Insider on coaches on the hot seat

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

Here's a blurb (Celtics content only) from Insider's story today about coaches in trouble. The thing I'd add is that O'Brien clearly isn't Ainge's guy (yes, I know, Paul... Ainge could have fired him. I bet if you ask him now, Ainge wishes he had.) Ainge needs to find the right guy. That's no small feat.

Mark


Are coaches regaining their power? 
"Not really," one GM told Insider. "Silas can get away with benching Ricky Davis, but he couldn't do that to LeBron James <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3704> . Mo Cheeks can sit Bonzi Wells, but he'd have a hard time doing that to Zach Randolph <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3531> . If a coach loses an irreplaceable player on the team -- he's lost. Period. If Phil Jackson loses Shaq, Phil's gone. If Gregg Popovich loses Tim Duncan <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3173> , Gregg's gone. If Jim O'Brien loses Paul Pierce <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3253>  he's gone. Franchise players are so hard to find, if a guy like T-Mac doesn't like you anymore ... pack your bags." 
Jim O'Brien vs. Paul Pierce: Again, no contest. Pierce is already complaining about O'Brien's offense. He misses Antoine Walker <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3112>  and believes O'Brien was partly responsible for his departure. If the Celtics' offense continues to stall and Pierce has to shoot 30 times a game to keep the Celtics in it, O'Brien could be the next casualty of Star Wars.