my turn, my take

[Robert Bowman <rbow@mn.mediaone.net>]

Kobe: he will not be MJ, he will be Kobe. He may become the one against
whom all upcoming new players are compared . Notice no one wants to be
the next Dominique; they want to be the next MJ. Why? The rings. Which
leads me to question Kobe's sanity or priorities. Isn't it obvious that
the best chance to win a title is with Shaq or maybe Duncan in the
middle? Why would you want to go somewhere else when you have Shaq
watching your back? Is he that much of an egomaniac to want to do it on
his own?  Of course, the other possibility is that too much is being
made of all this and Zenmaster Phil will calm the troubled waters. But,
if you have a chance to get him then go for it. Chance of him playing in
green: 1 in 20.

Bird: yes, he is the answer. He has always been his own man. He will
make the right decisions on talent and coaching. There has to be a way
to get him back to the Celtics assuming he really does want to be
there.  If it takes Gaston selling to make it happen then there has to
be a way to force his hand. Email campaigns, letter writing campaigns to
the Celtics office/local papers, petitions, boycotting home games.
Whatever it takes. Is there a way to determine for sure if Bird wants
back in? Once we know that for sure, we, the fans, need to take action.
Chances of Bird running the show: 1 in 2.

McHale: no, he won't leave Minnesota. He loves it in MN. He's a demigod
here. He could be elected governor if he wanted. People are ready to
kiss and makeup over the Joe Smith debacle. It will be a blow if he
decides to stay out of TWolves operations once the suspension is over. I
would consider him to be the equal of Bird in being able to put a
championship squad together in Boston. But it won't happen. Chances of
McHale running the show in Boston: 0.

Walker: let's see what he can do with an honest to god professional, nba
coach, assuming one gets hired. Also, imagine if he had a decent center
to play with. I hate seeing some of the crazy shots he takes but he
still has a big upside in the right situation; ideally, Bird in control
teaching and communicating with Antoine and showing him what it takes to
be a winner. Chances of Walker/Pierce being at the next banner raising
in Boston: same as Bird.

Pierce: much like Walker. Those 2 get traded (together) only if you get
a Kobe, Shaq or Duncan.

Coach: there's several guys I'd like to see running the team--Cowens for
one. Big Red would get it done. These current Celtics would be at least
.500 and they'd be playing their butts off every night or they'd sit.
But, when Larry comes back I'll trust him to hire who he thinks is best.

Final Thoughts: O'Brien seems to have the team playing half decently.
Let's see how long it lasts.  Ainge: definitely 2nd choice and 10
lengths back by my way of thinking. Nothing against Danny but I'd rather
have Larry.  Regardless of who takes over they really need to do some
serious scouting and evaluating especially if we keep our 3 picks in the
draft. We definitely need to make the highest of the 3 a surefire
keeper--someone who becomes a starter and eventual allstar. They've got
to scour all the college ranks and the high schools even. Those picks
have got to come through for us. Maybe, just maybe, we can package the 2
lower ones and swing a trade with the TWolves since they lost all those
first rounders.  Szczerbiak anyone?

I say let's start a bring back the Bird campaign!

Bob