O'Brien Resigns

[miami_fan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1720254

Three things: First some NBA team should hire O'Brien immediately as I think he did a great job in Boston. Second, what exactly is this long term plan I keep hearing from Danny Ainge? Third, all seven teams in the Atlantic Divison have had coaching changes in the last seven months. This could be a first in professional sports. That much of a coaching turnover in such a short time

[Easy Mac]

Well, it is by far the worst division I think professional sports has ever seen, so its not too suprising.

[heybrad]

Danny Ainge is a doof.

[rkmsuf]

Pretty simple stuff. O'Brien prefers veterans and defense. Ainge wants running and youth. They couldn't meet in the middle.
O'Brien did not want to give Banks the minutes Ainge wanted him too and sacrifice some wins.

Overall O'Brien is a good coach best suited for a veteran squad on the verge. Probably a good move by Ainge for the long haul in bringing in a new face...

[HornedFrog Purple]

Is Ainge's Blue Jays card worth anything?

[Butter]

Jim O'Brien can bite me for running my beloved Dayton Flyers into the ground in the early 90's.

I was as surprised as anyone that he was even a half-decent pro coach.

Same goes for Randy Ayers, just substitute "Ohio State Buckeyes" for "Dayton Flyers".

[KevinNU7]

O'Brien was the first celtics coach in a while that actually looked at the talent on his team and created his game plan around their strengths and weaknesses. I hope Ainge doesn't bring in a guy with a "system" who has to deal with players who don't fit into that "system".

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by KevinNU7

O'Brien was the first celtics coach in a while that actually looked at the talent on his team and created his game plan around their strengths and weaknesses. I hope Ainge doesn't bring in a guy with a "system" who has to deal with players who don't fit into that "system".

Not true at all. The reason he's gone is his insistance on focussing on defense and sticking to his philosophy. Without the players to run his system he packed it in...

[Subby]

Ainge sounds like a complete jackass. He just needs to name himself coach and dispense with the charade.

From Chad Ford of ESPN Insider:

In Boston, Danny Ainge's decision to trade Eric Williams for Ricky Davis over the vehement objections of the Celtics' entire coaching staff was a death knell -- Ainge essentially said that talent and potential were more important than winning, hard work and the winning system O'Brien had put in place. Williams was the paragon of everything O'Brien thought an NBA player should be in his approach to the game. Davis was the Antichrist. Ainge's choice sent a message that wasn't lost on anyone -- in the long run, the chance that Davis turns into a decent NBA player meant more to the franchise than O'Brien.

It also didn't help, both coaches noted, that Ainge was a frequent visitor to the bench, screaming instructions to players during games. Nor did it jive that Ainge made "suggestions" about who should and shouldn't be playing. O'Brien handed out playing time based on work ethic and effectiveness on the court. He was trying to win basketball games. Ainge wanted it handed out on potential.

According to sources, Marcus Banks became the latest flash point. Banks had lost control several times over the course of the past few months and, during one point, screamed at O'Brien about his playing time and role on the team. O'Brien benched him. Ainge, who had dubbed Banks the Celtics' point guard of the future, quickly "suggested" that O'Brien unbench him. That never goes over well with the coach.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Subby

Ainge sounds like a complete jackass. He just needs to name himself coach and dispense with the charade.

From Chad Ford of ESPN Insider:

Don't know about the rest but regarding the Williams/Battie trade it made all the sense in the world. If O'Brien couldn't see that then he is the jackass.

Battie's knee is so bad the guy barely practices and is always a gametime decision. With Blount playing so well he was fairly useless. Williams is in the final year of his deal and the C's were not going to offer him much at all. He's at the end anyway and is merely a role player. If he could get it done he'd have started but is much more suited to coming off the bench and excelling against second units.

To get to the next level you have to assume some risk. Taking on Mihm and Davis is a worthly gamble compared to staying with a veteran group not qualilfied to make a finals run.

That also plays into giving Banks time. They need the kid to learn. He's not going to do it playing 10 minutes a night.

If O'Brien could see that and get with that program then be gone...

[Subby]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Don't know about the rest but regarding the Williams/Battie trade it made all the sense in the world. If O'Brien couldn't see that then he is the jackass.

Battie's knee is so bad the guy barely practices and is always a gametime decision. With Blount playing so well he was fairly useless. Williams is in the final year of his deal and the C's were not going to offer him much at all. He's at the end anyway and is merely a role player. If he could get it done he'd have started but is much more suited to coming off the bench and excelling against second units.

To get to the next level you have to assume some risk. Taking on Mihm and Davis is a worthly gamble compared to staying with a veteran group not qualilfied to make a finals run.

That also plays into giving Banks time. They need the kid to learn. He's not going to do it playing 10 minutes a night.

If O'Brien could see that and get with that program then be gone...

If I am not mistaken, you live up there, so you probably have a better take on all this than I do down here in DC. Still, it seems that any team that would willingly take on the cancer that is Ricky Davis has their head firmly implanted in their ass...

LITERALLY!!!!

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Subby

If I am not mistaken, you live up there, so you probably have a better take on all this than I do down here in DC. Still, it seems that any team that would willingly take on the cancer that is Ricky Davis has their head firmly implanted in their ass...

LITERALLY!!!!

Based on the last 10 years of Celtic history you could make a case for literall head/ass insertion.

Actually Pierce and Davis are fairly close and have worked out in the offseason. Since being here Davis has proven to be a hard worker and actually a pretty good passer. Most nights he has hustled, played D and deferred much of his offense to his new teammates. His one fault ironically has been he's not aggressive enough on offense. Whether that's a function of O'Brien or not we will see but to this point he's been the model team guy.

I suspect Pierce is a very good influence on him...

[korme]

Too bad, I liked O'Brien.

It is a shame that in this day and age that until O'Brien stepped down, for one day (because of Scott's firing) he was held the longest tenure for a coach with his current team in the Eastern Conference. Of 15 teams, he had been with the Celts the longest and that was just since 2001 after taking over for Pitino.

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by Shorty3281

It is a shame that in this day and age that until O'Brien stepped down, for one day (because of Scott's firing) he was held the longest tenure for a coach with his current team in the Eastern Conference. Of 15 teams, he had been with the Celts the longest and that was just since 2001 after taking over for Pitino.

...and now that honor goes to Atlanta's Terry Stotts, who has only been the coach for 13 months. It's just weird when the most tenured coach in the conference is basically considered an interim coach until the new ownership can get their act together.

[Buzzbee]

Originally Posted by VPI97

...and now that honor goes to Atlanta's Terry Stotts, who has only been the coach for 13 months. It's just weird when the most tenured coach in the conference is basically considered an interim coach until the new ownership can get their act together.

That assumes that they actually WILL get their act together. BIG assumption.

[lurker]

So, uh, nobody else thought this was about Conan O'Brien?