RE: Pitino haters alert

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

I just can't summon up any loathing of the players
or "today's NBA" because the players quit on Pitino.
They gave him their all for three whole seasons, without
any success.  Magic Johnson submarined Paul Westhead,
and Bird pushed Jimmy Rodgers off the window.  It happens
with the best, it happens with the rest.  If Red Auerbach 
were coaching today, he would be doing that too -- that's 
just how he handled Russell, in fact.  He used to tell him ahead
of time that he was going to yell at him at practice, for appearance'
sake.  At this point in Celtics' history, I can't brook any ill-will
against the team because they didn't kill themselves for Pitino.
The hell with him.  There's something to be said for soft soap,
after all.

Josh Ozersky	
Marketing Communications Specialist 
Corning Museum of Glass

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Berry, Mark  S [SMTP:berrym@BATTELLE.ORG]
> Sent:	Friday, February 09, 2001 10:17 AM
> To:	'OzerskyJA@cmog.org'; 'celtics@igtc.com'
> Subject:	Re: Pitino haters alert
> 
> I guess it all depends on how you look at it. Check out this from the
> Herald's Gerry Callahan for a different take, and one I tend to agree
> with:
> 
> http://www.bostonherald.com/sport/golf_tennis_more/gc02092001.htm
> 
> Look, I like some of the things O'Brien has done: shortening the rotation,
> keeping strong defenders around Toine and Pierce, playing Blount... but
> that's not the reason the team is winning, and it's not because O'Brien
> isn't yelling or because O'Brien's picture isn't on the front of the media
> guide ... the biggest reason for the turnaround is the team, specifically
> our two captains, have decided to play hard. They wouldn't do it for
> Pitino.
> In fact, they quit on him. Some say that's Pitino's fault. I disagree. 
> 
> It seems, as Callahan correctly points out, that the only way to coach
> Antoine Walker is to not coach him at all. Roll out the ball and let him
> play... shoot whenever and wherever he wants, and kiss his rear end
> whenever
> you get the chance. There's no question he's the team leader on the floor,
> and the rest of the players, including Pierce, are following his lead.
> Let's
> just hope O'Brien keeps blowing the smoke, because if Toine quits again,
> the
> rest will follow again.
> 
> The bottom line, of course, is that it doesn't matter. Pitino is gone and
> the players who drove him out of town are still here. The NBA is all about
> the players, and it's true that Pitino didn't see that soon enough. He
> made
> the mistake of trying to coach them. Go figure.