This week’s Doublespeak Award goes to the Detroit Pistons, whose Web site contains a click-on headline: “Carlisle Steps Down.” Open that item to find the grotesquely passive headline: “Rick Carlisle Not to Return as Pistons’ Coach.”
News Hits gets it, though. We reckon you wouldn’t expect the franchise’s official digital organ to post the real story, i.e.: “Carlisle unceremoniously canned after leading team to Eastern Conference finals, one year after being named NBA Coach of the Year; Larry Brown, whose 76ers fell to Carlisle’s team a few weeks go, hired to replace the man who just whipped his fanny.”
We reckon that would be asking for too much candor.
Ironically, the online transcript of the news conference announcing Carlisle’s stepping-down-not-to-return contains the line: “Joe Dumars — (On Why Rick was fired) We decided to go in a different direction.”
Dudes, get your spin straight, already.
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