COMMENTARY
The NBA trading deadline arrives Thursday at 3 p.m. With his Celtics in the midst of a chaotic and thus far underwhelming season, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge might just turn some rumors into action this year.
Columnist Chad Finn and reporter Tom Westerholm, a respected Celtics beat writer, conversed at length via email this week to try to sort out why the Celtics have underwhelmed, and what they could do at the deadline to restore contender status in the Eastern Conference. This is their conversation:
Finn: I suppose we should address the broader issue before we dig into what Danny Ainge’s approach should be at the trade deadline: What’s the biggest reason from what you’ve seen why this team has failed to meet expectations this season?