Ainge must go

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle]

At 08:11 AM 5/12/2007, Michael Gooen wrote:

>Not for giving Rivers a one-year extension (a mistake, but not an
>irreparable mistake), but for saying this:

While I think Doc reached the limit of what he could really do for 
the team last season, the truth is this past season was a washout 
because of the injuries.  Nobody this side of Rick Carlisle could 
have made a decent substitution pattern with all the players taking 
turns going to the hospital.  Besides, there's a small part of me 
that says that Danny gets a pass on the extension because it can't 
possibly be nearly as dumb a move as giving Isaiah Thomas an 
extension.  Doc has his problems, but he's a better coach than Thomas. :)


>"It's easy to find things that every coach does wrong.... X's and O's are
>somewhat overrated in my mind. Critiques of substitution patterns and
>timeouts are overrated because, in my opinion, just about every NBA coach
>is on a fairly equal field in those regards. Those are the least of my
>concerns."

In other words, Danny can't support his position, so he trivializes 
the argument.  Never thought I'd see a Mormon debate like a 
Jesuit.  If you're not going to base the evaluation of your coach on 
how well he conducts game strategies, all you have left is "Does 
Danny like him?".

While I'm willing to say--up to a point--that the fault of poor play 
is as much the player's fault as the coach's, it's time Danny 
realized that for one thing, the fans know more than he thinks they 
do.  Red got away with calling the fans local yokels in the 1950's 
because back then--and for his whole life afterward--he DID know more 
than anyone else about the game.  Danny doesn't have that cachet.

There are--whether he likes it or not--fans who are as knowledgeable 
about the game as most "professionals".  Second and third generations 
of fans who have learned, played, and coached the game at some level 
in their lives.  If he wants to disagree with public assessment, just 
say "I'm the GM, and what I say, goes."  We may not like it, but it 
would be true, unless we happen to be Wyc Grousbeck, etc.  But this 
constant harping of Trader Dan on the whole "We know more than you 
do" will only go so far.  Then you have to admit that at least some 
of us know what we're talking about.  Not everyone and not all the 
time, but the other extreme doesn't work either.

>Sure, Danny.  And shooting, passing, rebounding, and defending skills are
>overrated too, because in my opinion, just about every NBA player is on a
>fairly equal field in those regards.  What really matters is brain type.
>
>As our friend Snoopy would say - BLEAH.

Bleah!  :)

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
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