Papile on the Zone

["Sean Giovanello" <sgiovanello@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Did anyone else catch Leo on the Chris Wallace show in 1510 tonite?  In all my
years of listening to talk radio, I have never heard someone tied to a
professional team be both so arrogant and so stupid as he was.  I dont say
this lightly - but I was motivated to call (only the third time I have ever
called a radio show) and if he had been in the room I would have choked him.

Here is the gist of some of his points

- cant understand why people give Wallace and the rest of the BT such a hard
time.   Just look at the record.  To hear him tell it, you would have thought
he averaged 25 10 a night and this team had won multiple titles.

- the draft from two years ago was a success.  Joe Johnson going to be a great
player.  Kedrick a starter on this team.  Forte has had problems but they were
able to trade him.

- Vin Baker deal makes sense when you look at the big picture.  Even though he
had struggled so far, if he can return to half his former self this team can
go to the finals.  PEople dont understand that they would have had no
flexibility even if they had made the trade.  Took Kenny Forte and V off the
cap.

- Told a caller while insulting him that they had built a winner here and the
guys knew basically nothing about basketball when the guy kept saying you just
need to admit your mistakes.  Then compared the guy to what Byron Scott was
talking about when it came to boston fans.

At this point, I was in a rage and called.  My points.

1) Ainge will be good because he will bring basketball acumen and
accountability to a team which has lacked in both since ML was running things.

2) Mistakes have both outnumbered and outweighed the successes during this
regime - even if you give Leo and Chris credit for Bowen, Griffin, and Bremer.

3) I would have kept OB and fired Wallace and Leo after the season last year.
At this point, both host and Leo said what about ECF last year?

4)  Reason 1 for firing him - the draft two years ago.  A) electing to use the
Denver pick B) taking three guys who have not helped this team very much at
all.  Interupted me to say Kedrick will be a starter on this team and is very
good now - I replied then why is a guy pushing 40 who was out of basketball
getting minutes over him and then claimed Joe Johnson was an excellent player
and would get better.   I said for 1 he isnt on the team any more and he
fetched you a 2 role players in Delk and Rogers and one was here for less than
3 months.  I went on to say that you also had to give up Uncle Milty and a
pick and that it didnt matter how good Johnson would be because he was gone,
but that I didnt see him being more than average.  Immediately told he is much
better than that as he is averaging 10 points a game.  I said that 10 points a
game is average in my book and to be above average you need to start and play
better than an average player at that position to be considered above
average.

5)  That the VB trade will go down as one of the 5 worst in history.   I asked
whether he would rather have Kenny, V, and Forte this year (who all could have
been traded at or near the deadline for a player or two who would at least
contribute) or Baker, Long and Coles.  No answer.  At this point they cut me
off.

After I was gone Leo said some guys would be all over you if you went 82-0 and
lost 4-3 in the finals.  He then said they would be better next year and the
year after hopefully be in the finals.

I still cant believe it.  I kept listening and the arrogance of this guy and
the absolute refusal to admit any mistakes is amazing to me.  I cant believe
the C's would even let him go on the air as a representative of the team.