Re: Rick Barry's spreading the word...

["John Lyell" <johnlyell@hotmail.com>]

When we wouldn't pay his brick tossin' son the ridiculous amount he wanted.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Boston Sports Fan" <bostonsptsfan@yahoo.com>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2000 7:21 AM
Subject: Rick Barry's spreading the word...


> 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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