Re: Pitino's stupid things? Okay.

[Joe Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

"Christopher J. Littlefield" wrote:

(.....)The reason this is so galling is because this was our last year to get
anything done in the free agent market.  Next season
Walker's extension goes into effect, starting at $9 mil against the cap.  The
year after that, Mercer. (...)

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Hi Christopher

I liked your very balanced post, but IMO one should also argue that one
germane reason why the Celtics had so little free cap space this offseason is
because they also had virtually every guy already under contract, quite
unlike the relatively big spending Orlando and Phoenix clubs (who couldn't
even field a starting five a week ago).

Bear in mind that the miserly Celtics had the 8th or 9th lowest payroll in
the NBA last season. As much as we enjoy moaning about Pervis and Dana, IMHO
the Celts now have miraculously few if any irrationally overpaid deadbeats
left on the roster compared to essentially any other NBA team. Give Pitino
and Wallace due credit for mercilessly transforming a rudderless, feel good,
bloated-salary club into one that actually should have been well-positioned
to compete in this year's free agent market,  if only the new salary cap was
not significantly lower than had been anticipated. That fact, certainly more
than Pitino's failings, is why we couldn't bid as planned for a Theo Ratliff
or Matt Geiger-type guy.

Plus it took uncommon guts IMO to dump four of our five leading scorers
(including the most popular players in Wesley and Fox) in exchange for the
Knick's 12th and 13th men (Walter and Dontae). Based on the veteran talent he
kept, Pitino could easily have lost more games in his first season than M.L.
Carr did in his last. Remember that key Pitino spot-starters like Bowen,
Walter, Minor and Andrew were basically unwanted 12th men from non-playoff
teams. That was the price Pitino was willing to risk in order to better
compete in the future.

And not only did that weak-excuse-for-an-NBA-team end up playing entertaining
basketball (on Walker's back mostly), but Pitino also helped Paul "Thanks
Dad" Gaston turn a 14 million operating profit (despite several million
dollars in consultancy fees spent on hangers-on like M.L. Carr, Dave Gavitt,
Allan Cohen etc.) Now with a new TV contract etc., Gaston can look forward to
even more "hanging around money" this year for himself and his dear family.
And more importantly, the Celtics now have (as if by divine grace) a far, far
more potent scoring and rebounding lineup this year than last.

I guess Pitino's doing okay.    (not that you implied otherwise)

Joe

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