Rick Pitino says his players haven't turned against him. I believe that.
Pitino is right when he says his biggest enemy is not in his locker
room. I agree with
that, too.
All the man has to do is look in the mirror. There's the
reason Boston is a struggling team.
Pitino is that kid in the candy store who wants to take a
bite out of every piece of chocolate, and then has to pay
for all the pieces he didn't like.
Pitino spit out Chris Mills and Travis Knight after signing
them to big contracts, and now you would imagine he
would like to get rid of Kenny Anderson's $31.7 million
contract, while Antoine Walker is stuck in his teeth,
bound by a $71 million extension.
Pitino is the classic example of why a coach should not
call the shots on personnel. Little Ricky Pitino needs a
mother grabbing him by the ear and scolding, "Why don't
you listen?"
In a TV interview Sunday, Pitino blamed criticism of the Celtics on
fans who want
"instant gratification." Rick ... Ricky, baby, they want what you want.
He also attacked a story in which unidentified players allegedly said
Pitino is too
controlling on and off the court, that he curses like a sailor and
that he browbeat
rookie Paul Pierce when he missed a shot that cost the Celtics a game.
"Everything written was 1,000 percent false," Pitino said. "There was
not an ounce
of truth to it."
However, Pitino is a control freak. That's why he even tried to have
Bob Cousy
and Tommy Heinsohn removed as the team's TV announcers.
There are two serious problems with this team -- Anderson and Walker.
The point
guard doesn't have the physical stature, the conditioning or the aptitude
to play
Pitino's pressure defense. He's a shoot-first, pass-last point guard.
He didn't make
his teammates better in New Jersey, Charlotte or Portland. I'd say
that's a track
record that should have made the buyer beware.
Walker might be the most selfish and immature of the high-profile younger
players
in the league, and that's saying something. He shows no inclination
for hard work,
but he's got $71 million in his pocket. Walker told rival players he
was not happy
when Pitino took over the team in 1997, and he's not a pleasure to
play with.
Pierce complained to a reporter, "It was a lot more fun at Kansas. Everybody
liked
each other at Kansas."
Later,
Starke
Josh Farber wrote:
There is a Pitino article on ESPN.com, but you have to be a member to view it. Can someone who is a member please go there and post the article? Here's the link: http://espn.go.com/premium/nba/columns/eastern/01184550.html Thanks! Josh