"Good Ridence O'Brien"

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

~~FYI, Ivan Carter writes on the NBA for the Kansas City Star.  In fact, he 
is the lone media NBA reporter in the Kansas City area.
Interesting look at the Celtics problems, as well as many NBA teams, from an 
outsider point of view.  See, we are not alone. ~~
TAM

Posted on Sun, Feb. 01, 2004

THE NBA
Good riddance, O'Brien
By IVAN CARTER
Columnist

Ivan Carter


When Jim O'Brien stepped down as head coach of the Boston Celtics this week, 
I had only one thought: Good.
Now, if we could only get rid of every NBA coach like him, my favorite league 
can start to get back to being what it was in the 1980s. Fast-paced. 
High-scoring. Entertaining.
Obviously, these are not words used to describe O'Brien's Celtics.

Associated Press
Now that Jim O'Brien and his slow-down game are gone, Paul Pierce might be an 
important part of a high-scoring offense for the Celtics. 

There are two things hurting the NBA right now: The first is the influx of 
young athletes who aren't ready to play and the second is the influx of coaches 
like O'Brien who want to coach a grind-it-out style of basketball.
It began with Chuck Daly's Bad Boy Pistons of the late 1980s, continued with 
Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy in the mid-90s and has since spread throughout 
the Eastern Conference like a virus.
O'Brien was the worst offender. He made Daly look like Doug Moe.
Typical Celtics sequence under O'Brien: point guard walks the ball up the 
floor. Two post players go stand off to the side. Nobody sets a pick. Paul Pierce 
or Ricky Davis goes one-on-one and jacks up a knuckleball as the shot clock 
winds down.
Doesn't exactly conjure up images of Larry Bird and the boys during the glory 
years, does it?
Fact is, O'Brien's Celtics were unwatchable, as were Riley's Heat and Van 
Gundy's Knicks. Boston general manager Danny Ainge knew this and has started the 
slow process of gutting a Celtics roster that is filled with role players who 
can't play.
Remember, Ainge played on well-balanced Boston teams that regularly averaged 
more than 110 points a game and later in his career, he was a member of the 
fast-paced Portland Trail Blazers so you know that he wants to build a team 
which can actually move the ball around and score.
With that said, here are two rules that should be implemented by NBA 
commissioner David Stern immediately:
If you can't put five guys on the court who are capable of making a 10-foot 
jump shot, your team is disqualified. The reason why Sacramento and Dallas are 
so fun to watch is that they always put skilled basketball players on the 
court. No goons. No bspecialists.b What a concept.
When in doubt, run! Is it really necessary to call a play every single time 
down the court? This isn't football.

Just the facts
Not to harp on the way things used to be but here's an interesting statistic 
that illustrates how the game has bogged down: At the end the 1986-87 season, 
the Knicks were the NBA's lowest-scoring team with an average of 103.8 points 
per game. Flash to this season. The Kings lead the league in scoring with an 
average of 104.5 points per game.

Props to Ralph
There are several reasons for getting NBA League Pass but one of the coolest 
things is hearing the different broadcast teams. My personal favorite is 
Clippers play-by-play man Ralph Lawler, who called his 1,500th consecutive Clippers 
game Tuesday night. That's right, Ralph has witnessed every single Clippers 
game since 1979.
During that time, the Clippers have finished with a winning record just once, 
made the playoffs three times and made 15 coaching changes.
Needless to say, Lawler has developed a sense of humor. During Tuesday's 
broadcast, analyst Michael Smith commented that the Chicago Bulls have struggled 
as a road team this season.
bThey aren't very good at home either, Michael,b Lawler said. bMaybe they 
can schedule some neutral-site games.b
Keep rolling, Ralph.

Putbacks
With the firing of O'Brien, Atlanta's Terry Stotts is the longest-tenured 
coach in the Eastern Conference. Stotts has coached the Hawks since Dec. 26, 2002.
b& Bobby Jackson has already wrapped up another Sixth Man award. Whenever the 
Kings need a big bucket, steal or pass, Jackson is the guy who delivers.b& 
Grant Hill said he will attempt yet another comeback in March. Here's hoping his 
surgically repaired foot allows him to do his thing again.

THE WEEKLY FIVE
Here are five players who should be starting in the Feb. 15 All-Star game:
Sam Cassell over Steve Francis: Cassell is a major reason why Minnesota has 
the league's third-best record. Cassell's old-school mid-range game has allowed 
him to dominate the fourth quarter all season.
Baron Davis over Allen Iverson: Davis is having an MVP season for the New 
Orleans Hornets and deserves to start.
Ron Artest over Vince Carter: Carter was the East (and NBA overall) 
All-Stars' leading vote-getter but Artest is having the better season. He's been 
dominant on both ends of the floor for Indiana.
Brad Miller over Yao Ming: With Shaquille O'Neal bothered by injury, Miller 
has been the most complete center out West. He's made the Kings legitimate 
title contenders.
Carmelo Anthony over Kobe Bryant: The rookie Anthony has the Denver Nuggets 
thinking playoffs in the brutal Western Conference. That alone should earn him 
a nod over Kobe.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/7845862.htm?