I would gently correct your use of the word "rival". Most hated foe, perhaps, but the days of the Celtics "rivaling" the Heat are O.V.E.R. In the West, this team is a 10 seed, and once the rest of the Old Three pack it in, Celtics fans can get all excited about the Fab Melo era I guess. This team is toast for the next few years, so lets please not insinuate that the Celtics rival the Heat for anything other than hearts and minds for the foreseeable future.
Besides, he was on the team for four years. This isn't Montana exiting SF under unhappy circumstances. He was a 12 year vet before he even got there. Who was he to Celtic fans...Bob Cousy? He was a good player who helped bring the championship they craved. Just say thanks and wish him a nice life. Betrayal? Gimme a break.
So...the Celtics shopped him to everyone including the Harlem Globetrotters, Rivers intimated his playing time would decrease, and the organization was letting Rondo make a fool out of him privately and increasingly in public...and Ray's a prick because he went someplace he could try for one last championship instead of staying with the Big Three Old Guys, whose championship window has slammed closed and been nailed shut.
Not debating he is by accounts a thorny personality, but why is it that the team and their new face-of-the-franchise can slap him around all they want but when he goes elsewhere, HE'S the jerk?
Here we go again. He's not talking academically. He's merely stating that if ten guys are in a room with similar basketball skills, the 6 foot Asian guy is the one who does not fit the standard model, so he goes un-noticed. I think he has a point. How many 7 foot corpses litter college and pros solely on the basis of 84 inches of height, but without the most rudimentary of skills. Scouts and player development people are lazy. Who wants to go see some brainy Asian kid when we can just tap into the Rucker pipeline and be home in time for supper.
This is what I meant the other day by my "legacy of disappointment" comment the other day that was so enthusiastically received. The Patriots have arguably squandered Brady's prime by bringing in retreads and third-on-depth-chart guys instead of grooming a receiving corps. Those guys run wild against the Jets and Browns, but in the playoffs you simply double Welker (now Amendola) and put an extra linebacker on the tight end and its another disappointing Patriots playoff exit. The Giants beat them twice in five years due entirely to depth at the WR position. You simply cannot go into battle in the playoffs with a scatback and 1 1/2 tight ends, especially if you have a middling running game. I stand by my previous comment...some day the fond memory of three SB's will be diluted with the realization that 2 or 3 others were left out there simply by poor drafting and player development.
For all the crowing Patriots fans do, the ultimate legacy of this team is the 3-4 Super Bowls they left on the table due to nothing more than the organizations refusal/inability to draft anyone of any import during the entire Belichick era bar a select few. Had they drafted a couple of future All-Pros instead of the constant retread and dollar store pickups they do every year, they might well have passed Pitt and SF for number of rings. Instead, its been a decade of "Yeah, well...we beat the Jets!" and couldawoudlashouda's.
It sounds strange that a three time SB winner's ultimate legacy should be one of failure, but there it is, folks.
Lawrence Frank is a league soldier...he does the dirty work. No offense to Phil Jackson, but its nice to go from MJ to Shaq to Kobe and dispense metaphysical pearls of wisdom. Frank is a guy owners call for a no-glory job when they need to assess a bad team. He's not afraid to take on a bad team and help that assessment process. This team will be better for the job he's done.
Unfortunately, for the average fan its not about game strategy and play execution, its about seeing grown men beat each other into a stupor. The average NFL fan is much like the casual NASCAR fan...he only really watches for the fiery wrecks. That's why a 30 minute highlight film contains 22 minutes of guys getting their heads ripped off.
I know, right. Too bad Coleman didn't suffer a brain hemorrhage right on the field. Then he would have excuse to whine like a sissy. For his salary, he should feel privileged to die for our enjoyment. Why at this rate, we won't ever get to see a death on the field. Damn **** turning our beloved game into a spring dance.
Sometimes change is good even if it amounts to nothing. I'd run all four of these bums out of town and bring in Kolb or trade for Flynn...anything to bring in even a remotely competent player so that you can tell your fans that at least you care. Bring in some professional, even if he's a scrub, to placate the fans for a year or two and find a kid worth grooming.
I don't see the controversy. Kraft is 100% correct. Someday, Tom Brady will be gone as will Belichick. Then the fans will look to Kraft to rebuild a suddenly gutted franchise. So no, he does not answer to Tom Brady or Bill Belichick as much as he values their input. He has to consider the next 20 years of his franchise's health, not the next 18 months of the ongoing glory of Tom Brady. Considering they are going on nine seasons since their last championship, it is entirely possible the magic of Tom and Bill has run its course anyway. So I commend Kraft for looking into the future before he wakes up one morning with a roster full of scrubs and old guys.
I agree. It is much more likely that Welker morphs into Wayne Chrebet (Peyton notwithstanding) than Brady becomes Bubby Brister. When Brady and Welker first got together, lets not forget who was the star and who was the scrub. Forced to bet on one or the other, I'll choose Brady.
No. Management was expecting him to make every effort to maximize what is left of his abilities. When you are diminished in one aspect, you try to improve in another. If he is injury prone, then he should be in top condition to try and offset his propensity to get hurt. By arriving out of shape, he is simply telling management "Tough crap...pay me."
All management expected was an honest effort to fulfill his commitment.
Would it be a totally ridiculous wish that anyone who feels the need to offer his totally unsolicited, unwanted, and unvalued political opinion into a sports post be immediately permabanned. Honestly, who gives a shytte what you think of Obama and exactly what does congress have to do with Jason Witten. Keep it over on the Fox news forums.
Not debating he is by accounts a thorny personality, but why is it that the team and their new face-of-the-franchise can slap him around all they want but when he goes elsewhere, HE'S the jerk?
It sounds strange that a three time SB winner's ultimate legacy should be one of failure, but there it is, folks.
"No...but I did rob Shaun Rogers at a Holiday Inn Express last night!"
All management expected was an honest effort to fulfill his commitment.