post comments from OFF list

["LadyNada" <ladynada@mediaone.net>]

Is there any objection to posting another person's comments from off list?
As an example, see the post below, found on the espn message boards; I
thought it was insightful:
Posted by: Skin9999
<http://community.espn.go.com/cgi/epp/request.dll?FRONTPAGE&username=Skin999
9                                                        > (584 Msgs
<http://boards.go.com/cgi/espn/request.dll?LIST&room=NBA_bos&author=14768550
> ) 	Author status: Preferred | Neutral
<http://boards.go.com/cgi/espn/request.dll?MESSAGE&room=NBA_bos&id=38995&act
ion=userStatus&status=0&userIDTo=14768550>  | Ignored
<http://boards.go.com/cgi/espn/request.dll?MESSAGE&room=NBA_bos&id=38995&act
ion=userStatus&status=-1&userIDTo=14768550>   	5:02PM PDT, Apr 20, 2000

	
	
	
	
	

Anyone who thinks that there will be wholesale changes is going to be sorely
disappointed. Lets look at why: 

1) The limitations imposed by the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) are
designed to limit player movement. 

Someone surely will argue this point, using Orlando as an example. But, try
as hard as a team might, this wholesale housecleaning will probably not
happen again. Teams are wiser now to the intricacies of the CBA. 

This profoundly impacts trading Antoine. Becasue he has a base salary
contract, the Celtics could only trade him to a team with some room under
the cap. There are probably only a half dozen teams who can make this deal.
And those teams have other plans. 

In addition, what team in it's right mind would trade a player (or group of
players) that they pay $7.5M for one that they'll have to pay $10M? What
team wants to pay $10M for a player that can't defend at either forward
position? So Antoine is more than likely here to stay. 

2) The team has some players that would have to be replaced if they were
traded. So trading them, in a scenario where both teams are satisfied, may
create more problems that it fixes. 

If Kenny, for example, gets traded, he has to be replaced. Replacing him
through the draft is not going to turn the team into a contender next year.
A team won't trade their $6M point guard for $7M Kenny, unless he isn't
worth $6M. 

The most realistic option is to sign a replacement guard with the $2.25M
exception. Good point guards get paid big money, mediocre ones don't. A PG
that would sign for the exception is unlikely to be better than Kenny. 

So say what you will, though his defense may be questionable, he is still a
respected offensive threat. He is the 3rd option in the Celtics offense and
he is a relatively reliable one. And as it's been pointed out several times
on this board, he'd have a lot more assists if 'Toine and Pierce used better
judgement and Vitaly could catch the ball. He's probably here to stay. 

3) Pitino has his faults but for strictly financial reasons he is here to
stay at least as team President. He can resign as coach but hold Gaston to
his contract and keep him as president. He will have his say in personnel
moves one way or another. 

4) Bill Russell has told everyone that he thinks there are a couple of
improvements that should be made. This comment from Russell means that
Pitino would be making a serious political mistake to overhaul the team. If
he thinks the fans are negative now, imagine how they'd be if he didn't take
a Celtics' legend's advice. 

So all you posters that are crying for Pitino's head and a massive overhaul
of the team, might as well steel yourselves for a disappointing off-season.
Accepting the unavoidable is less agonizing than raging against it.

winmail.dat