IT'S (never) TOO EARLY (for Ricky)!!!!!!!!!!!

[damekmo@teleport.com]

>Please do not make a trade and we are still mediocre.  One never trades a
>stud to make the other team better unless we become better also.  We were
>not going to content for the championship this season anyway.  I say ride
>the season out with the current team and then consider trades, free
>agents, and the draft.  Unless we can make a steal of a trade, please do
>not do anything stupid to make the team worse!!!!!!!
>
>
>Greg
>gh18@juno.com

These are difficult, but very entertaining times. A thousand thoughts and
moves race through the mind. The kids were gone all day yesterday so I
spent hours cycling, thinking about this team, and coughing up phlegm.
Here's the problem that Pitino has: Mercer, Walker, Pierce and Anderson(?)
are the only assets on this team anybody wants. Well....they're the only
assets anybody will want if they have to give up something that will
actually help the Celtics get over "the hump." Now, I could be the one
who's getting impatient, after preaching patience for weeks, but we all
thought adding a good point and a scoring small forward would get this team
into the playoffs. Well...the team apparently got both and.....500 at best.
This team has, and continues to have a fatal flaw, and I mean "fatal" flaw
and everybody Pitino's about to call knows it. (I'm going to ignore the
possibility that Pitino is the fatal flaw, for now.) Pitino keeps tinkering
with these idiotic projects and it's embarrassing. Every time we hear the
words "project" or "weight room " cross Pitino's lips we should all think
the words "failure" and ".500 at best." When Pitino starts making those
phone calls you can bet the GM he's talking to is thinking "desperate."
Now...I could be totally wrong about this but I just think we, on this
list, think way too much of Barros. I think if Pitino could've moved Barros
and the Number One for some serious frontcourt / rebounding help he
would've done it. Barros is a backup point at best and people aren't
jumping up and down to get him. He's not going to help a team with enough
talent to spare get to the next level. A draft pick is always "iffy."
Barros and Popeye, who I still think was a mediocre player "before" his
injury, and the Number One? Look, I think if Pitino wants to actually
upgrade this team, and not tinker around the edges, he's going to have to
give up either Walker, Pierce, Mercer or Anderson. If it's me Pitino calls,
and I have a player with enough talent to help him, I let him stew in
desperation if he doesn't offer me one of those players. After looking at
this team...it's Mercer. I agree with "Mister Ghost" that Pitino is looking
for a home run here, and if he has to, and I think he does, give up one of
his "core" assets, we're in for a three-way deal including Mercer, and the
team's Number One or perhaps another player for some actual
honest-to-goodness real legitimate NBA talent.  Pitino's had it with
getting killed on the boards. I think he keeps Walker, Pierce and Anderson.
I still believe Anderson is an asset with some inside help and a two who
can hit a three (Otherwise Anderson's the only "outside" threat in the
backcourt and with Pitino as his coach, he's gunning. Nobody wants to see
that every night.) I think we're in for something big soon. But
then...perhaps I'm just in a mood for a little more "list entertainment."

Paul M.