Re: On Bird and Gaston, et al.

[Rick MacDonald <rsm@shore.net>]

JOzersky@aol.com wrote:
> 
> 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?
 
Yea, I have some. LB is not and never has been a yes man.. Is he good
judge of talent? I don't know..But I liked what I read concerning how he
would run things ie. Listen to the scouts and then clear the room with
just him a the coach remaining to make the decision, and how he would
reorganize the front office to clear out the dead wood "yes men".

Unfortunately, I feel "thanks dad" does not care if he wins or not and
is only interested in making money.Nor does he have a clue as to what LB
means to the celtic fans.. If he lets LB go to Indiana, I'll Never
forgive the Celtics..From what I have read Pitino made Walker the player
he is, I have read AW had/has very poor work/practice habits and needs
to be constantly pushed and challenged. I don't think he will raise his
game to the next level under ML. Finally ML is a great talker and could
sell anything to anybody. He seems like a great guy and always seems to
be upbeat and positive. I can see why the players like him. However, I
don't care if ML is blue, green, yellow, black, white, or on the federal
governments endangered speices list, the man can't coach. I don't think
you keep some one who can't do the job, just to be politically correct.
Maybe Pitino is not the answer,(Although I think he is),But either is
ML. We need to find a coach.
 
Rick