Midseason report card with second half expectations

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BOSTON – NOVEMBER 17: Before game time, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, center, chats with Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, left, and Sean Grande, the voice of the Celtics. Pagliuca shares video of his son’s Saturday Duke game against Fairfield. The Boston Celtics host the Phoenix Suns, at the TD Garden, on Monday, November 17, 2014. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

While he hasn’t done much outside of the draft to dramatically re-shape the roster, that is enough for me to be happy with the job he has done this year.

McDonough’s selection of Josh Jackson with the fourth overall pick last summer appears to be spot on, his trade of Troy Daniels has worked out beautiful, and using only a mid-level second round pick to acquire Elfrid Payton appears to have been an absolute steal.

Many fans were not happy with the return on Eric Bledsoe, and with good reason, he is definitely an All-Star caliber point guard now that he is in the Eastern Conference. However, he was still able to obtain cap space this summer for his foray into free agency, as well as a potential first round pick, which can be used in a package for a star.

And there in lies the key to the Bledsoe move: while initially he didn’t receive a star or key piece moving forward in return, if he is able to, say acquire Aaron Gordon with that additional cap space, and acquire a star player in trade using that pick in the package, then the initial trade will have played out perfectly.

We shall see, but in my eyes, even placing himself in that position is a win.

Grade: A-

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