RE: Celtics=Playoff's???????

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

It's not that I've been burned too often. I explained this before. I've been
as optimistic as anyone in the past and put a positive spin on every bad
move the team made. But when they all rolled over and quit last
year-specifically in the home game against Philly-that was it for me. I
still love the team and root desperately for them, but they don't get a free
pass from me anymore. Not the front office, not the coach, not the players.
I expect more from them than they were giving. I cared about it more than
them at that point.

Good point on the draft pick only being available in 2003. That usually goes
unnoticed, and I've certainly ignored it. And I never said having an extra
first-rounder was a bad thing-only that a pick in that 25-or-later range
almost always is a non-factor. But if we're worried about one year of
Moiso's rookie scale salary (the reason for making the trade), then aren't
we a little concerned about adding a guaranteed three-year contract for a
late first-rounder who, odds are, won't contribute much? 

Finally, you ask if I'm looking at the first-half Celtics or the second-half
Celtics? Both. I don't think they're as bad as they showed the first half or
as good as they showed the second half. I think they ended up about where
they should have last year. I've also mentioned several times how it's not
uncommon for a team to have a short-term positive response when a
"player-friendly" coach like O'Brien takes over for a dictator like Pitino.
But those things usually wear off. There are exceptions, and hopefully the
Celts are an exception.

The Celtics are in the mix for a playoff spot. Is that too negative? I
wouldn't be surprised if they made it and I wouldn't be surprised if they
don't. They're in there with Indiana, Atlanta, New Jersey and Detroit-each
of those teams believes it has a real shot at the playoffs. Most likely only
one of them will be right.

Mark

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Celtic4Hire@aol.com [mailto:Celtic4Hire@aol.com] 
Sent:	Tuesday, August 14, 2001 7:55 AM
To:	berrym@BATTELLE.ORG
Cc:	celtics@igtc.com
Subject:	Re: Celtics=Playoff's???????

Mark,
When you look at the Celtics objectively, are you looking at the Celtics of 
the first half of last season or the second half?...Also, I have never heard

of having a additional first round pick as being a bad thing as some have 
viewed it. True, it is possible that it could fall in the 27th spot. But it 
also could be the 14th spot. The odds right now is that it will be the 20th 
pick (the average), Joe Forte area.... People have referred to this pick as 
coming this year. It isn't available until 2003....Just be intellectually 
honest. You can't say that you used to be optimistic about the Celts every 
year but not this year, like you have been burned too often and then you 
pretend like you are being objective....


DJessen33
 

<< Look, you're not going to be happy unless I come out and say the Celtics 
are
 going to be in the playoffs. If I say the Hawks, Nets and Wizards are going
 to pass the Celts, you'll accuse me of being negative. If I say the teams
 who already were ahead of us are still ahead of us, you'll accuse me of
 being negative. It doesn't matter what I say, anyway. I hope you're right.
I
 hope the Celtics make the playoffs. But looking at it objectively, it's
 going to be a tall order. >>