Isiah Thomas fired

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I guess we know where Rick Carlisle will end up. It's time to take the
Pacers seriously. All that talent, Bird and Walsh running the show and now,
assuming Carlisle is the guy (heck... anyone is an improvement; is Sidney
Lowe available?), the Pacers should become the third power team in the
conference over the next couple of years (along with the Nets and Pistons).

Some on the list wonder why others aren't more optimistic about the Celtics'
offseason. Here's why: The Nets added Mourning, the Pistons added Darko, the
Magic added Howard, the Pacers dumped Isiah... Those four teams finished
ahead of the Celts last season and made more significant positive changes
than the Celts. They increased the gap between us and them. Meanwhile, teams
like Chicago are closing the gap from behind.

I like the draft and I like Ainge's direction for the team. But with the
same coach and basically the same players, things aren't going to change
that much this season. I think we're in for some more ugly basketball and
some significant roster/coaching changes before things really start to get
better.

Mark