Re: "We don't see the game exactly the same way"

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

Well, this pretty much confirms what we all expected. It's just a matter of
time before Ainge pulls the plug on Obie. Ainge is giving Obie enough rope
to hang himself, which, knowing him (from afar) the way we do, Obie is sure
to do. You just can't have two visions for the team in those two jobs. The
GM and coach must be on the same page. It all has to work together.

Quick thoughts from last night:

-- The effort to run was there in spurts, but the execution still was
sloppy. This is no surprise. Obie hasn't successfully coached offense or the
fast break since he got there. Contrary to popular opinion, the fast break
isn't something that just happens. Good fast break teams run it like a
well-oiled offense or out of bounds play - everyone fills a lane, runs to a
certain spot and reacts to the defense simultaneously. The Celtics run a
fast break with no organization. They'll get a few more easy baskets just
out of effort, but it's not going to be pretty. This team hasn't executed a
3-on-1 break the right way in years.

-- The halfcourt offense is the same. Still a lot of isolations for Pierce
and Walker, still a lot of the center handling the ball at the top of the
key. It's the same. No changes.

-- Pierce and Walker looked good, until Antoine started to do his thing in
the second half. Same old Antoine.

Banks isn't ready. He reminded me of Chauncey Billups as a rookie. Hopefully
it was a lot of first-game jitters, but I think it would be wise to temper
expectations for the kid this season. He'll be a good one, but there are
going to be ups and downs.

Mike James looked pretty good. He tried to push the ball, but didn't always
have everyone running with him. He's not a pick-and-roll point guard. In
short, I'm still not sure the point guard situation is any better this
season than it was during Kenny's last season. These guys are an upgrade on
Delk or Bremer, but they're not the kind who will make the game that much
easier for everyone else. Banks eventually may be that guy, but he's not
there yet. Of course, the offense doesn't help either guy.

Kedrick was very encouraging. If he keeps playing like that, it's a huge
boost. We'll see.

Vin looks much better. I think he might actually contribute something off
the bench-not much, but maybe 8-10 points. But, again, he has to keep it up.
That has been tough for Vin.

EWill, McCarty, Blount... Were they there?

Kendrick Perkins... I'm really excited about Kendrick. He's not Shaq,
obviously, but he's a pretty skilled kid. He's not nearly as raw as I'd
anticipated. Think about the centers in the league. Other than Shaq and Yao,
is there anyone out there who, three years from now, will clearly surpass
Kendrick (assuming he makes anticipated improvements)? I'm probably missing
someone, but the point remains - the kid has a chance to be a
difference-maker. He reminds me a little of a young Zydrunas Ilgauskus. He
has pretty good hands, good footwork, good touch, and a great feel for the
game for such a young guy. (Is he really young? Looking at him, I'm
convinced he's really a Dominican with a birth certificate somewhere from
1967. The guy looks older than me.) Kendrick isn't athletic, but he's not
lead-footed either. The one concern, though, is his weight. He definitely
needs to lose some. Promising careers have been derailed by similar weight
problems.

Brandon Hunter... Not his best effort. We'll see. He had a similar debut in
the summer league, if I recall correctly, then made some really nice
improvements. Let's hope this was a similar jittery performance.

Overall, it was about what I expected. No real changes in the halfcourt
offense, poorly coached and organized fast breaks and more of the same from
the returning players (with the possible exception of Kedrick and Vin).
Throw in some green rookies, and it looked like a first preseason game.

Mark


--- --- ---

And you can never underestimate the difficulty of coming in above a coach
who 
was hired long before you got there. Granted, there isn't any animosity 
between Ainge and Jim O'Brien. Then again, O'Brien has been on the Celtics
coaching 
staff since 1997 and has been head coach since January 2001. 
"That is where the difficulty lies," Ainge said. "Every general manager who 
called to congratulate me said the most difficult thing I'll have to do is
deal 
with my coach. We don't see the game exactly the same way. We talk and 
communicate about strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, I just let him win
the 
battles. Generally we see things pretty close."