On Bird and Gaston, et al.

[JOzersky@aol.com]

a long post, but  please read thru ----

I've read all the interviews and all the comments on the interviews, and I am
seriously concerned.  It looks to me like there is at best a 50/50 chance of
Larry coming.  I want him badly, but reading between the lines, it sounds to
me like he is using his forum to 1) make himself available to other teams;
and 2) make clear his refusal to be Paul Gaston's "front man."  He even
refused to sit next to gaston in the stands, something Red Auerbach always
did with Alan Cohen.  Gaston's remarks that "he hopes Bird will always be
with the celtics in some capacity" (words to that effect) suggest that he is
either solicitious for ML's feelings and/or not crazy about handing the ball
to Larry becuse of his own ego.  It's hard to get a bead on the guy, because
he almost never speaks to the media and then in prewritten cliches.  I am
very worried.  I think Gaston has his ego tied up with his hiring of Carr,
and the revelation that the Celts decision-making process is clogged with
layers of yes-men and bureaucrats makes me even more nervous.  Still, ML has
done us right the last two drafts, and this one should be relatively easy,
esp. if we get the top pick.

Is Gaston interested in the Celtics value?  Season tickets?  Winning?  If so,
I would hope he would heed his advisers and solve the ML problem thus:  Make
Bird President, currently only an honorary position filled by an absentee
Auerbach.  Let ML keep his VP job, and make either DJ or Pitino coach.  That
way you spare MLs feelings and also -- and here is another very important
point -- the feelings of the players.

The players really seem to love ML, and I am concerned about the message they
would get from seeing the only black coach/gm in the league, and a devoted
company man at that, fired by a white millionaire so he can bring in two
white "saviours" for the Boston team and its many bigoted fans.  That is one
of my concerns with Pitino.   Plus, Does anyone really think Antoine Walker
would be thrilled to have Pitino back in his face for an 82-game season, plus
camp, preseason and hopefully the playoffs?  I'm still not convinced Pitino
would make a good pro coach.  His tenure with the knicks was dubious, and who
was the last college "genius" to make a top flight pro coach.  (dont say
Larry Brown.)  Maybe the best thing would be to let ML stay as coach, and
give Bird the reins as VP of bball ops.   I don't know if Bird will get any
job at all, though.  Thoughts?