BOSTON – Afraid Danny Ainge would jump elsewhere with several management/coaching jobs open, the Celtics made the unusual move of hiring a new executive director of basketball operations smack dab in the midst of their second-round playoff battle vs. the Nets.

Promising he’ll stay out of the way as the Celtics attempt to rally from an 0-2 series deficit, Ainge was introduced at a formal news conference yesterday afternoon at FleetCenter.

Asked if he’d meet with the players before the game, Ainge said, “No. Absolutely not. I’ll stay away from the coaching staff and the players during this time. I want no distractions.

“I met with [coach] Jim O’Brien this morning. We had a great discussion with him way before shootaround and we talked about things. . . . And I’m staying out of his office and staying out of it and watching from the sidelines.”

Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said he moved quickly because “there are another jobs open around the league” and indicated the Blazers, whose GM Bob Whitsitt resigned, were in the hunt for Ainge, a former Blazer and Celtic.

Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach said, “Distraction, my foot. If they’re going to win, they’re going to win. This is no distraction. You want a guy, you get a guy who can do a job, go get him. Don’t worry about when’s a good time to announce it. That’s a lot of crap. There are other jobs open: Washington, Atlanta, Toronto. You want him, you’re going to lose him.”

Current Celtics GM Chris Wallace, whose future is uncertain, was in Europe scouting.

“We are thrilled that Danny is joining us,” O’Brien said. “To have a former Celtic like Danny take over is an absolute positive.”

In a remark that seemed to diminish the Celtics’ current players, Ainge said, “I believe this team has overachieved the last two years. I believe the coaching staff has done an excellent job maximizing what this team is capable of doing.”