When Chauncey Billups was a rookie point guard with the Boston Celtics, he played with one eye on his defender, one eye on the rest of the court as the plays took shape and one eye on the sideline, sometimes over his shoulder, to see what coach Rick Pitino was hollering and gesturing for him to do.
No wonder Billups, like so many others, found it impossible to play for Pitino, much less succeed, in that partial 1997-98 season he spent in Boston after being the No. 3 pick in the draft.
Billups, whose Timberwolves faced his former team, the Celtics, Monday afternoon at Target Center, committed the unpardonable sin of not being Wake Forest center Tim Duncan, the franchise player Pitino thought he had locked up in the lottery when he signed on as Boston's president and head coach.
What Billups was, in fact, was a young player trying to find his position and his game after arriving in the NBA after only two seasons in college at Colorado. He was paired in the backcourt with another rookie, Ron Mercer (the No. 6 pick), playing in a demanding basketball city for a coach who was selling, and who was expected to work, miracles.
The Celtics had finished 15-67 the season before Pitino arrived. When he walked away last week, leaving $27 million on the table (but with $23 million already in his pockets), the team was 12-22. In his three-plus seasons, Boston compiled a 102-146 record.
Billups, to hear him tell it, could see it coming. With all three of his eyes.
"I didn't like his coaching style," said Billups, who was traded to Toronto shortly after the 1997 All-Star break. He averaged 11.1 points and 4.3 assists in 51 games for Boston.
"He was up on the court, screaming the whole game," Billups said of Pitino. "Every time I'd take two dribbles, he'd be screaming, and I'd have to look up to see where we were going. It was too much.
"I knew I was going to make some mistakes. This really is like my third year — I didn't play much last year, and my second year was a 50-game season. I don't have that much experience, so I'm going to make some mistakes. Here, with Flip (Saunders) and the coaches, they allow me to do that. But (Pitino) didn't allow me to."
Billups said that, a mere 35 games into his first season, he and his teammates were worn out from Pitino's pressing, trapping style. By then, he knew his days in Boston were numbered.
"When they did the trade, (he) told me there were pressures on him, telling him to get it done," Billups said. "He said he wanted a more experienced point guard like Kenny (Anderson). That's cool — I was happy, actually, to get out of there."
It's not as if drafting Billups yet failing to develop him was Pitino's only mistake. Here is a sampling of others, as cited last week by Boston reporters:
Taking Red Auerbach's long-standing title as team president.
Renouncing nine free agents, including David Wesley and Rick Fox, in an attempt to clear salary for a run at Scottie Pippen.
Signing forward/center Travis Knight to a $22 million free-agent contract.
Stocking the front office and basketball staff with people short on NBA experience.
Trading Andrew DeClercq and a No. 1 pick that became Andre Miller for Vitaly Potapenko.
Handing Potapenko a $33 million contract. Then giving Walter McCarty a three-year, $8 million deal.
Destroying any chance for continuity by making a reported 102 player transactions during his time in Boston.
Paying Antoine Walker $71 million over six years and making him a captain.
Leaving with the team about $16 million over the salary cap.
One of Pitino's most glaring miscalculations was handing the future over to Walker, who had played for him at Kentucky. A multitalented 6-9 forward who refuses to put the team ahead of his agenda.
During a recent loss to Golden State, assistant Jim O'Brien — Pitino's interim replacement — asked Walker why he was sulking and Walker allegedly replied: "I'm not getting enough touches." Days later, Walker said of Pitino's resignation, "It doesn't matter. It doesn't affect me whether he's there."
"When I was there, Antoine was definitely the best player we had. Now, I think Paul (Pierce) is the best player they have," Billups said. "Somewhere in there, they might be bumping heads to see who's the go-to guy.
"There aren't a lot of guys who have the ability to do the things Antoine can do. Sometimes he gets caught up in it."
Billups didn't hesitate to praise Pitino as a good strategist and, with a new job at UNLV looming, a worthy hire. "He's a great college coach," Billups said, "because in college you only play two times a week. You can practice and you can teach."