Web-published April 04, 1999
THE NBA
Pitino Needs More Than Leprechauns
MARK HEISLER, Times Staff Writer
Where
have
you
gone,
M.L.
Carr:
Their
tradition
is
over,
their
rebuilding
program
lies
in
ruin
and
their
genius
is
trying
to
stamp
out
an
incipient
mutiny.
Aside from
that, how do you like
the Boston Celtics'
rebirth?
The gloves are
finally off in
Boston, where they
are facing some hard
truths about Rick
Pitino, who was
supposedly running
and pressing them
back to glory but now
finds himself halfway
down the lottery.
"I bought into
a lot of it myself,"
says Bob Cousy, the
Celtics' TV
commentator and
living legend, "but
it hasn't happened."
What went
wrong?
Oh,
everything.
Pitino charmed
birds out of the sky
so long, he forgot
there were limits to
what even he can get
away with. People
learned that if he
praised a
player--say,
broken-down Pervis
Ellison--it generally
meant the guy was
useless, was taking
up millions under the
salary cap and Pitino
was desperate to dump
him.
Having worked
in the NBA, Pitino
neglected to factor
in his eight years
away. He grabbed
players he knew from
college recruiting
wars or summer camps,
then panicked, trying
to bail himself out.
He signed
Chris Mills for $33
million and traded
him in camp for four
Knicks, only one of
whom--reserve Walter
McCarty--remains.
He drafted
Chauncey Billups
third in the draft
and traded him in his
rookie season for
Kenny Anderson, who
had five years left
on his contract, at
$7.5 million per.
He was so
relieved the new
rules kept Antoine
Walker from demanding
$115 million, he gave
him
$71 million,
after which Walker's
fire-from-anywhere
game lost its charm
and fans began booing
whenever he touched
the ball.
"I don't mind
the booing," said the
unrepentant Walker,
failing, as usual, to
grasp the point, "but
on every shot? Is
that going to make
things better?"
Players always
grumbled about
Pitino's obsessive,
tyrannical style but
forgave him when they
won. Now they're
losing and he's
getting louder.
The Boston
Globe's Michael
Holley, citing three
unidentified sources,
reported that Pitino
screamed at Paul
Pierce for missing
free throws in a
one-point loss to the
New Jersey Nets on
March 1, reducing the
rookie to tears.
Pierce, who averaged
20 points in February
and was already
considered their best
player, went 0 for 11
his next time out and
dropped to 10 a game
in March.
Their
second-best player is
Ron Mercer. The Globe
reported that Celtic
officials fear he
dislikes Pitino so
much, he won't
re-sign.
"Everyone is
asking if the team
quit on me," a
defiant Pitino said.
"I can't wait to get
it started toward
next season. . . .
I'm staking my
reputation. I've
never lost. But I
took over an
expansion team."
That's fair
enough and he's good
enough, he might pull
it off. Of course,
first he has to find
another point guard.
"I'm not going
to give you any names
but there's only one
guy on this team I
don't enjoy coaching,
" Pitino told Holley,
"I don't like people
who are not
passionate about the
game of basketball.
And I don't like
cowards."
Insiders say
he means Anderson.
..TE: Players who
helped themselves a
lot in the NCAA
tournament:
* Baron Davis,
UCLA--Unless a
doctor's report on
his knee scares
teams, he's a sure
top-10 pick, probably
top five. "I knew he
was an outtasight
athlete," said a
once-skeptical
general manager, "but
I didn't know he was
that outtasight."
* Wally Szczerbiak,
Miami of Ohio--Pros
hadn't seen much of
this late bloomer.
What's not to like?
* Richard Hamilton,
Connecticut--Pros had
questions about his
skinny frame, but he
sure looked like a
gamer.
* Ron Artest, St.
John's--Lot of game
for a 6-foot-6,
235-pounder.
* Harold (the Show)
Arceneaux, Weber
State--Who ever heard
of him before he
busted North
Carolina?
* Matt Santangelo,
Gonzaga--Got himself
on the list of
players they'll be
looking at next
season.
And some who
didn't:
* Mateen Cleaves,
Michigan State--Took
the Spartans a long
way, but pros are off
him. No range, no
accuracy. Too many
better point guards
in the draft but the
word is, he may come
out anyway.
* Kenny Thomas, New
Mexico--As usual,
this 6-8, 250-pounder
stunk up his final
game. "He'll have to
show himself in the
draft camps," says a
general manager.
"People are
confused."
* Khalid El-Amin,
Connecticut--Made the
big shot against
Duke. Big heart,
short body,
questionable
playmaker. ..TE: Lie
down with
mercenaries, wake up
with bills: Alonzo
Mourning of the Miami
Heat, who probably
makes $100,000
annually from Nike,
was fined $5,000 for
wearing the wrong
color sneakers and
billed the shoe
company that amount,
for not shipping his
new shoes to him on
time.
All those
cigars must have
caught up with him:
Red Auerbach says
that after acquiring
center Vitaly
Potapenko, who's
averaging nine points
and six rebounds, to
help Tony Battie,
who's averaging 6.4
points and 5.2
rebounds, the Celtics
are only two players
away. "We need a
power forward, a guy
who when that ball
goes up, you've got
this animal who's
going to get it,"
Auerbach said. "And
we need another big
guard, someone 6-3 or
6-4 that can play
defense and shoot a
little bit. If we get
those two, we'll be
very highly
competitive because
our center position
is good now and I
also like Battie.
Battie plays hard and
blocks shots. He's a
perfect backup. But
if you get one more
big guy, you'll
really be in good
shape here." Bill
Russell?
After a week
of complaining to
reporters and showing
the only real fire of
any of the New York
Knicks, Latrell
Sprewell got
embattled Jeff Van
Gundy to put him back
in the starting
lineup. Quoth Van
Gundy: "If I had my
way, I would have him
say, 'The Knicks
brought me here. They
showed a lot of faith
in me. I'll do
whatever they want me
to do to help us
win.' That's what I'd
rather have him not
just say but believe
in his heart. But
this is the NBA so
I'm not necessarily
sure that is going to
happen or is
realistic."
The Orlando
Magic's Horace Grant,
after missing a
half-court shot with
10 seconds left in
the first half, then
making the winner in
a 100-98 victory over
the Nets: "At
halftime, my
teammates wanted me
to take a drug test.
Maybe I should start
watching the clock a
little bit closer."
Behind those
Michael Jordan
reports: nothing.
Charlotte Hornet
owner George Shinn,
trying to sort out
financial and legal
woes and keep his
team, floated the
possibility that
Jordan would come in
as 50% owner,
possibly even play.
Jordan might have
been willing to
consider an ownership
stake--on his own
terms. He'd lend them
his name and pay no
money for his 50%.
Former Celtic
David Wesley, now a
Hornet, on Pitino:
"These are grown men.
In college, you're
afraid of losing your
scholarship and in a
lot of cases you know
your parents can't
pay for college
without it. It's
different in the
pros. As big an ego
as Pitino has, he's
coaching players with
bigger egos who make
just as much money.
They aren't going to
listen to that but so
long." . . . And
Wesley on Anderson:
"You want guys who
fit the system. I
don't think anybody
would recognize Kenny
as a defensive
player. That's not a
knock on him, that's
just the way it is.
Putting Kenny in that
system is like
putting Joe Smith in
the Eastern
Conference. It
doesn't fit and that
shows, the way Smith
is thriving in
Minnesota." <SNIP>
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