Now the pressure's really on Rick.

[damekmo@teleport.com]

So...anybody think Paul Gaston's wondering if he made a huge mistake hiring
Pitino. Listen...don't think that Larry Brown's success this season isn't
killing these guys. Let's review. If I understand it correctly, Pitino was
offered this job, turned it down, and then when he heard that they were
negotiating with Larry Brown, Pitino came back and accepted. This is how it
was reported...yes? And if I remember correctly, Brown was only going to
coach...yes? Anyway, let's not forget one thing about Pitino. This from the
New York Times...two Sundays ago, I think:

><p>  "Al (Bianchi) wanted to play like the Detroit
>Pistons," Pitino said. "I wanted to play
>like the Lakers. I knew that, and that's
>why I left, because it was a battle I didn't want to fight."
>
><p>   "The g.m. has to hire the coach," he
>added. "And the way the Knicks were
>doing it for years were hiring both simultaneously, independent of each
>other. It didn't work."

There was only one way Pitino was coming to coach the Celtics, and that was
if he had total control. He wasn't going to work in a situation where his
judgement was questioned...ever again. And if the reports are true about
Pitino and Brown, I wouldn't doubt that there were those in the
organization who felt they should've stuck with Brown. He was willing to
work for less money...yes? Also, Brown must've known that he wasn't the
team's first choice, and yet that didn't matter. I'm sure somebody thought
that meant something. But anyway, you know it's killing the Celtics front
office that Pitino gave them a year of excuses about the schedule, nobody
being in shape, nobody coming in for workouts, not enough people knowing
the system...blah, blah, blah, and Larry Brown has an offense that can be
described as "get the rebound, give the ball to one player, and get out of
the way," a defense that wasn't devised by a PHD candidate in physics at
MIT, and yet he takes the Sixers into the second round. Did you hear Brown
last Sunday say that of all the job offers he got two years ago, the Sixers
were in the worst position to succeed. Whether that's true or not is
debateable, but if you hired Pitino, that comment hurt. George Lynch?!?
Matt Geiger?!? Eric Snow?!? Perhaps there's somebody in the Celtics front
office saying I told you so this afternoon.

Paul M.