Re: [Celtics' Stuff ] Re: Bad news for Isaiah haters...

[Kim Malo <kimmalo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 12:56 AM 7/12/2003 -0400, Snoopy the Celtics Beagle wrote:
> Why?  Because after Thomas' abysmal record, I fully expected to hear the 
> Rick Carlisle was unpacking his bags while the Head Coach's office was 
> being cleaned out.  I was surprised not to hear an unequivocal statement 
> that Thomas was gone as soon as he could leave town.  Not out of anything 
> personal between Bird and Thomas, but because when you come down to it, 
> Thomas botched the job in Indiana.
>
> Even more surprising seems to be that Jermaine O'Neal may actually get 
> re-signed with the Pacers after screwing up nearly as badly as Thomas 
> himself, though yes, I know nothing is official until there's a signature 
> on paper.
>
> Maybe Bird is trying his hand at diplomacy.  Or maybe he's just waiting 
> until the players are signed before dropping Thomas.

Or maybe just taking long enough to get a more sure feel for where the 
problems are before rushing his decision? How much of it was Thomas, how 
much of it was the players? What if Carlisle said no, he needs a year off? 
What if Bird thinks the communication problems that were in the news long 
before Carlisle's firing might make him not the best immediate replacement 
for Thomas (vs someone to bring in down the line after some other changes). 
And I don't see much of anyone else available for Bird to get real excited 
about.

Seriously, Bird became one of the more media savvy jocks to come through 
here and knows exactly what he's saying and the sorts of repercussions 
there can be with any rush decision like shoving Thomas out the door so 
fast his head spins as soon as Bird himself arrives. What happens if his 
'hand picked' replacement doesn't immediately do much better - never forget 
that we have people on these boards who honestly bemoan the departure of 
Vitaly. Doesn't IMO mean Thomas is there to stay. A departure in a few 
weeks causes MUCH less of a stir. And I meant what I said about Bird likely 
putting his foot down to Thomas behind closed doors about necessary 
changes, with a clear change in power structure evident that may not make 
Zeke 'willing' to stay.

The good news is that I agree with others - Zeke staying on as coach for 
the competition is a GOOD thing for Boston.
Kim