window following the end of the NBA lockout to feverishly prepare for one final championship run with the aging Big Three. Three weeks into the season, murmurs are growing louder that he should blow up the roster and begin preparing for the next era after a 5-8 start. Before the Celtics ended a five-game losing streak by beating Toronto last night, Ainge said that while he maintains hope that his four All-Star players will improve, he will have no hesitation to make deals if the Celtics are not competitive.

Maybe that headline should come with the caveat that you shouldn't give a thumbs-down to any potential trade until you know what's coming back in return. But I'm pretty comfortable in saying that at this point of the abbreviated, condensed NBA season, there's no chance the Celtics will receive equal, let alone greater, value for enigmatic, electric All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. And that is the only circumstance in which Danny Ainge should trade him. I suppose I could talk myself into the likable, talented Stephen Curry, right up until the next time he rolls an ankle.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has discussed trading Ray Allen to the Pacers, according to an ESPN report on Friday. "When Danny and I talked about trading for Ray, he wanted Tyler Hansbrough and a first-round pick," Pacers general manager Larry Bird said. "If that's the value he's putting on Ray Allen, he ain't getting it. That tells me he's in no hurry to trade him. " Coach Doc Rivers said he did not expect the Celtics to be involved in a trade before Thursday's deadline.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Globe this morning that newly acquired Mickael Pietrus, who has been slowed after July knee surgery, is likely to be ready for game action by the middle of January, leaving the Celtics thin at small forward/shooting guard for another two weeks. "I think we're shooting for closer to the middle of the month," Ainge said. "Maybe 10 days to two weeks, something in that neighborhood. With Paul (Pierce)

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Globe this morning that newly acquired Mickael Pietrus, who has been slowed after July knee surgery, is likely to be ready for game action by the middle of January. That could leave the Celtics thin at small forward/shooting guard for another two weeks. "I think we're shooting for closer to the middle of the month," Ainge said. "Maybe 10 days to two weeks, something in that neighborhood. With Paul (Pierce) coming back soon, there's no reason to rush him. "We have a whole lot of confidence...

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would not comment publicly on the report that the Celtics are actively shopping Rajon Rondo, who turned in his 16th career triple-double last night in the Celtics' 102-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. "I do not make comments on trade rumors because it never ends," he told the Globe this afternoon. "Rondo's been our best player. " During a December press conference before training camp, Ainge admitted that he offered Rondo in a potential deal for Chris Paul.

LOS ANGELES - Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is in the tough position of having to determine whether his veteran team can make a run in the Eastern Conference or whether moves should be made. The Celtics have made a push to stay intact by winning seven of nine games since the All-Star break, including Monday night's 94-85 victory against the Clippers, the type of athletic, above-the-rim team that gave the Celtics fits in the first half. Defense has been a constant, but Boston was able to score late in Monday's game at Staples Center, something it failed to do Sunday...

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has discussed trading Ray Allen to the Pacers, according to an ESPN report on Friday. "When Danny and I talked about trading for Ray, he wanted Tyler Hansbrough and a first-round pick," Pacers general manager Larry Bird said. "If that's the value he's putting on Ray Allen, he ain't getting it. That tells me he's in no hurry to trade him. " Coach Doc Rivers said he did not expect the Celtics to be involved in a trade before Thursday's deadline.

Maybe that headline should come with the caveat that you shouldn't give a thumbs-down to any potential trade until you know what's coming back in return. But I'm pretty comfortable in saying that at this point of the abbreviated, condensed NBA season, there's no chance the Celtics will receive equal, let alone greater, value for enigmatic, electric All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. And that is the only circumstance in which Danny Ainge should trade him. I suppose I could talk myself into the likable, talented Stephen Curry, right up until the next time he...

The Celtics are not going to make this easy on Danny Ainge. He has to know that. There is too much pride and enough talent left in the Big Three, plus sufficient pedestrian opposition, to provide the illusion that these Celtics constitute more than an Eastern Conference also-ran. The truth is that like Ainge, the Celtics are in parquet purgatory, somewhere in that nebulous NBA territory between a championship chase and a rebuilding job. Mediocrity is better than futility, but it's equally as far from Banner No. 18. The NBA's trading deadline is two weeks and eight...

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would not comment publicly on the report that the Celtics are actively shopping Rajon Rondo, who turned in his 16th career triple-double last night in the Celtics' 102-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. "I do not make comments on trade rumors because it never ends," he told the Globe this afternoon. "Rondo's been our best player. " During a December press conference before training camp, Ainge admitted that he offered Rondo in a potential deal for Chris Paul.

The Celtics are nestled in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, six games behind the top-seeded Chicago Bulls, which is astounding considering Boston's troublesome first seven weeks. A 5-9 start, a mass of injuries, and out-of-shape players caused uncertainty in Boston. Now matters are beginning to settle. Paul Pierce is back in top condition and is headed for his 10th All-Star Game, Kevin Garnett may not be spectacular as often but he's been steady, and Rajon Rondo responded from perhaps his worst game in recent memory Friday in Toronto with a...

There’s waaaaay too much smoke for there not to have been at least a small campfire. Something has been going on with Rajon Rondo. Of course, Danny Ainge implies that the Celtics haven’t been actively trying to move him. That’s a standard GM response. “We love Rondo,’’ Ainge said on WEEI yesterday morning, “and Rondo is a player we want to have on our team.’’ Check the wording. Nowhere in there does he specifically deny trying to market his 23-year-old point guard.

By Gary Washburn, Globe staff WALTHAM -- Jeff Green did not practice again today, the fourth session he has missed and team president Danny Ainge revealed that the small forward is undergoing further tests for an undisclosed medical issue. Ainge would not divulge the nature of the tests but he said the situation is minor and Green would miss just a few days. "We anticipate he'll be here soon, practicing," Ainge said. "I don't think very long. He's just going through the tests again, today, tomorrow and we should have them and he should be fine.

No matter when you think the expiration date is for this group of Celtics, the team's recent five-game losing streak has undoubtedly pushed it up. So it's not surprising that teams would come calling to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to ask if he's willing to start blowing it up. Several contending teams have inquired about the availability of Celtics captain Paul Pierce, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of...