Byron Scott doesn't know when to shut up

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

Very smart. Piss off an entire city and the opposing team's fans just before
you travel there for two playoff games. Great strategy.

And the black-white thing is so clichid and, as usual, uncalled for. Celtics
fans hated Bill Laimbeer as much as they've hated any player. For MOST fans,
it has nothing to do with race; it's all about hating guys on the other
side. There are a few racist idiots everywhere, and in that sense, Boston is
no different. But I refuse to believe it's a collective thing. I hate this
kind of crap.

One other thing on the non-basketball items in the news during this playoff
series... Bob Ryan was dumb for saying what he did, but Bob Lobel did him no
favors by jumping on what obviously was something said for affect and
pulling his Ted Koppel "I'm going to give you a chance to retract that... "
act. That's what got Ryan in trouble. If Lobel simply continues the
conversation, it never becomes an issue. But he drew a lot of attention to
what, in reading about it (since I didn't see it), sounds to me like just a
dumb turn of phrase someone might use to make a point. Another thing about
this... flip around the talk radio dial for 10 minutes and see how many
things you hear said that, if taken out of context and magnified through
commentary, are 100 times worse than what Ryan said. You'll be surprised.
But Ryan got caught by the PC police, and the Globe went overboard in
reacting to it. It stinks.

Finally, Josh I don't think anyone is suggesting the Celtics will be better
simply by getting rid of Antoine. If anyone is saying that, I missed it. But
trading Antoine is the one way to help this franchise take the next step. As
for Antoine playing his heart out for the Celtics... When the ball goes up,
yes. But how many times was Antoine asked to either slim down to play small
forward or bulk up to play power forward? How many times did he come into
camp out of shape? He quit on Pitino, and he owns Obie. No question he can
be a warrior when the ball goes up (although that effort isn't always
directed toward the best for the team), but it's not as if Antoine has
always been the loyal, hard-working soldier. He's a mixed bag, and everyone
has their own opinion. Personally, I just don't believe this team will ever
progress much beyond where it is now as long as he's calling the shots (and
he is calling the shots). The whole team is built around him, and whether
you love him or not, you have to admit he's a flawed player. Like you said,
he'd be best as a complementary player. Instead, the team is constructed
around him and the offensive strategy is dictated by his preferences. Until
you change that, the team you see now is the team you'll be stuck with.

Mark