please, please don't let this same bunch come back next year

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

I sincerely hope Pitino is just blowing smoke when claiming "the answer is
in this lockerroom." Please tell me he doesn't believe this team is capable
of anything more than, at best, breaking even. The only way things improve
for the Celts is with drastic changes or incredible luck in the lottery.
We're weak at PG, SF and C, and average at SG (I'll probably get killed for
calling St. Paul average, but I can name 15 better players at that position)
and PF. Toine still has the potential to be better than that, but right now,
he's average. The bench is pathetic. There is no young player ready to
mature into a contributor. The cap exceptions will not offer the answer.

So why would anyone think this team, as constituted, can make any kind of
drastic improvement? It can't. Not next year, or the year after, of five
years from now. The longer we wait to tear this thing down and build new,
the longer it will take to get where we want to be. 

Pitino needs to be honest in his evaluation of this team and do what's best
for its future. This team played together all year, wasn't really bothered
by serious injuries, and still missed the playoffs by, what... 7-8 games? It
isn't going to work. Change it until we find a combination that does.

Mark