"I read the news today, oh boy!"

[Jim Metz <JBMetzEA@AOL.com>]

Title: "I read the news today, oh boy!"

        As the year 2000 comes to a close, the Celtics fortunes are looking dim on the short term, but increasingly bright for next season and beyond.
    First, on to current events: 
    Tony Battie has sprained his ankle, severely enough to miss at least two games, according to the Herald. When Battie went out, the Magic went on a 15-0 run, which regardless of the sloppy last two minutes of the close game, certainly had to be a major factor in the loss. Patino replaced Battie with Blount, who missed two shots and was called for two fouls, in three minutes, before recalling Potapenko from the dog house. Potapenko quickly reminded us why he was in said doghouse by playing, arguably, his worst game as a Celtic. We had a few chances to win the game, and several C's contributed, but Vitaly's late, stupid turnover on a weak pass to Palacio, who had just (as stupidly)turned down a shot and passed it to Vitaly and his 4 straight bricks from the foul line were pivotal. With that kind of play from our centers we will not have an easy time of it until Battie recovers.
    For a few games, it looked like Kenny Anderson would reacquaint Potapenko with his teammates, but for now, Anderson has been relegated to; ball boy, for Antoine. He gets to bring the ball up over mid-court and pass it to Walker, who can decide who gets to shoot.
    This team is regressing again. No matter how much the fans, coach, press and winning teams in the league; preach and play, team basketball, this Celtics era has been consistent in only one thing.  The teamwork that seems to give us hope and some good wins at the start of the season is gone by the new year, as they ride down the Easter Bunny Trail, in a, "what's in it for me?" scoop of all the eggs.
    The only good news from yesterday's game was the scoring of Chris Carr. When several of us began questioning Pitino's non use of Carr, this is what we envisioned. 14 points in 16 minutes; all good shots, some veteran, ball movement and a rebound or two which kept this game from being a blow out. In one of my posts a few weeks ago, I suggested  that we would need Carr and Marc Blount sooner than Moiso or McCarty, who were taking up spots on the roster, but not contributing. If Blount had been playing for the last few weeks, he might have been able to contribute yesterday. We were lucky with Carr, who is a veteran and has the habit of working hard in practice and staying ready.
    I wonder why no one in the press seems to ask Pitino those kinds of questions? Blount and Carr should have been playing.
    The good news seems far over the horizon, but as the chill of winter turns to spring, we will hear rumblings of a team sale and three 1st round draft picks, in what many are calling the deepest draft of big men in years.
    Peter May, in today's Globe, has theorized that Gaston is negotiating a sale. My own post yesterday, acclaimed the same thing. Just why was he buying back team stock last spring?
    As a fan, I am left with a difficult choice. Do I root for maturity, evolution and a respectable, near .500 season, or do I crave and thrive on; the selfish, stupid, play of the current team, which would seem to insure a very high pick, empty seats and lowered price expectations for Gaston; that might attract Bird's group to buy the team?
  JB  
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      Unchain My Heart!