If there's one thing Danny Ainge has taught us all when it comes to keeping the Boston Celtics among the top teams in the East, it's this:
Whatever your plan is, make sure you have another oneand probably another one after that.
Throughout his time as the basketball czar of the C's, some of Ainge's best work has come after others took a pass on the Celtics.
The most recent example comes in the form of the newest Celtic-to-be, Courtney Lee.
Boston is putting the final touches on a deal that will bring the 26-year-old to Boston via sign-and-trade with Houston. Portland has reportedly been included in the deal as well.
The C's have had interest in Lee for a while, but their pursuit of him did not gain momentum until after Ray Allen chose to sign with Miami instead of returning to Boston, and after it became clear that Dallas-bound O.J. Mayo had no intention of being a Celtic.
For a third option, it's hard to imagine the Celtics could have landed a better talent than Lee who is a 10-points-per-game scorer in addition to being a solid perimeter defender.
Boston Celtics
Acquiring players after others whiffed on joining Boston has actually worked out quite well for the Celtics in the past couple of years.
When a deal to bring back Glen Davis last summer could not be reached, the Celtics worked out a sign-and-trade that shipped Brandon Bass to Boston from Orlando.
In his first season with the C's, Bass averaged a career-high 12.5 points per game and wound up starting 39 games.
Davis was a starter in just 31 games during his four seasons with Boston.
Bass' strong play was rewarded this summer when he re-signed with the Celtics for 20 million over three seasons.
"I had other offers, but I knew where I wanted to be and that's back in a green jersey playing for the Celtics," Bass said. "It's a great organization, a great group of guys who are all about winning. I'm excited to be back."
Ainge has been at this long enough to have seen plenty of players say "thanks, but no thanks" to joining the Celtics family.
And while the reasons have varied, the end result remains the same.
That's why he doesn't spend time dwelling on players not wanting to play for Boston, even players like Ray Allen who spent five seasons in Boston and had a chance to make twice as much money by returning, but instead opted to sign with the NBA champion Miami Heat.
While re-signing Allen was a priority, Ainge made a point of keeping others in mind just in case Allen didn't want to return.
That's why the blow of losing Allen is softened significantly because the Celtics made their interest in Jason Terry apparent from Day 1 of free agency, which Terry acknowledged gave the C's a leg up on the competition in getting him to sign a three-year deal worth about 15 million with the C's.
"Just excited about being a part of the Celtics organization," said Terry, the league's Sixth Man of the Year in 2009. "The franchise, the heritage, the tradition, just putting that jersey on, what KG, Paul Pierce and (Rajon) Rondo have done in the present; just being part of that, and continue to carry that on."
Terry added, "watching the playoffs and seeing that they (Celtics) were one game awayI automatically envisioned myself in a Celtic uniform."
Finding players with that mindset isn't easy, especially when you have to go with a second or third choice.
"No one player makes a team," Ainge said. "Players choose not to come here all the time. There are 30 good basketball teams out there and it's a very competitive league. There are other teams outside of Boston."
While the reasons vary as to why certain players pick the Celtics, there is one common thread it seems among them all - a chance to win, right now.
That certainly was a key to Boston landing Lee, an unrestricted free agent who made it clear to his last team, Houston, that he wanted to play for Boston and encouraged them to work out a sign-and-trade.
"I want to win," Lee told reporters in Orlando last week. "Boston iseverybody knows their record and what they've accomplished over the years, especially with Doc and having KG and Paul, Rondo's still there. That's a team I feel will win and continue to win. That's one factor in the decision."