ProJo on Ricky P

[Kevin Lok <kevin.lok@lycosmail.com>]

JIM DONALDSON
Nothing seems to stick to Teflon Rick
His team is five games under .500 three months
into his third season as coach at $7 million per
year.
But he is Slick Rick, so it doesn't seem to
matter.
His team has lost twice -- twice! -- to the
Chicago Bulls, who have won a grand total of
exactly 5 of 31 games.
But he is Teflon Rick, and no one seems to mind.
His team is 2-13 on the road, including a loss to
the lowly Clippers, who couldn't beat URI if Lamar
Odom still was playing for the Rams, rather than
in L.A.
But he is Non-Stick Rick, so it's okay.
Monday night, playing to thousands of empty seats
in the FleetCenter, his team lost to Vancouver,
whose 10-24 record truly is grisly.
He promised his team would make the playoffs this
season, but the Boston Celtics wouldn't qualify
for postseason play if the season ended today, and
they won't make it if they continue playing the
way they have been.
But Rick Pitino continues to get a free ride from
adoring fans and sycophantic media.
Let me get this straight . . .
Bobby Grier is supposedly a dope who absolutely,
postively has to go if the Patriots ever are going
to be any good, even though he drafted players
like Terry Glenn (an NFL rookie record 90
receptions in the Pats' Super Bowl season in '96);
Robert Edwards, who rushed for 1,115 yards and 9
touchdowns as a rookie taking over for Curtis
Martin; Damien Woody, who started every game at
center in this, his first year, and, if he stays
healthy, is likely to do so for the remainder of
the decade; and Andy Katzenmoyer, who was thrust
into the lineup when Ted Johnson was hurt in
training camp and started 11 games at middle
linebacker.
Grier is criticized -- justifiably -- for his '97
draft, when he took Chris Canty with the 29th pick
in the first round, Sedrick Shaw in the third, and
Damon Denson in the fourth.
But how about the draft Rick The Genius had in
'97?
The Celtics had the third and sixth picks overall
that year, and took two players who weren't even
on the team two years later.
Positively paralyzed -- By what? Shock?
Disappointment? -- after losing the lottery that
would have given him Tim Duncan, Pitino picked
Chauncey Billups as his point guard of the future
with the third choice, then selected Ron Mercer at
No. 6.
Billups didn't make it through his first season in
Boston before Pitino proclaimed: ``Trading
Chauncey was a basketball decision. He couldn't
play the point.''
Hello? Anybody home in the scouting department?
And just who made the decision to use the third
pick in the draft to take a point guard who
couldn't play the point?
Grier, on the other hand, in 1996 drafted, in
addition to Glenn, Lawyer Milloy, who's about to
become one of the highest-paid strong safeties in
the league; Tedy Bruschi, Heath Irwin, and Chris
Sullivan.
In '98, he added Tony Simmons, Rod Rutledge, Chris
Floyd, Greg Spires, Harold Shaw, and Jason
Anderson, all of whom will be expected to make
significant contributions next year in what will
be their third season.
This past year, in addition to Woody and
Katzenmoyer, Grier picked up Kevin Faulk, Tony
George and the fan's favorite bench-warmer,
Michael Bishop -- The Greatest Quarterback Never
To Have Played A Down.
Pitino has done more wheeling and dealing than
Monty Hall and baseball's legendary Frank Lane
combined, and his Celtics still stink.
Mostly because, in terms of personnel, he's been
spinning his wheels.
Pete Carroll always suffered in comparison to Bill
Parcells.
Let's compare Trader Rick to Red Auerbach.
The Redhead obtained the cornerstone of the
Celtics' dynasty when he sent ``Easy Ed'' McAuley
and the rights to Cliff Hagen to St. Louis for the
opportunity to draft Bill Russell in 1957.
Auerbach pulled off a similar stunt in 1978, when
he drafted Larry Bird with a year of eligibility
remaining. Although his class had graduated, Bird
returned to Indiana State for what would be a
spectacular senior year, after which everybody
wanted him. But the Celts were able to sign Bird
before he went back into the draft in '79.
Bird couldn't win a championship without a
supporting cast, however, any more than Michael
Jordan could in his early years with the Bulls.
So Auerbach swung a deal with Golden State in
1981, offering the Warriors the first and 13th
picks in the draft in exchange for the third
choice and a center named Robert Parrish.
Golden State snapped up Joe Barry Carroll and
Rickey Brown. Boston used its pick to take Kevin
McHale.
As for Pitino, he was outmanuevered in '97 by John
Calipari and the Nets, who moved up to No. 2
overall and snatched Keith Van Horn, after which
the Celts took Billups.
But, hey, Trader Rick did bring Eric Williams back
to the fold, after dumping him on Denver because
he felt he couldn't play in Boston.
Pete Carroll was fired, despite having the highest
regular-season winning percentage in Patriots
history, because the perception was he didn't get
as much out of the talent on hand as he should
have.
Let's look at where the current crop of Celtics
were drafted.
Antoine Walker was the sixth pick in '96. Valery
Potapenko was taken 12th that year by Cleveland,
which received more than that in return from
Pitino, who gave up the 8th choice, plus Andrew
DeClerq, last year to bring the big guy to Boston.

Tony Battie was the fifth player taken in '97,
when Danny Fortson was No. 10. Paul Pierce was the
10th choice in '98. And veteran guard Kenny
Anderson, brought after the Billups fiasco, was
the second player taken in the 1991 draft.
Yet the Celts still can't get to .500, and are
resorting to minor-league promotions -- Get in
free if you're willing to get your head shaved! --
in order to try to attract fans.
Pete Carroll got fired. Bobby Grier, whose job
also is in jeopardy if Bill Belichick comes to
town, gets blasted.
Meanwhile, Pitino gets revered.
The record says he's more of a loser than a
legend, but it doesn't seem to matter.
Parcells always says ``You are what you are,'' and
what Pitino more and more appears to be is a truly
great college coach whose style, personality and
temperament aren't meant for success in the NBA.
Not that anyone seems to notice.
He's Non-Stick Rick. He's Teflon Rick. He's Slick
Rick.
He's still selling Brother Ricky's Traveling
Salvation Show, and the gullible keep swallowing
fake nostrums and bad basketball.