The M.L. Carr Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
Tell me
about your two seasons as head coach of the
Boston Celtics.
Red tried to talk me out of it. He didn’t
like the idea. He said that I had such a
good name in the
city
and with the fans of the Celtics, that it
was going to be a big risk in terms of my
reputation taking a big hit. I listened to
what he had to say, but I was convinced that
I was the best person to take the team
through what was certain to be a very rough
period in franchise history. I was willing
to take the hits in order to get the team
into a place where we had some good draft
picks, and then I knew it would be time to
step aside.
That was the plan in the beginning, but like I said earlier, Red always had a great vision. I never could have envisioned some of the things that were said and done by the fans during that time. I’ve never talked about it until now, but I’d walk into my office and my assistant, Becky, would be in tears. I’d ask her what was going on. She was reading letters from irate fans – there were death threats and all kinds of stuff coming in. And I just never thought it would go to that level. I’d discuss it privately with Red and keep it behind closed doors, and then I’d only let the public see my positive side, but it was tough.
I remember that [Boston Globe sportswriter] Will McDonough was up front and honest with me. I was talking to him about the coaching position, and I asked him what he thought. He said, ‘Are you kidding? Get the longest contract you can get, and get the most money you can get. And when you finally do sign on as coach I’m going to kick the crap out of you in the paper, and you’re going to laugh all the way to the bank.’
But I had no idea it was going to be that tough. One of the things that really bothered me was that there were people who were dispatched to my home to dig up dirt on me. There were people who would go down to my mother’s house unannounced, and without my knowledge, and of course she’s going to let them in and make them feel at home. And they were there to dig up dirt on me, all because I was running and coaching the Celtics and the team was going through some tough times. It was tough on my family.
Do you think it
would have been different for you had Len
Bias not died from a cocaine overdose in
’86, and Reggie Lewis hadn’t died from a
heart attack in ’93?
It would have been different because the team wouldn’t have gone through the slide that allowed me to become general manager and head coach. I would have never been there anyway. There would have been a nice transition from Bird, McHale and Parish, and I think the team would have remained very competitive during the ‘90s. Those were two great players.
Where were you when
you heard that Bias had passed away?
I was walking to a meeting with my financial
advisor, and someone on the street asked me
if Len Bias was going to be okay. I said
that he was going to be more than okay, that
he was going to be unbelievable. Then I
walk a little farther and someone else asks
me the same thing, and I’m talking about how
he’s going to be the next great Celtic, and
that’s when this person tells me that Bias
had had a heart attack and died. I refused
to believe it. But then I walked into my
financial advisor’s office and he’s telling
me about news reports of Bias’ death.
So I called the Celtics to get confirmation, and then I canceled my meeting and drive over to Red’s office. I walk in, and Red was devastated. That was the first time that I could ever remember Red not having an answer for something. He really liked Len, and it broke his heart, and he also knew that the Celtics had lost someone who was going to be special. He just said he thought he knew this kid, and the there was no way Bias would do drugs.
Last question – You’ve achieved great success in your life, both on and off the basketball court, if you could give someone a piece of advice what would that be?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – and always be willing to give help. Too many times we are afraid to ask for help; asking for help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. I remember seeing Dr. J [Julius Erving] in an airport, and I told him that this was the closest I’d ever been to him without asking for help, because he would have scored 50 points on me if I didn’t ask for help [laughs].
Seriously, never be afraid to ask for help. And remember, riches are to enrich the lives of others, which brings me back to giving help. We have had people help us in this life, and we should be sure to do the same whenever we can.
