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

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 01:12 AM 7/12/03 -0400, Kim Malo wrote:

> 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

There is that...but who needs an asterisk next to a playoff win against the 
Pacers?  :>)))  I would have thought it would have been kinder to Thomas to 
let him go job hunting quickly before all the NBDL coaching jobs are 
gone.  Really, why wait?  I suppose there's a method to Bird's 
madness.  It's probably not altogether wise to second-guess a guy with his 
record as player and coach.  I was surprised that Bird admitted on record 
to the arrhythmia  that forced him to leave coaching a while back.  At the 
time, he refused to even discuss his health--the story came out after he 
left, I think.

Then again, maybe he can wait until Thomas screws up again, clutch his 
chest and yell, "This is the BIG ONE!" and Walsh will be so scared he'll 
fire Thomas before Bird hits the floor.  :>))

Gee, can you tell the painkillers are working?