Mr. Gaston

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

Now that the dust has settled (for the time being) there is still one point
that still bothers me and no one mentions. 

Everyone underestimated Paul Gaston.

OK -- I'll say it first: Paul Gaston is a great owner. After almost 2 years
of hearing Gaston referred to as "Thanks Dad" Gaston, hearing horror
stories about what a cheapskate he is, how he is cutting the budget on
scouting and simply trying to milk the reputation of the Celtics to make a
few bucks, now no-one mentions the fact that these stories basically did
the guy an injustice. 

Gaston came through with the big bucks when needed. You cannot call the
richest coaching deal in sports the work of a cheapskate. Secondly, he
didn't just spring for anybody, he went for one of the top coaches in
basketball. We wants the best for the Celtics. Third, he wasn't afraid to
fire a whole bunch of guys who had been there for several decades - he's
decisive. Fourth, once he got the people he wanted in place he got out of
the way, and made it clear they run the basketball end of the operation.
And finally, it was his personal meeting with Pitino that convinced Rick to
take the job. Apparently the guy has charm as well. 

Who made up the "Thanks Dad" line for the Globe? Was it Peter May or Jackie
McMullen... I have yet to see a re-evaluation of Gaston appear in the
Globe. I've even seen a few posts in this mailing list where Gaston is
still referred to as "Thanks Dad" -- simply out of habit I guess. I say
let's give the guy his due, he's gone a long way towards earning it.

- -Marc