Post by John on Nov 30, 2006 10:48:14 GMT -4
From the always reliable New York Post...
One of the Celtics' biggest problems, it says here, is their surplus of players whose growth plates are wide open. A coach and his staff can only comfort so many youngbloods and bring them along so fast, simultaneously. Especially when they're queued at the two most influential positions, the pivot and the point.
Understandably, Boston's Tee-off Party (Knicks by 24) was interrupted at the end by Boston's Teed-off Party. On the other hand, no matter how long, loud and a lot fans belch, "Fire, Doc!" Glenn Anton Rivers is not at fault for the team's dawdling or Friday's debacle.
James Dolan held The Prophet accountable for the Knicks' never-imitated, often-triplicated roster by making him coach his "last" roundup.
Glen Taylor insisted Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale do likewise two seasons ago, albeit, briefly, after Flip Saunders was excised.
When Doc inevitably is dumped into the Charles River, seems only fair Celtics' ownership command Danny Ainge to take the ultimate responsibility as well for his configuration.
Not that The Futile Lord isn't fully cognizant his construction job is fabulously faulty. How offensively deficient are the Celtics in the low docks? Let's put it this way, Ben Wallace and Tyson Chandler would be an improvement over Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins.
No wonder, an enlightened source revealed to Hoop du Jour, Ainge has offered anybody and everybody for Pau Gasol and anyone else the Grizzlies want to discard in the deal to make it happen.
The 6-11 Spaniard, whose country captured the World Championship last summer despite his absence in the final against Greece (fractured ankle that required surgery), is running sprints by himself, a good sign he may be closing in on activation within the next few weeks.
Obviously, 3-9 Memphis is suffering dreadfully without Gasol's scoring. rebounding and a presence that demands strict defensive attention from two or three opponents.
In the final year of his contract and guaranteed not to be re-hired - if for no other reason, the "incoming" owners can't afford him - Mike Fratello isn't quite as good a coach without Gasol; funny how that works.
Yet, the thrice one-round-and-done playoff team isn't a big draw in Memphis. Who knows, maybe the franchise has no other choice but to trade him for a squadron of undeveloped, minimum-wage hustlers, the business blueprint (unearthed last week by the Commercial Appeal) of the under-funded group headed by Brian Davis and Christian Laettner.
While that may, indeed, be something that could go down once Michael Heisley's 70 percent is sold, nothing is about to happen at this time. By all accounts, VP Jerry West is forbidden to make a trade no matter how insignificant (or change coaches) until the new group is either approved or disapproved in mid-December, maybe later.
Again, until then, the Celtics, probably the Grizzlies, too, are on their own, while Rivers and Fratello coach from weakness. Should Ainge start to warm up in the bullpen (a la Gregg Popovich replacing Bob Hill when Tim Duncan joined forces with David Robinson), I suspect Boston may be on the brink of acquiring Gasol.
One of the Celtics' biggest problems, it says here, is their surplus of players whose growth plates are wide open. A coach and his staff can only comfort so many youngbloods and bring them along so fast, simultaneously. Especially when they're queued at the two most influential positions, the pivot and the point.
Understandably, Boston's Tee-off Party (Knicks by 24) was interrupted at the end by Boston's Teed-off Party. On the other hand, no matter how long, loud and a lot fans belch, "Fire, Doc!" Glenn Anton Rivers is not at fault for the team's dawdling or Friday's debacle.
James Dolan held The Prophet accountable for the Knicks' never-imitated, often-triplicated roster by making him coach his "last" roundup.
Glen Taylor insisted Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale do likewise two seasons ago, albeit, briefly, after Flip Saunders was excised.
When Doc inevitably is dumped into the Charles River, seems only fair Celtics' ownership command Danny Ainge to take the ultimate responsibility as well for his configuration.
Not that The Futile Lord isn't fully cognizant his construction job is fabulously faulty. How offensively deficient are the Celtics in the low docks? Let's put it this way, Ben Wallace and Tyson Chandler would be an improvement over Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins.
No wonder, an enlightened source revealed to Hoop du Jour, Ainge has offered anybody and everybody for Pau Gasol and anyone else the Grizzlies want to discard in the deal to make it happen.
The 6-11 Spaniard, whose country captured the World Championship last summer despite his absence in the final against Greece (fractured ankle that required surgery), is running sprints by himself, a good sign he may be closing in on activation within the next few weeks.
Obviously, 3-9 Memphis is suffering dreadfully without Gasol's scoring. rebounding and a presence that demands strict defensive attention from two or three opponents.
In the final year of his contract and guaranteed not to be re-hired - if for no other reason, the "incoming" owners can't afford him - Mike Fratello isn't quite as good a coach without Gasol; funny how that works.
Yet, the thrice one-round-and-done playoff team isn't a big draw in Memphis. Who knows, maybe the franchise has no other choice but to trade him for a squadron of undeveloped, minimum-wage hustlers, the business blueprint (unearthed last week by the Commercial Appeal) of the under-funded group headed by Brian Davis and Christian Laettner.
While that may, indeed, be something that could go down once Michael Heisley's 70 percent is sold, nothing is about to happen at this time. By all accounts, VP Jerry West is forbidden to make a trade no matter how insignificant (or change coaches) until the new group is either approved or disapproved in mid-December, maybe later.
Again, until then, the Celtics, probably the Grizzlies, too, are on their own, while Rivers and Fratello coach from weakness. Should Ainge start to warm up in the bullpen (a la Gregg Popovich replacing Bob Hill when Tim Duncan joined forces with David Robinson), I suspect Boston may be on the brink of acquiring Gasol.