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Re: Jersey Red: C's To Finish First In Division Next Season
My money is on Jersey Red to be president some day.
This is the most brazen cop-out since Nixon's "secret
plan to end the war."
--- Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>
> Wed, Jun 16, 1999
> RED'S WORLD: Pitino has high hopes for Celtics
>
> By KEN 'JERSEY RED' FORD
> Last week I told you that at long last I would
> address the Boston Celtics
> and I wish I hadn't, but a promise is a
> promise!
> The reason I'm hesitant to start a column on
> the C's is that I could get
> halfway through this thing and have to throw
> in the wastebasket and start
> over because even as I write on Friday
> evening, Pitino and Company are
> actively involved in several scenarios that
> could change the complexion of
> the team. They are listening to offers and
> they are making offers and
> something could happen anytime and then again
> absolutely nothing could
> happen at all!
> Pitino knows what he wants and he also knows
> what he will give to get it.
> But he will not give away the store. If they
> trade will be based on need
> and not on greed and Pitino fully knows what
> the Celtics need to get to
> the next level.
> The problem is every team they are talking to
> is very greedy in what they
> want from the Celtics. The president and head
> coach has laid all on the
> line guaranteeing that Boston will make the
> playoffs next year and the
> media is already having a field day with that
> Pitino promise claiming that
> he is in big trouble if he doesn't deliver on
> that promise. And you better
> believe that the media wants him to fail
> because that's the nature of the
> beast today.
> So you can look for some full court
> journalistic pressure placed on the
> coach next season, but guess what? He could
> care less about what they
> write in the papers or what they say on talk
> radio. I've known him for
> about 30 years and there is nothing more he
> enjoys than the "pressure"
> when comes to that.
> He is one of the richest human beings I have
> ever been around. At Midnight
> Madness in his second year at Providence
> College, he boldly announced that
> the Friars would make to the Final Four! I
> stood there dumbfounded and
> told him afterwards that he was NUTS. So what
> did the exorcist do? He took
> them to the Final Four in one of the most
> brilliant coaching jobs ever in
> the annals of college basketball.
> Then was off to New York and the Knicks -- a
> team that had just won 22
> games. In his two years there he coached them
> to 37 wins in his first year
> and 52 in his second, inclduing playoff
> appearances in both and he had
> them right on the cusp of going for a ring the
> next season. But was
> working for a general manager, Al Bianchi, who
> was unhappy with Pitino's
> style of play so Rick beat the posse out of
> town and headed off to the
> most pressured job in all of college
> basketball -- Kentucky.
> The only problem there was he took the job
> when they had just received a
> near death sentence from the NCAA. So what
> does he do at his press
> conference? You got it. He guarantees a
> national championship.
> They had no players. They had the toughest
> schedule in basketball and they
> had fans who were used to winning. And they
> had the dreaded media who
> loved attacking Pitino for his guarantee.
> I told him the night he took the job and made
> that statement that he was
> NUTS. So what does he do? He leads the
> Wildcats to six SEC Championships,
> five Sweet Sixteens, four Elite Eight
> appearances and three Final Fours!
> In his last two seasons at Kentucky he coached
> his team on Monday evenings
> in championship games winning one and playing
> Arizona to the wire in the
> other in Bluegrass land.
> He was bigger than the governor and everywhere
> he went he needed a police
> escort. His name hangs in the rafters of Rupp
> Arena and when he left they
> took hard -- real hard, but they wished him
> well, which brings us to
> today.
> Two years ago he took over a Celtics team that
> had won 18 games. That year
> this storied franchise was at its lowest
> point. Again he made promises at
> his press conference and immediately
> afterwards I told him he was NUTS.
> Well, he went out and won 36 games in his
> first year and then came the
> strike and with "the season from hell", a
> season he openly says was his
> worst as a coach. And what does he do the
> minute the season is over? He
> guarantees the playoffs next season!
> My response to him this time was you are not
> longer NUTS you are INSANE. I
> can't repeat what he said, but I'm telling you
> right now that I have never
> and I do mean never seen him so eager for a
> season to start. He has placed
> himself right where he loves the best, hanging
> with one hand off a ledge
> on a top of a mountain called the NBA and he
> loves it! This sick, sick man
> loves it.
> At the end of the season the players were
> told, that unlike last season,
> they had better show up in "shape" shortly in
> early July. They will hold a
> mini camp at the new facility in Waltham and
> he expects everyone to show
> up. Then it's on to the summer league games in
> California, where he will
> be in basketball heaven. And fortunately, I
> have been invited to make the
> trip!
> He has already had free agents work out and
> strength coach Shawn Brown is
> logging up the frequent flyer miles as he
> travels around the country
> checking up on the status of the players
> conditioning program.
> General Manager Chris Wallace and Head Scout
> Leo Popeil have been to the
> NBA tryout combines and working the phones and
> then there's the meetings.
> Pitino and his staff have held more meetings
> than the UN General Assembly,
> leaving no stone unturned.
> As only I can do, I chide him about being in
> the unemployment line if he
> doesn't make the playoffs next year.
> This past Saturday evening we had dinner in
> Newport along with Holy Cross
> Coach Ralph Willard, long-time friend Joey
> "Bombatz" Iracane and two
> friends of his from Fall River, Angelo Filippi
> and Freddie Bielawski. Rick
> was saying how much he truly loved living in
> New England and I blurted
> out, "enjoy while you can because if you don't
> make the playoffs next year
> you will be coaching in Alaska."
> He got that look in his eyes and said not only
> will they make the
> playoffs, but they be an impact team in the
> post season. I was about to
> say, "you're nuts" but caught myself because
> the look in his eyes and the
> tone in his voice was scary and also because
> I'm sick and tired of him
> making a fool of me. ]
> As a matter of fact I wish the season was
> going to start tomorrow and so
> does he.
> As for trades, all I can tell you is stay
> tuned. Ron Mercer is a very hot
> commodity, but he will be playing in the last
> year of his contract and
> with that in mind he should put some big
> numbers and start slashing to the
> hole getting rebounds and playing Pitino
> defense.
> Paul Pierce is like Elliot Ness --untouchable.
> Antoine Walker has hired a
> personal trainer and is working on his game on
> a daily basis in Chicago.
> Kenny Anderson has pleaded with Rick not to
> trade him. He wants to be a
> Celtic and if I had to bet on today I think he
> will!
> Vitaly Potopako is working out regularly in
> Waltham. Tony Battie will be
> significantly better and in my opinion, Dana
> Barros is the consummate pro,
> a Boston kid who wants to end his career in
> Boston.
=== message truncated ===
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