9.10.2018

Introduction of ML Carr as New Head Coach Unsettling

June 20, 1995

There was a time, many years ago, when the naming of a head coach of the Celtics was something of a coronation.

I believe Walter Cronkite was on the scene, live, when Bill Russell replaced Red Auerbach as head coach.

These days, a Celtics press conference isn't much more than "Live at the Improv." And so it was yesterday afternoon as the Celtics unveiled M.L. Carr as their new head coach.



There was no fancy Celtics logo hanging behind the performers. Paul Gaston, the fellow who gets to run the Celtics on days his dad is out golfing, was dressed as though he'd just cut third period. Red said all the right things when asked for his two cents' worth, but here's what his expression was saying: Get me out of here.

This isn't to say that the come-as-you-are press conference didn't have its dramatic moments. See, the Celtics pretty much invented the concept of the sixth man in the NBA, and now they have introduced the concept of the Ffifth chair to NBA press conferences.

There they were, poised to announce that M.L. Carr has named M.L. Carr as the next head coach of the Celtics. It was the worst-kept secret on the Boston sports scene since the day the Patriots gave the gate to Rod "I'm Proud of My Men" Rust, and the only question was exactly how Carr would be able to sing his own praises without sounding like a fool.

Really, how best to name yourself your own boss?

M.L. Carr: "Our purpose here today is to introduce to you an exciting young man who we think you're going to be hearing a lot about in the years ahead. The Celtics are pleased to introduce. . . myself . . . as the new coach of the Celtics.

M.L. Carr: "Thanks, M.L. First off, let me just say. . ."

Alas, the Celtics opted not to have a little fun with this. Instead, it was left for Gaston to introduce the new coach.

We had all been standing around out in the hallway, telling hilarious jokes about the current state of the Celtics as we waited for the press conference to begin. Again, we all knew it was going to be M.L. Carr. But then we walked into the room, and we saw the fifth chair.

Now think about this. We figured there would be a chair for Paul Gaston. Certainly there would be a chair for Red, though we kind of wish he, too, had gone golfing for the day. Jan Volk would be there. And, of course, M.L.

So what about the fifth chair? Had the Celtics really brought in an outsider to coach the team? Mike Jarvis? Roy Williams? Was Dave Cowens coming home? Don Chaney?

Surely the chair wasn't for an assistant coach. You don't have assistant coaches at the table during a press conference. And surely the chair was not for Larry Bird. Ol' Larry doesn't even show up at Celtic headquarters, so we didn't expect him to fly in for a press conference out in Waltham.

Oh, those Celtics. They always keep you guessing.

The fifth chair was just an old trick. Red first used it when he was coaching Tri-Cities. We didn't fall for it. We saw it as M.L. naming M.L. all the way, and I'll be honest: We had one hell of a time wiping those smirks off our yaps when we walked into the conference room.

And then, when M.L. said, "We did an exhaustive search for a new coach," we damn near fell out of our chairs.

So, how many M.L. Carrs does it take to screw in a light bulb? One: M.L. turns the bulb while somehow trying to keep the ladder steady at the same time.

There were other funny moments. When he ran through the names of potential Celtic coaches, Carr said Larry Bird's name came up. Larry Bird coaching the Celtics.

Lots of stupid things have been said about Larry Bird over the years. One of them is this nonsense about how Bird was not an athlete. He was, in fact, an extraordinary athlete. But a coach?

Oh, and there was this, from M.L.: "It's going to be a fun brand of basketball. We want the fans to have fun. We want the players to have fun."

Right on the money, M.L. Fans in Orlando, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas and a whole bunch of other towns are going to have fun with the Celtics next season. And such players as Reggie Miller, David Robinson and Michael Jordan are going to have lots and lots of fun playing against the Celtics.

"What you have," said M.L., talking about himself, "is a person who is moving forward, who knows the NBA, who has played with some great coaches, who has played with some great players."

Dennis Rodman has also played with some great players, but that doesn't mean I want him coaching the Celtics.

More M.L.: "Dino could be one of the best running big men in the NBA."

What a fun event. Live at the Improv. No sets, no nothing. Just Kid Gaston and M.L., making it up as they went along.

"There's an open question," said Gaston, "as to whether M.L. can coach. We're all going to have fun finding out."

Yeah, it'll be a blast. Can't wait for opening night.

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