Re: Overreactions

[damekmo@teleport.com]

>The way some people on this list freak out based on the latest
>rumor amazes me. Is it so difficult to wait until an actual deal
>happens before jumping to conclusions? I remember last year when
>we were supposedly going to deal Mercer for Samaki Walker and
>people were cursing in disgust. When the actual deal went down,
>we were mostly pleased (although it ended up being disappointing
>in hindsight).

I see what you're saying, Alex, but don't be too hard on us raving
impatient maniacs. My patience started wearing thin on draft day. I thought
for sure Ricky was going to make a trade then. I thought for sure he was
going to make a trade on August 1. I keep waiting for some sort of
movement. How many games did this team win last year? And as far as I can
tell Ricky thinks Moiso, Blount and a couple of half-assed free-agents are
going to catapult the team into the playoffs. This team has two players
with any chance of ever getting near an all-star game. One made it and then
decided to eat his way into oblivion. The other? Who knows. Everybody else
on this team is interchangeable with every other half-assed, mediocre
player in the NBA. I'm beginning to think Jamal Mashburn would actually be
a plus, and that's pathetic because he's not leading anybody anywhere. In
short, it's Walker and Pierce; everybody else, including the apparently
untouchable Adrian Griffin, is an interchangeable cog. Put enough of them
together and you have a bunch of interchangeable cogs on a losing team. You
know, if it's true that Larry Brown is actually trying to trade Allen
Iverson, then doesn't "I don't want to trade Adrian Griffin," make you
think that Pitino is delusional? Let's pretend that Elgin Baylor started
calling other gm's, wondering what he could get for Lamar Odom and a first
round draft pick? How about Odom, some stiff and a draft pick? Look, I'm
the first to admit that I don't fully understand the salary cap rules, but
for the love of God, somebody please tell me that Pitino can actually do
more than chase Abdul-Wahad and Bimbo Coles and Randy Brown around all
summer! Am I wrong or were Charlotte and Miami over the cap when they made
that nine player trade? I know it's not as easy as  calling a few of the
guys and offering Pierce, Kenny and a draft pick to see who gets excited,
but couldn't Pitino call a few of the guys and offer Pierce, Kenny and a
draft pick and see what sticks? Couldn't he have done something like that
on draft night, getting a couple of the fellas involved, to move up in the
draft and get a player? How about Pierce, a pick, and Pots? If I'm to
believe everybody on-list and Pitino, every gm in the NBA would sell their
souls to have Paul Pierce in their lineups? Don't you think that Iverson,
warts and all, could get Larry Brown a couple of really good players? I
know that Pierce isn't Allen Iverson, but "all those offers, day and night,
seven days a week!" This team isn't going anywhere just adding a couple of
rookies and Randy Brown. Pitino needs to shake things up. You want to know
the source of my impatience and over-reaction? Years and years and years
and years of losing with no change in sight. All Pitino has done is draft
Paul Pierce and overpay any number of stiffs who are a jumpshot away from
stardom. This team sucks and Pitino falls in love with Abdul-Wahad?!? I'd
love for this:

>Who knows, maybe
>the Nuggets realize that playing LaFrentz at center isn't going to
>work in the Western Conference and he's part of the package since
>they already have McDyess at 4.

to happen, but I'm sorry, Pitino's track record is Mercer for Fortson and
more losses. I'm probably over-reacting, but tell me why it's unreasonable
to think that Pitino is simply an incompetent. His love affair with
Abdul-Wahad is par for the course. I can hear, 'He's a jumpshot away from
stardom," now.

So if I'm impatient, and over-reacting, it's only because I'm beginning to
believe that Pitino talks a really good game but is in way over his
head...and he actually believes all that genius crap. Or maybe he's just
too stupid to understand that he needs some help

I'm getting another beer.

Paul M.