Re: Veterans

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>]

> Now, I'm all for being positive and
> having faith, but if these guys don't get it together and at least make
> some progress this season, I think the blame has to be placed squarely on
> Ricky's shoulders. If they lose Saturday night, somebody needs to walk
into
> Pitino's office and tell him that he has the rest of the year to actually
> prove that he can teach these guys how to become a better team. He needs
to
> figure out how to reach these players and get them to respond on the
court.


And what if they win on Saturday?  Nothing really changes.  Hey we have
beaten some pretty good teams this year, and we have lost to the dregs of
society.  The only consistent thing we know, is that we are woefully
inconsistent.  Pitino certainly merits his share of the responsibility, but
it is Pierce, not Pitino, who is jacking up 3's.  It is Toine who neglects
to work on the blocks at times.  It is Kenny who doesn't think pass first.
A coach cannot MAKE a player do anything, only the player can do that.  The
coach can make them painfully aware that they are not playing up to his
expectations and attempt to get them to focus on improving those skills, but
only the player is responsible for living up to those expectations.

I would not be surprised to see us win on Saturday, but what does it
ultimately prove that we haven't already seen?  We are still alive folks
regardless of how shitty we looked against the Wolves.  There is cause for
optimism in Fortson, Toine, VP is playing somewhat better of late, Kenny has
had a decent stretch.  But we have been severely bitten by the injury bug.
Max and Howard David were discussing it last night.  That's not an excuse.
Good teams are able to overcome it.  We ain't there yet.

Cecil