Re: On Bird & Pitino

["Jaime Salud Castillo, Jr." <jaims@philonline.com>]

Hi Joe.

If you're voicing out that we need a new and better coach SOON, then I am
100% with you, man.  Good mixing of talent and fundamental skills and a lot
of good motivation from the coach are what I think are ingredients of a
champion team.

I love defending Bird because he backs up what he says.  Pitino doesn't and
lies all the time.  I don't like that.  I'd rather have a frank and tactless
but truth-saying talker that does what he really says.

It doesn't matter if you inherit a good or a bad team personel-wise.
Whether you get either you have to get something of a chemistry going, and
Bird really should be commended for mixing up a good brew in Indiana.  I
agree that Pitino inherited a mediocre team but I think he should have at
least shown some semblance of good team work and chemistry at the same time
respect with each and every player and respect between coach and players
vice versa.  The way I see it he thinks that college style coaching will win
in the NBA by instilling complete control and fear to his "subordinates"/
players.  With Pitino continuing to take out and bring in new ingredients,
the team will go nowhere with this type of thing....who knows what he'll
create...a monster, I guess.

I agree with you, Joe, that Bird really helped the Indiana team work a notch
higher and play as a team.  He inherited a team with big ego players but has
managed to calm thing down and maximize each and every talent he has in his
team.  I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOMEONE DO THAT IN MY FAVE TEAM...wouldn't you
guys?

I have respect for Pitino's coaching ability but this ability of his
definitely doesn't fit the Celtics, period!  He should know this and just
walk away....




> The toughest part is being forced to stew over this trade (and our 1-5
> record this month) for an entire week before the season starts again.
>
> I hope Griffin finds his mojo between his All Rookie Team appearance and
> the restart of the season. Alvin is definitely a "system player" who can
> help force havoc and turnovers, if not scoring, when he's out there.
> Fortson was a fish out of water. This is a lopsided trade since Fortson
> may have the capacity and work ethic to be the next Charles Oakley. But
> it's not like we traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees.
>
> The next coach of the Celtics should be given the right to reverse this
> trade. I'm sure Cowens, Bird, Silas, Chuck Daly etc. would all rather
> have a top-five rebounder among the team's building blocks than an Alvin
> Williams. It's ironic that Walker's power forward effectiveness has been
> shot to hell recently, just as we traded our only traditional PF
> according to Pitino dogma.
>
> Others may point this out in more detail, but Bird in fact inherited a
> non-playoff team that had no promising young talent and a lot of brittle
> old guys. The fact is that Bird coached Jalen Rose into being a
> serviceable player, and he coached a team of weak defenders to play hard
> and well. He and his staff freaking coached.
>
> In terms of value, Rose was not even at the level of a Rick Fox three
> years ago. He was coming off a 7.3 ppg 1.8 rpg 2.3 apg season. To get an
> idea of what a journeyman he was before Bird arrived, Rose's career
> scoring average still remains below double figures today, despite the
> blossoming of his game under Bird (16 ppg 4.0 assists this year)
>
> The "Pacemakers" were a non-playoff team because their players lacked the
> skills to guard anyone irrespective of their desire to do so (they were
> worse individually than our Celtics, I would say). Mark Jackson and Chris
> Mullin have been a step slow all their lives. For all his size, Rik Smits
> is not a shotblocker or a good defender even when his foot is healthy
> (which isn't often).
>
> Just my opinions. Pitino does have the team he wants (he claims no one on
> his team will be traded anymore). It's "no more excuses" time. The next
> Celtics coach will try mightily to dump half the headless chickens on our
> roster in exchange for players who actually contribute something tangible
> in the scoring and rebounding column.
>
>
>
> ****
>
>