Re: Ford: GMs say Pierce no longer untouchable

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

I don't think professionalism is too much to expect from these guys. I
really don't. Look, they were hovering around .500 and still very much
in playoff contention when Obie bailed. This was despite the Antoine
trade and the Ricky trade. If they just continue to play and work hard,
they're a playoff team with a .500 record (basically same as last year),
but with a brighter future. Instead, Obie walks and the Obie Mafia calls
it quits, with Pierce leading the way.



It's like Ainge said, the players were looking for a reason to lose.
Pierce isn't a leader, but as the team's best player, he has to set an
example. I think he was first off the sinking ship, and others willingly
followed.



Maybe we should have just kept Chris Wallace as GM, Antoine as power
forward, EWill as Team Spirit Captain, won 40 games, clinched the
seventh seed in the playoffs, lost to the Nets in the first round and
then bitched after this season about being stuck with what we have.
Would everyone be happy then?



Egg, I'm sure you're right about some of Ainge's people skills. I don't
think Danny is a guy who spends a lot of time worrying about whether or
not he's right. But his job is to build a championship team. He's trying
to do that. It's a process - and one that clearly has some painful
steps. The players' job is to play hard. They're not holding up their
end of the bargain (at least Pierce, Walter and Blount aren't).



Mark



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Egg wrote:



Or that Pierce sees how badly Ainge is handling this season? I truly
think
you are looking in all the wrong places, Mark.  You expect such
continued
professionalism from our players and coaches yet never attempt to
figure out why they are acting as they are.

As you know, I too think Pierce will be gone after this year.  But it
won't matter, trade 'em all, because their replacements will have the
same attitude once they see our BT in operation.  Dysfunctional parents

make for ill-behaved children.