Re: Baker and future

["James A. Hill" <jahill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually this isn't really a supportable position, IMO.

Gaston grew up with this team.  He is well educated and has a history of
business success.  He himself most likely knows more about the NBA then most
on this list.  My understanding is that after he turned around the money
losing TV station and earned his family and the Celtics an extra $20+
million over projected selling price, his father offered him any position
within the family businesses.  He had "earned" the opportunity of his choice
according to his family. He chose to run the Celtics and brought along his
good friend Pond who also helped with the TV station.

As the head of the Celtics Org. he supported, strongly, the salary cap
within the NBA, least the NBA turns into the disaster of MLB.  The owners
voted and agreed to work within the cap, collectively, to promote
competition within the league so everybody's team has a somewhat even
chance, financially, to make a run for a championship.

So there is a couple/few owners who run their teams like a hobby. (Without
much success so far actually) For the most part they damage the game for
everyone else and the fans.  (Though I trade emails with Cuban and enjoy his
enthusiasm) Fortunately none of these few are as smart as Steinbrenner and
pocket the championship each year, but give it time and someone will if
owners like Gaston don't hold the line for the fans sake.

Gaston chooses to work within the guidelines of what he agreed to do, as do
most owners, and this somehow means he doesn't care about winning?  Gaston
stuck by Walker as he grew into an All Star after two devastating deaths
decimated the team. Not to even bring up the dreadful drafts that he has had
to live with by showing respect to Red and letting him have input when his
better days are past him.

If Gaston didn't care about basketball he would have sold the team for $300+
million and never had to work another day in his life or just taken another
job elsewhere.  Instead he makes the difficult decisions, right or wrong in
the fans opinion, within the structure he agreed to work within with his
fellow team owners.  That's allot more socialistic then capitalistic.

To suggest that he only wants to collect his nominal salary, in NBA terms of
course, without regard to building a winning team just isn't believable.
Nor is there any actual proof of this opinion.  Does anyone really think the
Boston press wouldn't harp on this as they do about Jacobs and the Bruins if
there was any facts to support this position?

Maybe he didn't think exceeding the cap for RR would actually bring another
championship and that other moves were a better opportunity for success.  I
happen to agree, even though I liked RR on our team but we'll see if he was
right. Maybe he is just wanting to keep his word and not be a hypocrite with
the other owners, I don't really know.

I do know that the big spenders haven't won anything yet and even Cuban has
started talking about controlling his payroll and offered small contracts to
some players on his team.  Look at the Knicks mess as well.  To compare
Sterling and Gaston is so off base it's funny/sad.

I still say it is more about talent evaluation then overpaying role players
and never having a chance because of it.

<Jim


Bird gave the opinion, which he is entitled to of course:

What is fair, though, is saying Gaston thinks of this as a business. He
doesn't really care about winning it all, except in how that would benefit
the team financially and in public relations. But, deep in his businessman's
heart, he only really wants a few things: to remain within his budget, take
in as much money as possible, and shell out as little as possible. The best
way to do this is not to count on the opposing team's stars to insure ticket
sales, as Donald Sterling has in the past, but by fielding a decent team and
having a modest amount of success. More success is even better, because that
will mean more revenues, but most important of all is to minimize
expenditures, because only then does more and more profit accumulate