Same goes for a fan of basketball, the NBA, or just excellence in sport in general.
I figured hed own up to his failures, show some self-awareness, maybe even apologize.
Instead, he doubled down.
Rick Pitino is, was, and forever will be an absolute piece of shit.
I grew up during the Reggie Lewis, Dee Brown, Celtics era.
They stunk, but they played their asses off.
Something I still remember clear as day today.
And Ive been lucky to see some pretty special stuff.
Im not sure Ive ever seen somebody do so much with so little.
The guy was the definition of a warrior.
If he had played during this era, hed be one of the biggest names in the world.
If hed been a foot taller and 50 lbs heavier, hed probably be in the greatest ever discussion.
It was woven into the fabric of the city, state, and entire New England region.
And they did this over 3-4 decades.
Rick Pitino came in and took a dump on all of it.
Lets start with the most unforgivable move of his entire Boston tenure.
He legitimately demoted Red Auerbach.
That moment alone shouldve gotten him deported.
But it didnt stop there.
Because Pitino treated the Celtics like a personal rehab project for his ego.
And Celtics City shouldve been his moment to come clean, to admit he blew it.
The fans were too demanding.
The players didnt fit my system.
You didnt fit any system.
You got outcoached, outclassed, and outed as a fraud.
You cant run a college system in the pros.
Especially when your plan B is…well, you didnt have a plan B.
Speaking of which, lets talk roster moves.
The Dee Brown situation?
A franchise pillar, fan favorite, all-around good dude.
Howd Rick let him know he was traded?
A dear-John note under his hotel room door.
Thats some mob-level cowardice.
Like Pitino was breaking up with a one-night stand at 3 a.m. on hotel stationery.
Then theres the whole Chauncey Billups debacle.
He still hasnt explained that one.
And avoiding doing so again in this doc.
Billups went on to be a Finals MVP.
And a fucking Hall-of-Famer.
Speaking of Subway sandwich artists, lets not forget about Travis Knight.
Pitino paid him like he was Shaqs taller twin.
The only thing Knight dominated was the bench.
Pitinos front office instincts made Billy King look like Red Auerbach.
Sure, he drafted Paul Pierce.
Even a broken clock is right once a day or however it goes.
One thing I never knew and hadnt heard until this doc was Ricks penchant for body-shaming.
If you thought Daves fat pen at the Barstool Awards was bad, then pull yourself up a chair.
Rick demanded the front office staff lose weight so they could set a better example for the athletes.
He bragged about buying a guy two $10,000 suits after he dropped 100 pounds.
Which, wow, thank you, Slim Fast Mussolini.
Thats narcissistic CEO bullshit wrapped in fake motivation and designer threads.
The cherry on top?
Most would argue, his infamous rant about Bird, McHale, and Parish not walking through that door.
A line so unhinged and bitter it should be engraved on his Celtics tombstone.
That moment said it all, even all these years later.
Rick Pitino never understood Boston.
The man had no plan B. Theres one moment where Pitinoalmosthas a flicker of self-awareness.
Who still does that?
Answer- a megalomaniac with a god complex like Rick.
I try not to hate a lot of people.
But for Rick Pitino, I make an exception.
At the end of the day, the Celtics might have missed out on Duncan.
They might have been cursed after Reggie Lewis.
But what really prolonged the darkness wasnt bad luck.
It was bad leadership.
It was Rick Pitino.
And you think back on that.
But I learned a lot.
To coach the Boston Celtics, even if you didnt do a great job, its just too much.
You got Red Auerbach, you got Bill Russell … and so many greats.
It was worth the experience.
He may be a Hall of Famer in the NCAA, but in Boston?
Rick Pitino is a punchline.
A Chianti stain on a loud, white, Brioni suit.
And no, Rick, Larry Bird is still not walking through that door.
But neither are you.
And thank God for that.
“I got a call from the folks in Boston,” former Celtics coach and general manager M.L.
Carr told NBC Sports Boston.
I went to Popovich; he felt sorry I even had to ask.
Pitino confirmed the rumors on draft night.
“You have maybe, arguably, a top-20 player of all time, and you get Luc Longley.
Our fans deserve the best.
“(The Bulls) wanted to sweeten – three and six was not enough for them.
I had no idea that happened.
It is so well done its crazy.
The access, the candidness, the unknown and unheard stories.
And the way its all packaged and presented.
It is PERFECT story telling.
And this series does a great job reminding us to appreciate that.
