Good news, Bad news

[Joe Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

    I thank God I didn't have to watch the draft in progress, because it
must have been very excruciating live, with the building tension and
then fleeting relief of seeing Courtney Alexander (this year's Paul
Pierce?) fall to eleven etc.

    The minus side of the Moiso draft is that Boston could have at least
bluffed on drafting Alexander and gotten a future Dallas first rounder,
Olumide Oyedeji with the Dallas 38th pick AND 3 million dollars to help
buyout Pitino's contract. Oh well, I guess Pitino didn't bother asking
if there was any interest in Alexander.

    The plus side is that the odds are now very high Pitino will leave
after next season a failure (unless Moiso is significantly more
consistent and talented than Battie) and we'll get a new GM, coach and
(hopefully) owner. Of course with all the lottery picks in store for us
next season (especially our own), Pitino may decide to turn to a "5-year
plan" and stick around one more year. Or worse Gaston will save money by
not firing him and just move him up to GM.

    BTW, judging from most credible scouting reports, Moiso won't be
more consistent or more talented than Battie next year. ESPN's Jay Bilas
has these comments:

    "Moiso is a very good shotblocker and can rebound the ball when he
feels the spirit moving within him. His downside is simple -- Moiso does
not yet understand how to dominate or control a college game, so how
could he be expected to make the transition and be a great player on the
NBA level? He can't be expected to do it, but he's in the draft, and the
only real question for teams to ask is 'is there a better player
available?'."

****