[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Great job, Danny!

Well, an easy counterpoint could be made here:

1) The Celtics cleared Raef LaFrentz medically and said his knee was not damaged seriously and that he would be able to play out the season. Thats a mistake by the Celts medical staff or if Ainge decided to do the deal anyway it was a even bigger mistake on his part.

2) Why would anyone have expected anything from Baker? We were certainly surprised by Baker's start, but given his record in green does it really make sense to have been counting on anything from him?

3) Pardon me, but Vin Baker and Raef LaFrentz are not comparable to Michael Finley and Dirk. Maybe you could compare them to Derrick Coleman and Kenny Thomas if you were being charitable. You accuse me of having an agenda, but your willful misrepresentation of darn near everything concerning Danny and this team shows that you might actually be the one to have an agenda here. As for Jim OB, the bulk of this board wanted him gone. He could have been replaced with a real coach during the offseason or when OB was let go he could have been replaced by DJ or Connor or any number of people aside from Carroll, who appears woefully unprepared for the job.

4) As for Danny planning on taking a step backward, he said on the radio his plan was to win more games this year than last year, that this team was definately going to make the playoffs (they still might), and that this was definately not a rebuilding year.

%) As for your look to the future stuff, you might be right. There is still opportunity here and Danny has shown he can judge talent (I still really question the Raef deal). Getting out from under Vin's deal would be awesome, however it might hurt the reputation of the team with free agents. Personally, I think that the best we can hope for next year is to get back to 44 wins or so and make the playoffs. Would that still qualify as a rebuilding year or would it be a vindication for Danny to get the team (a reformulated team) back to where they were when he took over? Personally, I think the rest of this season is going to be a long one. Barring either an incredible stroke of luck or genius, I think it far more likely that Danny's vision is going to take a lot longer to implement than you think so. As John Wallach said last night EEI (hard to believe I am quoting John Wallach), Danny has a plan and is sticking to it...it will probably work but I (Wallach) just question whether he will be around to accept the accolades...

Shawn Niles wrote:

Do you think maybe Raef needing surgery and Vin returning to the bottle and the coach quitting maybe has something to do with how bad the team has been? Those are all things that Ainge did not plan on but they happened anyways. I don't care who the GM is... if those things happen it will set the team back quite a bit. Take away Nowitzki, Finley, and Nelson and lets see if the mavs still win 13 out of 16. How do you think the Spurs do if they lose Parker, Ginobli, and Poppovich?

Now add that to the fact that Danny had already planned on taking a little step backwards this year and things have become worse than planned.

However, they will probably be out from under Vins contract. They have a few expiring contracts to use either as trade bait or to let run out and use the space themselves. Raef will be back and healthy next year. Some scoff at that (enforcer nonsense), but nobody ever called him the savior here. He is however a 6-11 big man who can shoot the three, penetrate, above average passer, and rebound the basketball. He's not 'the man', but he's a big piece of the puzzle and the type of guy that you find on every championship team. Ginobli is not 'the man' in SA, but I doubt the Spurs win the title without him last year. Add to that the fact that the C's will use the mid-level exception next year, which has brought above average players in recent years. Plus they have numerous draft picks to either use themselves or use as trade bait to bring other pieces here.

So if you want to look short term or for the right now, go ahead. I guess it's the Boston mentality, which I hate so much. But get those apologies ready for a year or 2 down the road when this team is becoming a powerhouse.


From: "David J. Boutte" <dajubo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: "David J. Boutte" <dajubo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Celtics @ igtc.com" <Celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Great job, Danny!
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 00:02:50 -0500 (GMT-05:00)

I don't believe that to be in "tank mode" was the intention of Ainge. Maybe he makes it seem that way because he has messed up so badly that he's covering himself. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see how his moves are making the team better for the future.

-David

-----Original Message-----
From: pmaurice <damekmo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Feb 12, 2004 11:46 PM
To: "Celtics @ igtc.com" <Celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Great job, Danny!

----- Original Message -----
From: "David J. Boutte" <dajubo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


> 2:30 to go in the 4th quarter, down 107-79 to a Bulls team that's 14-38.
Danny has really done a great job of putting this Celtics team together!!!

Listen, David, I feel your pain. But you have to understand that it doesn't
matter whether they win. Ainge doesn't care about winning. Apparently,
Pierce doesn't care about winning. They got rid of the coach who cared about
winning. There's absolutely no reason to actually win some games and make
the playoffs. God knows that would be a mistake. All the discussion on this
list about X's and O's and who should be playing and how they should be
playing, while brilliant and insightful, means nothing, because winning just
doesn't matter. That'll come soon. Maybe next year when they get Raef the
Enforcer back. So just watch them and laugh. Have a good time. Relax. If you
want to watch a team that hasn't given up, the Mavs have won 13 of 16. I
recommend watching them.

Paul M.


_________________________________________________________________
Click here for a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963