Re: fans chumps

[Nault <rnault@ptialaska.net>]

I don't like the idea of the Celtics tanking the season at all.  Sure they
will get a better draft pick, but there is a little something called pride
at stake.

Tim

>On Mon, 21 Apr 1997, Tim Nault wrote:
>
>> I saw that and I don't know what to think about it.  On one hand it
>> pisses me off, but then there is this small voice in the back of my head
>> that says "what if they really did intentionally lose?"  The more
>
>I am about 95% sure that management made a decision early in the season to
>tank the season.  Does this mean that they told the players to throw
>games?  Of course not.  That would be suicide in this day and age of
>player movement:  someone would throw that back in the Cs faces down the
>line.  What it means is that 1)  Carr put no emphasis on learning to play
>defense/developing defensive strategy in practice or in game day coaching,
>and 2)  injured players were encouraged to rest rather than come back as
>soon as possible.  If this team had tried to win as many games as
>possible, they would have won around 20 and if they hadn't had all the
>injuries (some were legit) they would have won around 25.  I have to
>believe that or I would conclude that our prospect are dim.  I think that
>with Duncan, the 6th pick or whatever trade we come up with, with
>Radja, Minor, and Barros back, and with a real coach who will teach these
>kids defense and coach them to win every game possible, the Celts should
>win half their games next year and fight for the last playoff spot.  In a
>couple more years they will be contending for the conference title maybe
>sooner if they can free up some cap room quickly.
>
>Was it wrong for the organization to do this?  I know a lot of teams have
>done it (Detroit definitely tanked that season to get Grant Hill), but I
>am ambivalent.  It certainly speeds up our ascent, but I always took a
>certain amount of pride in the fact that the Celtics were the epitome of
>overachievers; they won they most games possible with the talent they had
>every year.  That can no longer be said.  However, I also love the fact
>that the Celtics built their great teams through drafts and trades and not
>by buying a team through free agency (ahem jerry west).  That may be old
>fashioned and maybe we will need to accept the new NBA order, but as of
>now, we have a potentially good nucleus (if we get duncan) and we did it
>through drafts and trades.
>
>
>Caleb


Nault
rnault@ptialaska.net

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