Re: Doom and Gloom

["pmaurice" <damekmo@teleport.com>]

I should be trying to be productive at work and I'm probably going to get
fired soon but what the hell. I actually feel really good about this team. I
think their record is going to suck this year, but I actually feel better
about them than I have for a long time. I suppose it could be the leftover
euphoria from the Pitino resignation. It's been what, over a year now. Just
can't get enough of it. But I actually think the last draft is what did it
for me. That and the fact that they haven't traded any of our stiffs for
more stiffs who just happen to be bigger/taller stiffs. The Vitaly trade was
the perfect example of  that. Vitaly is a mediocre stiff who does nothing
particularly well but, he's a bruiser. Big deal. He has no talent. Same with
Battie who's not even a bruiser. While I and from what I can gather many
others on-list would like to see this team pick up a big man just to maybe
get them into the playoffs I'm actually glad they haven't. I think this is
what Pitino was trying to do, year after year after miserable year. Well, I
actually think he thought Vitaly was a long term solution but that's really
too disturbing to openly admit so let's just say that when Pitino talked
about slowly adding value to the franchise he meant picking up big-men like
Vitaly and Battie and developing them into players who could then be traded
for draft picks and/or better players. Slowly but surely getting better.
Unfortunately he kept acquiring stiffs. If some team had a stiff it needed
to get rid I'm sure they placed a call to Pitino knowing that there was a
chance he'd say yes. I think what Wallace and O'Brien are doing now is
exactly what Ricky wanted to do but never had the patience to pull off. Ron
Mercer comes to mind. Now again I never liked Ron that much but let's be
honest, Ricky pulled the trigger pretty quickly and really didn't get much
in that trade. It's been so long, what stiff did we acquire again? And
Mercer didn't really look that bad last year but that's water under the
bridge. In the last draft Wallace and OB had three chances to get it right.
I think they plan on developing these players in the hopes of trading one or
two of them, if not all three. The problem with all the trade scenarios we
can come up with right now is that they all involve one of Pitino's
acquistions. And quite frankly, they all suck.You call someone and mention
Kenny Anderson in a trade and they just start laughing, unless you want Greg
Ostertag. And that's the sort of trade that I'm afraid Ricky would've pulled
off, and that's giving him some credit. So I think the team is finally on a
better footing. OK, I guess I'm hoping. But there really is a reason for a
little hope now. Last year's post-P record, the draft, not jumping all over
a trade for another mediocre big man. I think this is a new day. I don't
think they're clueless. They know what the problem is with this team. And I
believe they've learned from the mistakes of the past regime. Oh Christ, I'm
hoping, I really am. Unfortunately, these guys are starting from scratch and
it's going to take patience, and I know we've been saying that a long time
but unfortunately I think it's true again because Ricky wasted three
and-a-half years. Are we really better off now than we were when ML Carr
left? Are we really any closer to being "relevant" again? I think we need to
be patient and if the team does make the playoffs this year, with this
talent, it'll be a miracle.

Paul M.