Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V4 #198

[lamphier@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp (Marc Lamphier)]

>Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 17:59:52 GMT
>From: wfcooper@tiac.com (Bill Cooper)
>Subject: Re: Radja Trade
>
[snip

>Pitino is clearly not willing to stand pat and wait for things to
>develop  He's eager to make his mark on the team before the start of
>the next season.  This strategy has two risks:  That he might get
>stuck with a poor team next year and catch some flak for pulling down
>the big bucks without delivering.  Or that he might get caught in the
>middle (a la the early 90's Cleveland Cavaliers).  A lot of solid
>players, but no real franchise player.
>

In one of the Globe articles Pitino says his goal is to ultimately end up
with 3 all-stars, and he thinks he already has one in Walker. This is the
same thing Red Auerbach said earlier in the year when interviewed about the
future of the Celtics at the All-Star game; "to win a championship, you
need three great players"

If this is his goal and he means it Pitino is going to be hesitant to
commit too much to players who are good but not great. I say the watchword
over the next year or two is flexibility - shorter contracts, younger
players -- so that when the opportunities come up the Celts will be able to
commit to the players they ultimately want to get.

- -Marc