Re: He speaks his mind, honest

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Stop the music. Lock up OB for the long haul? This must be a joke. I say
lock him up somewhere else and throw away the key taking 3/4 of the players
with him.

DanF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Beauregard" <sb@maine.rr.com>
To: "celtics list" <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2003 9:32 AM
Subject: He speaks his mind, honest


> He speaks his mind, honest
>
>
> By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Columnist, 5/10/2003
>
> e had been running the basketball team for all of 10 minutes, and already
the
> doubters were jamming the talk-radio airwaves with questions about how
Danny
> Ainge had come aboard as executive director of basketball operations for
the
> Celtics, and what he said once he did.
>
>
>
> Why now? The timing was abominable, wasn't it? And why, in his inaugural
press
> conference, did he fail to pump up the fans with declarations that banner
17
> was just around the corner? Why was Ainge talking about ''turning this
thing
> around'' just hours before his club was to take the floor in the Eastern
> Conference semifinals? What about the reference to the ''tough road
ahead''
> and the fact this team that was battling for its postseason life was a
group
> of ''overachievers''? Apparently, those references were offensive to
die-hard
> fans who have been pining to return to the glory days that included No. 44
in
> your program, Danny Ainge. They wanted peppy, positive, pompom rhetoric.
They
> wanted guarantees.
>
> Here's my question: Are you people serious? If you want coronations, then
> let's bring back Rick Pitino. You all remember how well that went, don't
you?
> Or perhaps you'd prefer M.L. Carr promising us the Celtics were
''championship
> driven,'' even as his ownership was ordering him to lose games to get a
better
> shot at Tim Duncan. That worked out really well, too, right?
>
> Sometimes the truth hurts. All Ainge did yesterday was say out loud what's
> whispered in the halls of the FleetCenter every day. Telling it like it is
> will be what Ainge will do best, consistently and unfailingly, so get used
to
> it. The bottom line is if the Celtics want to advance further than serving
as
> fodder for the Nets in the playoffs, they need to make some changes.
Because
> of their difficult salary cap situation, the number of maximum contracts
they
> carry, and the value (or lack thereof) of some of their personnel, it will
be
> a tough road ahead to alter this roster. And since when is the fact that
> Boston is a bunch of overachievers a news flash? Do you think this will
shock
> Walter McCarty? Mark Blount? They make their living overachieving, and I
bet
> if you asked them, they're darn proud of it, too.
>
> Ainge can be diplomatic, for sure, but he won't toss around hyperbole, and
he
> is going to say things the fans don't like, the coaches don't like, and
the
> players don't like.
>
> Even so, he was mildly surprised to hear his press conference was not
> unanimously endorsed. ''As I've been walking around the streets, people
have
> been really positive,'' Ainge said. ''They are all asking me, `Is this the
> year?' I love how much they care.
>
> ''But it's not going to stop me from being honest. I can't sugarcoat
what's
> not there.''
>
> It would have been a lot less complicated for Ainge if he had come out and
> made all sorts of flowery statements about coach Jim O'Brien, whose
contract
> is up after next season and who hopes to enter negotiations with the
Celtics
> this summer to extend his deal. Instead, Ainge said he was pleased with
the
> job the coach has done, but wanted to evaluate him the way he'll evaluate
> everyone.
>
> ''I like Jim O'Brien,'' Ainge said. ''I was impressed today. I walked into
his
> office, and I was expecting I don't know what. But there was Jim,
> congratulating me, showing enthusiasm, showing interest.''
>
> Ainge doesn't know O'Brien yet. He'll be surprised how much they have in
> common. O'Brien has never been one to mince words, either, and both are
true
> students of the game who have a passion for fundamentals. They are both
solid
> family men who have their priorities in order.
>
> One of the first major decisions Ainge should make is to lock up O'Brien
for
> the long haul. He has the trust of his players, has made the most of his
> personnel (hence, the reference to overachieving), and knows the league.
He is
> also at the bottom of the barrel as far as salaries for head coaches go
($1.5
> million), and won't be looking for George Karl money. Sure, O'Brien could
use
> some help, at times, in the department of communicating with others, but
> that's where Ainge comes in. He could serve as the ideal buffer for
O'Brien
> with ownership, players, and maybe other staff members. O'Brien,
meanwhile,
> finally has someone who has the power and the basketball pedigree to serve
as
> an advocate for him and his team. General manager Chris Wallace simply
never
> had, by his own admission, the clout he needed to make courageous
decisions,
> and to stick by them.
>
> Ainge will not even discuss O'Brien or the draft or anything like that
until
> this season is over. He admits the timing of his hiring ''was not ideal,''
but
> then quickly added, ''I've been a player when things have happened during
the
> playoffs, and it means nothing. Players don't care in the least about this
> stuff. They're getting ready. I think this has been a zero distraction.
>
> ''Still, I am sensitive to the fact it would have been better to wait.
But,
> the other thing is, I've got a lot to do in a short amount of time. We've
got
> two draft picks, and I've got to get out there and evaluate the high
school
> kids, the Europeans, the college players.''
>
> He is aware he will not always be popular. He wasn't always that way as a
> player, either. Be prepared. Ainge is not going to say what you want to
hear,
> only what he believes.
>
> ''Someone today asked me how I felt about Joumana and Jason Kidd,'' said
> Ainge. ''I coached Kidd. I know Joumana, and I love them both. I know that
> some people in Boston will be offended by that, but I have a relationship
with
> those two people.
>
> ''I believe the way you treat all players in this league gets around. The
word
> gets out through the media how we treat visiting players. When fans make
> gestures at Joumana or Jason, or say derogatory things, that prevents that
> person from ever considering Boston. Not only that, it prevents all the
> friends of Jason Kidd from wanting to play here, too.
>
> ''That doesn't make sense. Why would we want to alienate someone who could
> wear the Celtics uniform someday?''
>
> News flash: Celtics basketball head Danny Ainge loves Mr. and Mrs. Kidd.
>
> Hold onto your (green) hats. The new boss may turn out to be many things,
but
> dull or dishonest don't appear to be two of them.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
> sb@maine.rr.com