Re: Fellowship of the miserable

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

This is exactly the type of criticism that I'm talking about. First of
all, you criticize him both when he signs a player and then trades him
away. For instance, you count Travis Knight and Tony Battie as two
mistakes. At most, they are one, and that's not even clear here. His
contract is certainly a reasonable size (average NBA salary, roughly).
This sort of double counting is a way for you to have a lot of
mistakes on your list. The real issue is, what kind of talent does he
currently have on the team after all his moves, and how well does it
all fit together? Counting mistakes like "he signed Massenberg" is
pointless and the exact type of mindless negativity that I am talking
about. Who cares about Tabak or Popeye Jones or Eric Williams? They 
were throw-ins for a trade. 

Now if you want to please the armchair GMs, you trade your young
talent and first round draft picks for proven veterans that are around
age 34-36. Pitino has not traded young for old with the exception of
Kenny Anderson and almost all the players who you list as mistakes
that are still on the team are very young. Yeah, he hasn't acquired
any "proven" players. Proven players that aren't at the end of their
careers are expensive to acquire; you either have a lot of cap space
or give up a lot of young talent. And this "can't attract free agents"
stuff is unsubstantiated BS. How much cap space has Boston had to 
offer free agents recently? Only the exceptions. Of course you don't
attract "premium" free agents with the exceptions. And Cheaney was
pursued by Pat Riley, let's not forget, who I think is a proven talent
evaluator if you judge by his past moves and the team he's constructed.

Alex

> Unless you are talking about players obtained in pre-pitino moves, which the
> only two remaining I can think of are Barros & Ellison,  I would have to say
> he has complete control over all the moves that have been made since he
> arrived. The reason he gets paid the big bucks is for his talent evaluation
> skills, and to teach young players with raw talent, how to become more
> rounded players, and spot talent in the late first or early second rounds
> like a Hornacek, Cuttino Mobley, etc. If they do not want to listen, its
> time to look to move them elsewhere as you will never win a championship
> with selfish players.
> 
> If you look at the moves he has made, that have actually made this team
> better, you could probably count them on one hand. Paul Pierce who pretty
> much fell into his lap, Kenny Anderson still questionable , but if healthy,
> an upgrade over Billups, and Adrian Griffin.
> 
> Now count the ones that haven't, which I am probably missing some.
> 
> Trading high second round pick for a front office person (Who was taken by
> Miami with this pick Mark Strickland ?)
> Mills
> Massenberg
> Popeye
> The guy with bad knees that never played whose name I can't remember, from
> the Anderson or Massenberg trade.
> Tabak
> McCarty (stupid big contract)
> Billups (Tough draft with not a lot of talent, but could he have traded for
> a veteran ?)
> Knight (Big contract to unproven player. Did he really think he could play
> the 4 or 5 spot ?) (Good move to jettison him though !)
> Schintzius ????
> Battie (Another big contract for an unproven talent)
> Potapenko (jury still out, based on big men market value)
> Fortson (Still to be shown, Mercer is playing well in Denver)
> Cheaney (only FA who really wanted to play in Boston ?)
> Williams - he wasn't worth the contract before his injury, why would you
> take him back after it, with his big multi year contract ???
> 
> 
> Not a good track record so far.  I think any of us fools could have done
> just as bad.
> 
> I think he is still having a tough time attracting people to Boston in free
> agency.