Pitino scared or delusional? (was Re: Overreactions)

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

Paul, I don't know that Pitino is incompetent, but he's testing my patience.
The Fortson and Potapenko trades seem to have scared him. He's trying to
play around the edges when it's obvious to everyone-or should be-that this
team needs a major overhaul.

I'm holding out hope that Plan A was free agency-add some pieces, don't give
up much, then see what you have. Since all they have is Randy Brown,
hopefully Pitino will turn to Plan B-trades. And the first thing he should
do is forget this idea that Pierce and Griffin are untouchable. The only
untouchables in this league are Shaq, Kobe, Duncan Garnett and Alonzo.
Everyone else is available if you meet the asking price. Why should our
"stars" be any different?

Mark 



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.