Pitino has owner's blessing

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

  Yesterday's surreal Steve Bulpett interview with "Thanks Dad" is a good
argument why you shouldn't send your kids to expensive prep schools and
promise them a professional NBA franchise as a graduation present etc.
Judging from the Q&A, it's almost creepy the degree to which a street-smart,
wiseguy like "Rich" Pitino has got the owner rapped around his fingers.

> Pitino has owner's blessing: Gaston is `100 percent' behind coach
> by Steve Bulpett
>
> Wednesday, April 19, 2000
>
> Q. Where do you feel the Celtics are on the path between where they were
> three years ago and where they need to get?
>
> A. I think Rick (Pitino) has articulated it as well as anyone can. I
> think we're a few games shy of making the playoffs, obviously, and
> didn't get it done the way we hoped we could. But we're not as far away
> as perhaps some people think.

"A few games shy"? The Celtics were anywhere from 16 to 12 games below .500
for the last month of the season.  And even if Boston had won over half of
its games ultimately decided by 3 points or less (4-13), they still would
have been "a few games shy" of the playoffs.


> Q. Did the team meet your expectations this season?
>
> A. I think Rick and I agree that the team didn't meet either of our
> expectations, although they came fairly close. They made a good run for
> it until it kind of all fell apart over the last few weeks.

What is this "our" expectations crap? Gaston is either really dumb, or
Pitino is the slickest con man in the basketball.

> Q. What is your reaction to Rick Pitino saying he will offer his
> resignation if things don't work out next season?
>
> A. I'm not entirely certain of what was said, but I'll say this for the
> record: I'm 100 percent behind coach Pitino, and I think his
> commitment to our team has been self-evident. And he's given me every
> indication that that will continue.

I'm speechless. What should the coach's continued "commitment" have to do
with anything? And judging by Gaston's vague denial, I wouldn't be surprised
if Pitino totally fabricated the story he told the press about offering his
resignation to the owner.

> Q. Much has been made about the Celtics' budget. Do you think it's
> possible, considering what other owners are doing, to stay within the
> salary cap and still be competitive for a championship?
>
> A. I absolutely do believe going forward it's possible to stay in the
> region of the salary cap and the league's two exceptions ($1 million and
> middle class, which is $2.25 million this summer) and have a
> championship team. I absolutely believe that.

He can absolutely believe whatever he wants, but --since Pitino already has
the team 10 million over the cap--Gaston is either a complete math flunky
(probable) or he expects to re-sign Pierce, Forston and Griffin for less
than a dollar a head. (Not that this would lead to a championship).

In general, we seem to have an owner and a coach in complete denial.  It's
hard for me to believe there could be any sports franchise more
dysfunctional than the Boston Celtics right now.

I still love the Celtics, obviously. Thanks to the strong finish we all
hoped for, at least they've improved their winning percentage over last
season (from .380 to .427). Three straight years of decline under Pitino
would have been a lot more hard to bear going into next season. BTW, did
anyone correctly predict the "win-loss" record this year?

Joe

p.s. Regarding the Y2K draft, I don't think Boston should rule out a wing
forward/guard if that's the best player available. During the second half of
last season, the Griffin/Cheaney starting slot proved to be as weak a link
as any position on the club (particularly in terms of scoring). My guess is
that Wallace will take a long look at some of the high school stars but that
Pitino will lean more toward someone who can help the team immediately
during Pitino's final year in Boston. Due to the cap situation, I don't
think Pitino really has an option of trading away all our future draft picks
for veterans, even if the picks are packaged along with a major contract
(Anderson, Williams or Antoine). I view this as a blessing.

p.p.s. In my last post, I wrote that Antoine Walker has shot .491 on
2-pointers in "the last two games". What I meant to say was "the last two
months" (March and April).

BTW, I wrote at the start of the season that if Antoine did not shoot at
least .700 from the free throw line, we should dump him. He needed to go 4-4
from the line last night, but instead went 4-5 to finish at .699. Oh well, I
guess I only "meant it at the time" (my favorite Pitinoism).  :-)

****