Derrenmatts came up with another good piece over on Celtics Green. It makes a lot of sense from the point of view that this is how Ainge works. He makes the trade you least expect. I am still rather lukewarm on bringing Iverson to Boston. He plays hard, I just don't see his character fitting in with the team. But I have been expecting Danny to make a move before the season... one that would be a 3 for 1 trade. If the trade had to wait until August 28, it will involve either Telfair or Ratliff or both. What Derren says makes a lot of sense... Danny usually makes a deal with another one in mind down the line. It is going to be an interesting next couple of weeks.

Was doing some muzzling over at Celticsblog, and I read this one thread where a poster makes a lot of sense. I didn't read his entire post, but the ideas that ran through my head made me immediately want to post it here before I forget. 1) There was a whole lot of hype about this Iverson trade being nearly a done deal. Most of us were on the edge of our seats every morning, anticipating Iverson packing his bags to come here. Almost every beat writer (even outside of Boston) thought this was a no brainer. But in a blink of an eye, the trade talk dies out and there's nothing but calm waters, blue skies and deafening silence. No more talk on either side. Now, both sides hardly even look at one another, and both claim that the deal is no longer being discussed. Either both guys are telling the truth, or maybe a deal was already agreed upon and now they are just wating for Aug 28th, at which time the players who came over in the Portland deal will be able to be traded away. Logical sense is that Ainge killed the deal when he traded away the coveted 7th pick in the draft that Philly wanted in order to get Telfair from Portland. But even that seems a bit fishy. Ainge was very optimistic, to the point where it seemed like a guarantee that big moves were going to be made this offseason, making it sound like he was going after a big one. Getting Iverson would have been that whopping catch (though many of us disagree). If he wanted Iverson, why would he kill the deal by doing a 180 and trade for Telfair? I mean, if he wants to hit a grand slam, Iverson would be the knockout punch (in terms of superstar power and impact). Telfair is nowhere the player Iverson is and will ever be. 2) Pierce just signed an extension to be with us for the next 5 years. After wanting to be traded away last summer because of not being happy here, he endures a disappointing 33 win season. And after making comments this summer about wanting to play for a winning team and playing for a championship, he signs an extension to be here for the next 5 years. Unless Ainge promised him that he was going to bring in player(s) who will help Pierce realize his championship dreams, I highly doubt Pierce would have inked his name on a contract extension. With our youth and inexperience, Pierce wouldn't naively sign on for another term that will run through his prime if he didn't think Ainge was going to put us in a position to be title contenders. I think Ainge promised and reassured him that star players are on their way to Boston. That's probably why Pierce waited til after signing the extension before getting his surgery on his elbow. He had to make sure where he was going to be next year first before commiting to surgery. Where Ainge was once highly proactive about bringing in big name players this summer, he is now more on the placid side. This either means that Ainge has given up trying because his efforts are futile, or that something is up his sleeve. Right before he traded Walker away, and later when he traded for Walker, he made similar comments about having no desire to trade him or trade for him. We hear of him making calls to Indiana for Harrington, and making inquisitive calls to Cleveland about Gooden and Seattle for Wilcox, but they didn't sound at all like possibilities. We all have dismissed the thought of Iverson wearing Celtics Green next season and our attention has turned elsewhere. But that could be exactly what Danny Ainge and Billy King want. Even the Iverson camp has been relatively quiet. Normally, each summer, we hear of Iverson being rumored to go here, to go there, to go everywhere. But not this summer--all is quiet. Maybe a bit too quiet. I advise all Celtics fans to prepare for a sneak attack. Allen Iverson may indeed be a Celtic before the summer is over. [More] source: Derrenmatts - Celtics Green Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!