Re: TSN: Fan's View: C's Will Regret Trading Mercer

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

> I actually think a lot of the genuine disappointment and (misdirected)
> resentment stems from the fact that the 1997 draft class was so thin. Not 
> that it's a crime, but Pitino made things harder on himself by putting as 
> positive a spin on the draft as he could ("backcourt of the future" etc). 
> Well what was he supposed to say : "Chauncey is a BIG drop off from Van 
> Horn...Hoo-yeah, you know it baby!" ?

The funny thing is that all these media know-it-alls had these draft
projections that had Van Horn going at #6 when every NBA personnel guy
probably had him locked in at #2, and now in hindsight they blast GMs
for their draft choices. I remember Pitino actually hoping out loud that
LaFrentz or Pierce would come out early; I think that unusual move shows 
that he knew he was screwed with the #3 pick.
 
> Anyway, I'd say give Chad a break. What irritates me slightly more is that 
> we'll really never have an opportunity to make well-known journalists 
> slightly accountable for their views, since they will all have 
> professionally covered up their tracks and jumped back on the Celts "glory 
> days" bandwagon in at least as loud and demonstrative a way as they have 
> been presently bashing Pitino's latest and most egregious "act of 
> desperation". For journalists who get paid to cover sports year after year 
> after year, I assume all these rabble rousing flip flops occur regularly 
> enough that they no longer feel even the slightest bit ashamed about it.

Great post. They should really keep a record of their various predictions 
and judgements and see what their batting average is. In fact, I'll probably
clip out several of the latest Pitino denunciations and post them again at
the end of the season. It might be worth a few laughs.

Alex