The Holley Lama's Excellent Pitino Column

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

BSG nicknamed Michael Holley: The Holley Lama for his writing style.... 

Celtics hit bottom with Pitino at top 


By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 4/20/2000 

For 10 minutes last night, I was part of Rick Pitino's posse. I was one
of the boys, a groupie, a hanger-on. I was the guy who would have gone
to an invitation-only Pitino affair and claimed to be atop the
president/coach's guest list. If Pitino had opened his own church in
those few minutes, I would have been in the first pew, shouting out
Amens.


It was the final night of the year for the Celtics - a 35-47 bunch who
lost their religion about a month ago - and Pitino was at the
FleetCenter, explaining what went wrong with his dilapidated team. He
said the defense must improve and become more like the Knicks' (Amen!).
He said the Celtics could use two more good players (Amen again,
brother!). He indicated that he will return to Boston next season,
basically holding the same role he has now (What?).


I guess this is where I become a wayward parishoner. Pitino is a
brilliant coach, but a lot of fans don't realize it because he has had
to coach talent assembled by Pitino The General Manager, one of the
worst in the NBA. To contradict one of the coach's book titles, success
is not truly a choice as long as Pitino has a front-office voice.


Pitino, team owner Paul Gaston, and titular GM Chris Wallace are
scheduled to meet in New York today. If Gaston cares about winning and
spending his money wisely, he will attempt to realign the Celtics' power
structure. If Gaston doesn't make a switch, the team will continue to
lose, and the owner will be part of the problem.


As a $7 million-per-year coach/executive, Pitino has a three-year record
of 90-124. As a $1 million-per-year coach/executive, M.L. Carr had a
two-year record of 48-116. In other words, the Celtics paid $20,833.33
for each of Carr's victories. They paid $77,777.77 for Pitino's. Talk
about costly victories. And for what? Gaston is paying $50,000-plus more
now for each victory than he did four years ago. What has changed?


Some families vacation on the Cape; the Celtics are accustomed to April
vacations in lottery haven Secaucus, N.J. Carr's best record was 33-49;
Pitino's best record was 36-46. In Pitino's first season, his team was
five games better than the 76ers; this season, the team is 15 games
worse than Philadelphia.


Listening to Pitino talk about how things are going to get better is
like listening to a student explain a report card full of C's and D's.
It will be better next time. Next week. Next semester. Next year. It was
the teacher. The principal. A misunderstanding. The budget. The lockout.
The training facility. Youthfulness. Something.


Whom is Pitino going to blame when the Celtics don't make the playoffs
next year - little Elian Gonzalez?


Pitino says he is not leaving for New Jersey, North Carolina, Kentucky,
or UCLA. I believe him. Since he is returning, it is foolish for anyone
to pray for his departure. A more realistic compromise is that Pitino
agree to relinquish his final-say power. He says he is honest with
himself. If that is true, he will examine two of his last three trades,
see how misguided both were, and concentrate on coaching.


He traded Andrew DeClercq and a lottery pick, which turned out to be
Andre Miller, for Vitaly Potapenko. Miller is going to be a star, a
top-five point guard in two years. Potapenko is going to be in two years
what he is now: big, inconsistent, and overpaid. Pitino also traded
Danny Fortson for two scrubs. The deal was rescinded, but it never
should have been made.


So what are the alternatives?


1. The alleged GM Tribunal has to stop. According to Pitino, he doesn't
make decisions in a vacuum. He takes the advice of everybody. What he
fails to mention is that he hired all of the people from whom he takes
advice. That doesn't necessarily make them yes men, but it clearly makes
them employees. Pitino's employees.


In a just world, one man - Wallace - would be the team's GM. He would
listen to Pitino, not answer to him. But that probably won't happen.


2. The team goes outside the organization and hires a GM to work with
Pitino. Former Celtic Wayne Embry would be perfect for the job. He has
been an administrator since the 1970s, he is a Hall of Famer, he loves
Boston, and he has helped put three teams in the playoffs.


3. The team brings in Larry Bird. This would require some dramatic
moves. First, Gaston would have to sell the team. There is no chance
Bird will work under Gaston. None. Secondly, Pitino would have to leave.


Bird wants this job. If he came here, my guess is that he would hire
Quinn Buckner (coach? assistant GM?) and post Dave Gavitt's cell phone
number on his office wall. He would hire a good coach and then step out
of that man's way. How many season-ticket packages do you think the
Celtics will sell for 2000-2001 if the same characters return? How many
will they sell with Bird and a new management team? 


If you want, you can complain about Antoine Walker's 3-pointers, Tony
Battie's softness, Kenny Anderson's lack of defense, and the team's lack
of a shot-blocker. But the first thing a good GM would do with the
Celtics is take one of the team's shining assets (a conditional No.1
from the Nuggets), package it with a contract or two, and try to become
involved in this summer's free-agent party.


That is the only hope for a winning record next season. The Celtics, as
constructed, are not close to winning anything. I think Pitino The Coach
knows that, but I'm not sure Pitino The GM does.


This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 4/20/2000. 
© Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company.