Re: Merry Xmas Atlanta

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 12/24/03 7:07:35 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
kkv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

> CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx wrote: >Predictable, typical response from you. 
> 
> And that's a predictable, typical response from you. To listen to you, 
> nothing that happens with the Celtics is ever Obie's fault. He's perfect - it's 
> always the players that screw him over (and over whom he has no control, 
> apparently), or the management.


If you can show me where I have ever written or suggested O'Brien is perfect 
or without faults then please do so. Otherwise, your disdain for O'Brien and 
sarcasm has duly noted so perhaps we can move along and try to maintain some 
form of objectivity.



> >O'Brien had nothing to do with Baker's lusty 18% shooting from the field 
> or >his disappearing act on the glass -- 1 (ONE)  G#$^DA&N rebound in 30 
> minutes!!  
> >You'd have to figure the ball would fall into his hands at least one time 
> in >30 minutes just by virtue of the fact he's 7' tall if not by pure 
> accident. 
> >Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting especially when you factor in the size of 
> the 
> >checks he's cashing.
> >
> >O'Brien had nothing to do with Pierce's 25% shooting from the field and his 
> 6 
> >TO's or the fact that he apparently joined the Freemason's with all the 
> >bricks he put up. Damn near 1/2 of his shots were from downtown tonight 
> where he >was chipping paint of the rim -- when he at least hit the rim at all 
> -- at an 
> >amazing 0.00 percentage clip.
> 
> 
> Yes, but he had something to do with their playing 30 and 41 minutes, 
> respectively - or is that not under his control either?


Oh yeah. Take out Pierce, the team's best player, despite his subpar shooting 
night and poor decision making on a night that Baker was also playing 
woefully and replace him with whom? Welsch played 38 minutes as it was; James played 
36 minutes. Davis racked up 4 quick fouls in 16 minutes. Am I missing 
something or is there another guard on the roster O'Brien could have played in 
Pierce's place other than Banks? Unless you're suggesting benching Pierce in favor of 
Jumaine Jones. Is that what I'm hearing you say? I can envision the catcalls 
and hoots of derision right now from the armchair QBs.

I'll agree that O'Brien does have options now to sit Baker, though. Mihm only 
logged 11 minutes so it would have been a perfect opportunity to give him 
some extended run what with Baker looking lifeless; although as my post that you 
seem to disagree with also noted that Mihm is not a post up player to begin 
with and that was the original context of the discussion about too many 3 point 
attempts since the trade. And as I also noted, maybe it's time to give Vin a 
swift kick in the posterior by letting Perkins become battle tested. 



> >The C's were crushed on the boards again tonight. Until they get someone 
> that 
> >has the mentality and desire to WANT to rebound there will be more nights 
> >like this. I'd be calling I.Thomas tonight to talk about about acquiring 
> Kurt 
> >Thomas even if I had to also take Charlie Ward's contract as part of the 
> deal.   
> >
> 
> Obie HAS players that can rebound, he just chooses not to play them in 
> favor of "Blitzer" Blount and "Boozer" Baker. Mihm collected 3x as many 
> rebounds as Baker in 1/3 of the time and scored almost as many points on 
> 2 shots as Baker did on 11. Kendrick accomplished more in 4 minutes the 
> other night than Baker did in 30.


I completely agree. If that is your criticism of O'Brien then it is valid 
because last night Baker's mind was elsewhere. But Baker's mind being somewhere 
other than on the Atlanta Hawks is Baker's fault, not O'Brien's. O'Brien's 
problem but Baker's fault.





> As for Baker, please tell me he hasn't been hitting the bottle again. 
> Because it sure looked like he is, and it's started before last night's game. 
> Lately, he's been looking more and more like he did last season - a step slow, 
> confused, super-soft, dejected. Why did he play as long as he did - it surely 
> couldnt've been for his scoring (2-11) or rebounding (1 reb.)? Must've been 
> for his knowledge of our defensive gimmicks, which helped us SO much when 
> Abdur-Rahim was scoring on Baker at will in the 4th.


I hope and pray he's not back on the bottle, either. But if he is or he 
isn't, as I said, it might be time for another healthy dose of tough love as his 
performance last night was completely uninspired and completely unacceptable.




> Pierce was positively Walkeresque, yet, just like Walker used to under 
> his enabler Obie, played 40+ minutes.


See above comments. Jumaine Jones instead of Pierce? No thanks. I'll take a 
struggling Pierce on a subpar night because there's always a chance he might 
catch fire in the 4th quarter.





> While the players may have been worn out by the Hawks' 6th player (and 
> their best hope) The Gold Club the night before, Obie has no such excuse. It's 
> back to ugly Obieball, 27 threes per game and oversized servings of McCarty. 
> Waltuh, even when he plays plays well, is like the human white flag for Obie, a 
> sign that he can't coach basketball and is surrendering to that particularly 
> ugly brand of hoops known as Obieball.


McCarty is what he is -- a bench player with limited offensive ability that 
plays with energy. Say what you will but he turned in the defensive play of the 
game with his block on a two on one fast break that saved a sure basket and 
kept the C's in the game at that point. He also had 4 times as many rebounds as 
Baker as Baker's backup. And as limited as he is, he played with some 
passion, some energy. Baker looked like he belonged in a morgue last night.



> Oh well, hopefully that lovey-dovey Springer article on how Danny and Obie 
> are kindred, inseparable spirits in basketball and are SOOOOO "on the same 
> page" means that Danny "I won't pick up the phone to trade Antoine" Ainge is 
> conducting an intensive, nationwide search for Obie's replacement. You can't 
> upgrade the mechanicals of an engine and leave the same computer chip that 
> retards ignition, if you hope to improve performance. - Kestas


Nor can you go to a parts store and buy assorted replacement parts and hope 
that they instantly install themselves and the engine automatically runs like a 
brand new one. Even the Chilton's guide for automotive repair has a 
recommended flat rate labor op time to install each individual component based upon the 
industry standard. And 8 days in the middle of the season with limited 
practice time is hardly the industry standard to incorporate 3 more new players 
coming on the heels of another major "engine overhaul' that occurred less than 60 
days prior.      

Merry Christmas to you and your family as well as to all the igtc.com list 
members.
    
CeltsSteve 

``Time, practice, patience, attitude, unselfishness'' - Jim O'Brien