Word: pitino
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With lowered banners and lifted spirits, Boston and the Celtics welcomed Rick Pitino last Thursday at a press conference on the old parquet floor of the new Fleet Center. Actually, "welcomed" is an understatement. Pitino, who agreed to leave his old Kentucky home two days before to become coach and president of the once proud but lately pathetic franchise, was coddled, crowned and canonized...
Cynical sportswriters believed him when Pitino said it wasn't about the money; it was about the challenge and the tradition. Red Auerbach, the legendary coach, said he willingly gave up his title as president because "Rick has been my choice all the way down the line--I never dreamed we could get him." And Celtic Hall of Famer John Havlicek, resplendent in a green blazer, proclaimed, "This is a great day in the history of this great franchise." The love-in was so overwhelming that people wouldn't have been terribly surprised if the Celtics had announced they were...
...when they do give Pitino his number, what would it be? So many are taken, including No. 1 (founder Walter Brown) and No. 2 (Auerbach). Maybe No. 5, for the number of teams Pitino has rescued (Boston University, Providence College, the New York Knicks, Kentucky and, presumably, the Celtics). Perhaps No. 20 for the number of hours in a day Pitino usually devotes to the job. Or No. 44 for his age when he took over the team. Better yet, No. 70 for the estimated millions of dollars Celtics owner Paul Gaston has promised Pitino over the next 10 years...
...ridiculous as the sum might sound, especially in comparison to the $21,000 Pitino made in his first year at B.U. in 1978, he may be worth it. First, $7 million a year is less than any decent superstar makes in basketball or baseball, and basketball coaches have found in recent years that when they say it's either him or me, the owner invariably says it's you, since your guaranteed contract is much smaller...
...wanted to coach and knew that the pressure here in Boston was just going to be too much. There was already a great coach coming in--of course, Pitino still needs to prove himself in the pros. Larry always professed that he didn't want to coach. Maybe he didn't want to take over here and then decide to leave if he didn't enjoy...