Times Union Interview

[Dave Wickerham <wickerhd@crisny.org>]

Rick Pitino is in upstate New York for the Saratoga Meet.  Here is an
interview he gave to the Albany Times Union on August 11.

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   [INLINE] Pitino banking on success
   
   ALBANY -- He is one of the regulars, just another guy looking to cash
   in a long shot. Rick Pitino has picked the Saratoga Race Course as his
   summer place to be, to relax, to rejuvenate. At the Graveyard of
   Favorites, there's even more hope than action.
   
   "Not bad,'' Pitino said. "I miss a lot of races talking.''
   
   Pitino isn't all talk, and the Boston Celtics have a new look to prove
   it. The Celtics have had an assortment of new looks since Pitino took
   over as czar of basketball operations. None of those new looks have
   had the upper crust of the National Basketball Association looking
   over their shoulders, bemoaning the day when shamrocks become high
   fashion again.
   
   The Pitino regime is preparing for its third season, and neither seas
   nor opposing defenses have parted. Water has yet to turn into wine.
   Kenny Anderson has yet to guard anybody.
   
   Still, nobody can accuse Pitino of doing nothing while the empire
   crumbles. For one thing, the empire already was in ruins when Pitino
   arrived fresh off winning the 1996 NCAA Tournament with the Kentucky
   Wildcats. For another, Pitino has done everything in his power to
   populate the rest of the league with former Celtics. If you can't beat
   them, water them down with the players you had who weren't good enough
   to beat them in the first place.
   
   Breaking up the old 15-67 Celtics wasn't exactly like spray-painting
   graffiti inside the Louvre. As of the last time Pitino was on the
   phone, Antoine Walker, Dana Barros, Pervis Ellison and Greg Minor were
   the only remaining Celtics players from opening night of 1997.
   
   The newest Celtics include forwards Danny Fortson and Eric Williams,
   swingman Calbert Cheaney and guards Eric Washington and Wayne Turner.
   Actually, Williams is a new old Celtic -- sent to the Denver Nuggets
   as one of Pitino's first house-cleaning measures. The Nuggets shipped
   Williams, Fortson, Washington and a No. 1 pick to the Celtics in
   return for guard Ron Mercer and assorted other spare parts.
   
   Mercer helped win the '96 national title at Kentucky. He averaged 17
   points per game last season. On the other hand, the Celtics have
   missed the playoffs the past two seasons with him. They can do that
   without him.
   
   "Basically, we got four assets for one,'' Pitino said. "And all four
   assets are very strong on our system. We thought we hit a grand
   slam.''
   
   Mercer wants to be paid like a star, and he was third behind Walker
   and Paul Pierce in the Celtics' pecking order. Now Mercer's wants and
   needs are the Nuggets' problem. Mercer already has declared his
   intention to pursue free-agency at the end of next season.
   
   "I think we got about $1.20 on the dollar,'' Pitino said. "We knew we
   could not sign Ron Mercer. The first thing we had to do was make our
   ballclub somehow as good, if not stronger.''
   
   Where there's Pitino's will, there's a way to elevate a college
   program almost overnight. Pitino did it at Providence, and he did it
   at Kentucky. At the college level, a coach has a chance to outwork,
   out-recruit and out-smart the competition.
   
   Can Pitino's hard-driving ways get the same kind of results in the
   NBA? With the salary cap restrictions of the NBA, teams are
   hard-pressed to stockpile the sort of depth necessary to play the
   pressing, up-tempo style that Pitino favors. Besides, many players can
   only stand to be driven and pushed so much before they begin looking
   for an easier way to make a living. Pitino always had the luxury in
   college of turning over a new team before his demands wore too thin.
   
   "I don't think you try to impose your will on a franchise,'' Pitino
   said. "You have an organized scheme of attack. You know what you want
   to do. Our goal right now is to accumulate as much talent as we can.
   We had four or five players who were at the CBA level last year. Now
   we have maybe one player at the CBA level.''
   
   Pitino had a plan from the beginning, and it revolved around Tim
   Duncan. The Celtics had the best chance of drawing the winning lottery
   ticket in '97, only to settle for the third pick. The drop off from
   Duncan to No. 2 pick Keith Van Horn was precipitous enough. By the
   time it was the Celtics' time to pick, pickings were so slim that
   Chauncey Billups looked to Pitino like the best player left on the
   draft board.
   
   That's one way to send a franchise back to the drawing board.
   
   "What I said when I first got hired, before the loss of Duncan and Van
   Horn, is we would be in the playoffs in the third or fourth season and
   at the championship level in the fifth or sixth season,'' Pitino said.
   "We're going to stick to our plan: We'll be in the playoffs in our
   third or fourth year, and the championship level in the fifth or sixth
   year.''
   
   Pitino has a 55-77 record with the Celtics. In a lockout-shortened '99
   season, the Celtics finished eight games out of the playoffs. Still,
   Rick Pitino can look at what he has and say, "I'm excited. Very
   excited.''
   
   Of course, there are those who suggest that Pitino's dominant
   characteristic is ambidexterity: He can talk out of both sides of his
   mouth.
   
   Pitino was at Hoffman Park Courts on Tuesday morning, conducting a
   free basketball clinic. At the end of the session, Pitino took
   questions and answers from the participants. His answer to the first
   question posed indicates that coaching in the NBA is no day at the
   track.
   
   "How does it feel to be an NBA coach?'' Pitino repeated. "It feels
   good. I love the Boston Celtics. They've won more championships than
   any other franchise ... .
   
   "Anybody else?''
   
   Steve Campbell's column is published four times a week. To reach him,
   call 454-5496.