Re: repost

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>]

Hey Robert,

I like you post and really appreciate your passion.  One question though.
Do you think Washington regrets trading Rasheed Wallace and Chris Webber so
early in their careers?

Speaking of Webber, rumor has it that he may not sign with Sacramento next
year.  I would assume that Detroit will try to make a big push, but is he a
player we should pursue?

Cecil





----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Bowman" <rbow@mn.mediaone.net>
To: "celtics" <Celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 3:07 PM
Subject: repost


> hey all, i decided to repost this. original posting date was 8/27/00:
>
>
> let me add my own 2 cents from a 45 yr old fan who remembers the celtics
> from
> russell's days: (remember this was in august, originally)
>
> i reserve my judgement until seeing the team play but based on last
> season, what's transpired since, and all the talk and speculation this
> summer here are a few comments/observations i'd like to air:
>
> this is pitino's last chance to put up or shut up (duh). when he was
> first hired i was optimistic given his reputation and accomplishments. i
>
> was enthusiastic because i trusted his abilities as a coach and as an
> evaluator of talent. as we can now see, he's proven himself in neither
> area with the celtics. i honestly want the man to succeed and bring
> banners to boston but i doubt he will.  unquestionably there is talent
> on this team, as there is on all nba teams, but there is not enough
> talent to win a championship.  what needs to be done? mngmnt needs to
> focus on who they think they can build around and then figure out how to
>
> get him/them. i think that anyone could see back 4, 5 yrs. ago that shaq
>
> was the free agent to get. if you followed that transaction you know it
> was doubtful many times if the lakers would actually get him, as a
> matter of fact it got down to the very end before west got his man. shaq
>
> almost resigned with the magic but west kept pushing trying to figure it
>
> all out and he never gave up. now if you're pitino and one of the
> reasons why you came to boston was because you thought you'd get duncan
> why didn't you plan ahead and figure out a way to get duncan when he
> became a free agent? (i'd like to hear an answer to that one)  given
> their history and tradition i refuse to believe that the celtics can't
> get big name free agents to come play for them. mngmnt needs to come up
> with a short list of players they can build around, free up the cap
> space to get 1 or 2 of them, and then trade for or sign him/them. we can
>
> get into all the ins and outs of the cap but its mngmnt's job to figure
> it out. now i can believe that there may be players who don't want to
> play for pitino same as there's guys who don't want to play for other
> coaches. that's why i think that after this year, if things don't turn
> around, the gastons should just sell the team. would they sell to larry?
>
> can larry work a deal? i assume the answer to #2 is yes. i also believe
> public opinion can help force the gastons to complete a deal. what will
> larry bring as owner? he'd bring the same traits he's exhibited as a
> player and coach: determnation, hard work, and creativity among others.
> i think larry would be an excellent evaluator of talent and someone who
> current players would respect and listen to. i see him as an eventual
> successor to jerry west as the best gm in the game with the added label
> of part owner, apparently the one thing west wanted but never got in la.
>
> at this point i don't see how the celtics can sink much lower. i
> personally am disgusted with the current situation. whenever basketball
> comes up in conversation and i say i'm a celtics fan...well, it's
> almost, in some people's minds, akin to saying i'm a clippers fan. of
> course i always stick up for the celtics but i'd rather the team
> represent itself on the court. so, given the current state of affairs, i
>
> trust the fate of the celtics to larry bird who saved the day in the
> 80's as a player and who can do it again now as part of mngmnt.
>
> the current roster probably has 3 or 4 players who could be members of a
>
> championship team. however, i don't think any of these 3 or 4 are the
> main ingredients. pierce can probably be the #2 or 3 guy and same goes
> possibly for walker. ask yourself, who would either of these guys
> replace as starters on the bird/parrish/mchale teams or the
> russell/havlicek/jones boys teams? probably pierce could be the 2 guard
> replacing danny or gerald. at his current level of play and fitness
> walker would be a 6th or 7th man on both teams, at best. my point:
> there's not a high enough level of talent on this team to be serious
> contenders. (see above as to how to acquire talent.)  the current team
> does have assets: 3 first round picks, pierce, and apparently to a
> lesser extent walker. we haven't found too many takers for any of the
> other players. there's probably a couple of other guys: battie, moiso,
> et al who with the right coaching could develop into solid players. it's
>
> mngmnt's job to figure all that out too.
>
> conclusion: 1) sell to bird. 2) evaluate who to keep and who to get and
> do it. 3) teach, coach, play, win. simple? sounds like it. easy to do? i
>
> know that even with larry at the helm things aren't going to magically
> happen and voila,we're winning the championship but i think we'd have a
> better chance of seeing it happen than with the current group and i
> think as fans that's the least we want: the hope of getting better each
> season until our goal is accomplished. so here's to what could be
> pitino's last year. do i want him to fail? no, i'd love to see him make
> all his detractors (me among others) shut up because that would mean the
>
> celtics are back. but i also don't think he's the guy that's gonna get
> it done. i don't wish him any ill will, as a matter of fact i wish him
> well...back in the college game. some guys are pro coaches and some are
> college coaches and there's nothing wrong with either.
>