Rick Barry's spreading the word...

[Boston Sports Fan <bostonsptsfan@yahoo.com>]

When did Rick Barry become an insider on the Celtics? 



http://www.projo.com/report/sports/

Rick Barry's spreading the word: Pitino's
      out, Bird's in 

By MIKE SZOSTAK 
Journal Sports Writer 

Rick Pitino on his way out? Larry Bird on his way in? 

``That's the latest rumor,'' says NBA Hall of Famer
Rick Barry. 

Speaking on a teleconference call yesterday to promote
a national search for the Basketball Fan of the Year,
Barry addressed Pitino's situation with the Celtics.
He included the Celtics president and coach with
former
New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari and current
Chicago Bulls coach Tim Floyd as college coaches who
have failed in the NBA. 

``Rarely do you see a college coach come in and bring
success,'' Barry said. Calipari flopped in New Jersey,
and Floyd is struggling in Chicago,mostly because the
Bulls are rebuilding in the wake of Michael Jordan's
retirement. 

Pitino posted losing records in his first two seasons
in Boston, and his team has a 22-28 record going into
tonight's game at Golden State. After leaving
Providence College, Pitino did coach two playoff teams
in New York, in 1988 and 1989, before returning to
college basketball at the University of Kentucky. 

The rumor that Barry passed along is interesting but
highly suspect. First, Pitino stands to leave $29
million behind if he walks away from the Celtics after
this season. Celtics owner Paul Gaston, by many
accounts a prudent businessman, is unlikely to
authorize a huge buyout to get rid of his basketball
boss. 

That's not to say Pitino will be here next season.
Turning the Celtics around has proven to be an extreme
challenge, and he has yet to succeed. He has said that
being an executive in the Celtics' organization is
very difficult. 

Given Pitino's history, who would be surprised if he
quit the pros and went back to college? Do you think
he would be interested if, say, the North Carolina job
became available? The constant player shuffling he
does in his role as president is better suited to the
natural changeover that occurs in the college game. 

Also, if Gaston declined to extend the contracts of
Pitino's assistants, do you think Pitino would be
happy going to work every day? 

Bird's return to Boston as coach is unlikely. He
expressed no interest in coaching the Celtics because,
he said, he never could match the success he enjoyed
in Boston as a player. Also, he was underutilized as a
special assistant to Dave Gavitt and M.L. Carr. And he
burned a few bridges with his comments about the
organization in his recent book. 

Bird, finishing his three-year run as coach of the
Pacers, is likely to return with his family to Naples,
Fla., instead of moving them to Boston. 

Barry said college coaches often fail in the NBA
because they don't know the pro game, they don't earn
the respect of pro players, and they don't surround
themselves with respected former players as
assistants.
How can an assistant coach who never played in the NBA
instruct a young pro how to play the low post when he
never played it himself? Barry asked. 
A 12-time NBA all-star, Barry yearns to coach in the
league. He has put in time with teams in the CBA,
Global League and USBL, and will coach the USBL
Florida Sea Dragons this year. 

``I keep sending out resum es and keep trying to
dispel the perception that I'm a terrible person and
difficult to work with,'' Barry said. ``People have
the perception of Rick Barry as an ogre. It's not
true.'' 

Barry suggested that former players in executive 
apacities won't hire him because they didn't like him
when they were rivals on the court. 

``I didn't go out there to make friends,'' Barry said
of his playing days. 

UsFANS is an Internet-based advocate for sports fans.
Frank Stadulis, president, said the group has 110,000
members and is growing. UsFANS gets involved with
issues such as the NBA lockout last year, television
blackouts and revenue-sharing. 

The search for the Basketball Fan of the Year will
include every NBA city. Check the organization's
Website, www.USFANS.com, for details.


                
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