I’ve secretly been dreading writing this report card. In a couple of days or weeks Air France might just fly up out of this ‘ish to Chicago or elsewhere, but there needs to be some discussion first. I spared Dolin the duty, since he now has a personal relationship to consider. But this is tough; MP2 has always seemed to give a good effort and say the right things, but grading Pietrus is like grading a multi-course French dinner. Certain parts of the meal worked. Others, not so much.
As I mentioned in my open letter following the end of the season, Nellie’s brand of candid banter, free-flowing offense and swarming defensive switches were just what this team needed.
Moreover, he helped Mullin channel The Force to make that phenomenal trade (that was a straight Jedi mind trick he pulled on the Pacers front office). Don Nelson’s connection to the players and the respect he garnered are beyond rare. I believe he has helped this team gel faster and better then any other coach in this league (or not) could have. Period. Thank goodness it looks like he’s coming back. He’s our only hope to return to the playoffs and blow up the Dallas Death Star again.
Grade: Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (But let’s be clear, Sir Alec Guinness Obi-Wan, NOT Ewan McGregor).
I joke, I joke! I kid, I kid! Sarunas, Sarunas, Sarunas. Oh how the Bay was prepared to embrace you. Just like Sarunas the first. Rooney. And just like we were prepared to embrace Donny J. back when Nash Bridges was but a promising pilot. But alas, it took only a few short months before I personally witnessed a camera-equipped canary yellow Plymouth Barracuda get booed while film rolled on Folsom Street in the city. And sadly, that too was your fate as a GS Dub. I still have a more-than-robust soft spot for your personal dismantling of the semi-dream team that the USofA fielded in Athens. But when the trade-day expectations tip the Beard’s scales at a full “Hollywoodian,” we can be forgiven for our fury when all we get is a “Don Johnson” (for whom I also reluctantly admit that I have a soft spot, but I digress). Sadly though, that is your grade. Straight stubble.
Pateicība,
Daniel Turman
PS. In memory of what could have been, watch and remember.
It’s the middle of June and that means that it’s time for the official Fear the Beard report cards to get mailed. It was one helluva year for the Dubs, but as with everything the performances had their nuances. While a letter grade is difficult to assign to the results of an 82-game schedule and playoff run, we’re gonna go ahead and give it a run. In our own special way. Thus, In partnership with our friends at Golden State of Mind, we proudly present the first set of grades, er, beards.
First up, the executive tier, specifically the two-headed hydra of general manager: Chris Mullin and Rod Higgins. To see what this has to do with the image above, you know what to do. Beardly goodness awaits.
