Re: Jerry West interview.

[Kim Malo <kmalo19@idt.net>]

At 12:43 PM 5/10/98 -0700, "Michael J. King Sr." <kingpin@primenet.com> wrote:
>At 12:39 5/10/98 , damekmo@teleport.com wrote:
<snip>
>>He takes risks...he has guts...he makes moves...he gets it done.
<snip>
>>If the Celtics had had
>>anyone in their organization with the guts and vision of Jerry West?
<snip>

>But Paul how do you really feel?!  I agree that West is a great GM but not
>to the degree that you do. I agree that the Celts organization WAS in the
>toilet but M.L. et al have been flushed (Pun intended) and in one year RP
>and Co. have dramatically improved the team and organization. That can not
>be denied. Jerry West could not have done any better IMO than RP did and
>yes we still have to see if he can continue the upward progression before
>anointing him the next "Red" . The Laker organization didn't fall as far as
>the Celts did so his job wasn't as hard as rebuilding the Celts.

Right. And why WAS that? Jerry West. The walking talking refutation of the
mantra that you have to go to the bottom and get a top draft pick to
rebuild. Paul's right on this one. The rot in the Cs org predated ML. We've
been sinking lower and lower for the past 10 years or so, because there was
no one with the guts and vision to make the right moves. The point isn't if
West could done more than RP this one year, but that the same problems
wouldn't have been there to deal with if we'd had leadership at the top
instead of the years of inaction, drafting guys like Michael Smith and Acie
Earl, extending the contracts of mediocre players and signings like 'Nique's
for box office rather than basketball reasons. 

> I have to
>disagree with going solely on the  talent of a player no matter that he
>might be a cancer in the locker room. Do you think Jerry would jump on the
>likes of  J.R. Rider , Latrell Sprewell , Derrick Coleman , Oliver Miller,
>Vernon Maxwell , Lloyd Daniels or Richard Dumas?
<snip>

But 'locker room cancer' can be as much reputation as fact, or a function of
the particular locker room as real problems with the player himself. Classic
case in point -DJ. The cases you cite are the extreme ones, and while I
agree that past problems should not totally be ignored, there are other,
lesser risks worth looking at. It does still take talent to win. There'd be
no scandal with a team full of Marty Conlons, but no championships either.
And winning has usually seemed to smooth out all but the most extreme
personality problems, just as losing has magnified borderline ones.
<snip>
-Kim
Kim Malo
kmalo19@idt.net