Josh's latest from Hoopsworld

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

Antoine's comments weren't lost on Josh. He chimes in with many of the same
thoughts we've been sharing this morning.

Mark

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_5641.shtml
<http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_5641.shtml> 



The preseason began -- as it always does -- with high hopes. I don't need to
tell you about it. The speed of Marcus Banks, "the most NBA-ready point in
the draft." The New Toine. A corps of rookie studs. And best of all, a
converted Jim O'Brien, ready at last to install an offense after three years
of running the same play on every possession for 82+ games.

So where are we now?

item: in the third preseason game, Kendrick Perkins and Brandon Hunter don't
see a single minute of playing time. A single minute! And this in preseason,
when Obie is obliged to at least pretend to give young players a chance to
contribute. 

item: Marcus Banks is averaging 1.7 assists in the three games, and looks
confused and overwhelmed on both ends of the court. Meanwhile TJ Ford, Zoran
Planinic, and even Leanhindro Barbosa have taken to the court as ducks to
water. Banks told the Boston media earlier today, "I've got plenty of time,
almost 90 something games. I'll take my time and everything will come to me.
I'll be all right." Are you stoked yet?

item: Speaking of Banks, Antoine had these encouraging words to say in
today's herald: "It's very difficult for a rookie to come in and play on a
team where the ball is dominated by two players. He has to find away he's
going to be effective in the system. What a lot of people have got to
understand is guys are brought in to fit into me and Paul...We've talked
about playing up-tempo, but that's about it. To be honest, when all is said
and done, it's back to the grind, as always."

Talk about your buzz-kills! 

Celtic Nation pessimists, or what Rick Pitino used to call The Fellowship of
the Miserable, have never had better cause for skepticism and rancor than
they do right now. And I'm practically a pollyanna! For those Celtics fans
who were on the fence, or at least dubious about the chances of Toine
retooling his game, and Obie installing a new offense, this surely has to
come as a crushing confirmation of their worst fears.

Yes, it surely looks like another futile season of "the grind" as Antoine so
accurately calls it, puncuated by feel-good stories in the media about the
young players and their patience in waiting for crumbs of playing time.
Happily though, we aren't reduced to Noam Chomsky-style grumblings at the
Celtics efforts to manufacture consent through their stooges at the Globe
and Herald. Danny Ainge has to be reading these stories too, and don't think
he feels any differently than we do. Unlike us, however, whose only choice
is to hate life and keep hoping, Ainge can and should do something about it.
Trading Antoine, as the Boston Phoenix's Scott Kathan demanded in a recent
cri-de-coeur, may not be practical at this stage, when his value is so low.
But both Obie and Twon have to be put on notice that more of the same will
not be tolerated. Obie has shown his hand already -- did you see how, as
soon as he determined that he wanted to win the game against Indiana, the
old war-horses were back out on the floor? Not that it did us any good; the
Pacers' bench was able to beat the Celtics. Obie will blame this on team
defense and other such orthodoxies, but we can see for ourselves what is
happening, as surely Ainge can: our chance to improve is being squandered.
Antoine is smug and stubborn, and so is his subordinate O'brien. Both seem
to be pulling a Montecore on Ainge, and by extension, on those hundreds of
thousands of Celtics fans who have been sold on the hope of a new and better
brand of basketball. 

If "the same old grind" is all we have to look forward to, then maybe we
should send the Celtics a message by not going to games, not watching them
on TV, and otherwise allowing ourselves to be passively lulled into
complicity with what seems to be happening here. 

Something has to change. And it has to change now.