RE: Dr. Jack Ramsey

[Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu (Kestutis Kveraga)]

--- You wrote:
O'Brien did run the U. of Dayton program into the ground. Had a great first
season with Don Donoher's players, then it was a swift, steady decline. He
played Pitino's style--pressing, trapping, running--but couldn't recruit the
players to make it work. Everyone at UD will tell you the O'Brien era was an
unmitigated disaster. He's no more than a stop-gap this season. He knows it
and the players know it. You think they stopped listening to Pitino? Wait
till they run roughshod over poor Jim O'Brien. There may be a brief spike in
intensity, but it will be followed by a total collapse.
--- end of quote ---

Well, let's hope Obie learned something from the disasters at Dayton and with the Celtics. He should have a smaller ego, and be less wedded to these ideas, than Pitino. As for players tuning him out, I think players tune coaches out for a reason (unless they're J.R.Rider). Players want to win too, even if it is only to make the All-Star team, and if the basketball philosophy makes sense to them and seems to work, they'll follow it. Do you think they want to be  at the wrong end of 30-point blowouts for the rest of the season?  Even Antoine can't be stupid enough not to have noticed the fact that solid play on *winning* teams gets you the coaches' selection to the All-Star team (see Dale Davis), not gaudy numbers on a lousy team. (Speaking of Walker, if he doesn't change his attitude now, he'll be gone by next season if the Celtics' "brain trust" has any neurons left at all.)  

--- You wrote:
The question I'm waiting to see addressed is Chris Wallace's role. Is he
going to remain GM? Will he run the basketball operation? Is Richard Pond
running the basketball operation (uh oh)?
--- end of quote ---

I think he'll stay on for the rest of the season - he's under contract through then anyway - but he may be held on a short leash (no major decisions). It's unlikely that they'll find anyone worth hiring before the end of the season, and the smart thing to do (assuming Gaston is not selling the team) is to wait and see how things go with Pitino out of the equation. Maybe Obie is a brilliant pro coach and Wallace a brilliant GM when they're allowed to make their own decisions, and maybe Walker loses his shortsighted "gotta do what's best for me" attitude...Yeah right...
Kestas