Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball ... it/?page=1
When the original Garnett deal fell apart because KG didn't want to come here, Ainge went out and got Allen from Seattle. Left alone, the deal made a little sense, but not much, although Ainge says now, "I think a team led by Ray, Paul, and Al Jefferson would have been good. Maybe very good."
Still, it seemed more like a sideways move, designed as much to keep Pierce from jumping off the Zakim Bridge as anything else. In reality, Ainge said he made the deal to help Pierce, get a veteran in the locker room - and improve his chances of landing Garnett.
"Oh yeah," Ainge said. "That's because the real key components to the Garnett deal were still there - Theo's contract and Al Jefferson. Even though Minnesota wanted that fifth pick [included in the Allen trade], I still thought there would be a way.
"But I also knew there was no way we were going to get KG if we didn't do the [Allen] deal. I felt like the Kevin Garnett element was definitely going to be satisfied by getting Ray. Whether the Minnesota element could be satisfied was still in question."
Props to Ainge for not hanging his head after the lottery! We have this team not because of luck but because Ainge kept working and believing.