Re: Merry Xmas Atlanta

[Kestas <kkv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx wrote:

> 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.

You suggest it by ommission: I don't recall your ever criticizing Obie 
for anything. It's always somebody else's fault when the team is 
screwing up.

 >
> 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.

There are 4 players on the Celtics, other than Pierce, who can play 
shooting guard: Welsh, Davis, Jumaine Jones, and Mike James. I'm not 
suggesting that Obie sit Pierce down for the entire game. But he has 
other tools at his disposal: sit him down when he starts pulling his 
crap, remind him to use other players and play team ball, rest him a 
little to make his mind a little less cloudy.

> 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. 
>
> 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.


Phew! Finally we agree that Obie could have done something differently.
Hopefully, we can agree next that the coach has some input into how a 
player is playing, that it's not a completely random variable over which 
the coach has no control. Yes, it's Baker's fault that he's playing like 
crap, but Obie can do something about it.

> 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.

Tough love and/or more therapy would be good. But, as we know, Baker is 
very fragile mentally.

> 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.

Pierce played too many minutes last night, which causes his 
decision-making to suffer. Timely substitutions would have made that 4th 
 quarter scoring binge more likely. And that goes for the other 
rotation players as well. Even on TV it was obvious that the main guys 
were getting really tired in the 4th. That's why they were missing their 
usual shots and couldn't stop anybody.

> 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.

Yes, McCarty played well last night. But like Walker, even when he plays 
well, he imparts a certain style that's detrimental to the team's 
development and not conducive to good basketball. Ainge is absolutely 
right to be trading away Obie's teddy bears. It's the next best thing to 
firing him. Hopefully, Waltuh is next.

> 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.      

Sure, but when the mechanic is sticking old parts in, which does 
long-term damage to the new and improved engine, and insists on keeping 
the same engine management parameters, the engine overhaul may never be 
completed.


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

Merry Christmas to you, Steve.

Kestas