RE: Billups slowly improving

[Cecil Wright <nocw1@nsh.library.ns.ca>]

On Mon, 29 Dec 1997, John Lyell wrote:

> I agree his play has improved, but he still does not show me the instincts 
> of a real point.  On too many occasions where the lane is open he pulls it 
> up instead of penetrating to the hoop or dishing it off to teammates. Maybe 
> this will come in time, but didn't we say that with Barros & Brown ?
> 
That is why we need to exercise patience.  Considering that he is 
adjusting to a position he didn't play at Colorado, I'm happy with the 
progress he's made up to this point.  There are negatives to be found in 
the play of each one of the Celtics which simply proves they're human, 
not machines.  I guess it bothers me a lot when the critics make their 
assessments at early stages of a career, because often times, the player 
is only a shell of himself at that stage.  I hope we don't make the same 
mistake with ANY of our young players.  Jaime makes a point that he's not 
exciting.  Good grief, if winning basketball games isn't exciting enough, 
something's wrong.

I hear you when you say Billups is improving but...  Apparently his 
improvement is not acceptable entirely.  It seems as if you want 
"mistake-free" basketball and you're not going to get that from anyone.

For instance, against the Lakers, during one series, he penetrated the 
lane, went up in the air, tried to dish to Walker who would've had an 
easy jam, but it was slapped away by the defender.  If he takes the shot 
and misses, he would be criticized.  But he is trying to help his team 
win and was thwarted by an alert defender.  

He also came down on a 3 on 2 break and when he got to the line he shot.  
Some will say that this was poor judgement but, in fact, when a guard 
gets to the line he SHOULD shoot, especially when the defenders lag off 
to cover the wingmen.  This prevents the chance to draw a charge and 
still gives a 3 on 2 rebounding opportunity.

Nobody wants to see Boston win more than me.  I've been a fan since my 
first visit to the Garden in 1962.  This kid has intangibles right now, 
and in time, will show vast improvement in his areas of deficiency.  

1.  He's very young.

2.  He's adapting to a new position.

3.  He's playing defence in a system unlike anything he's ever seen.

4.  His fellow teammates are relatively immature and raw also.

Comparisons to other guards don't prove anything at this point unless you 
compare him to fellow rookies like Antonio Daniels, Knight and Vaughn.  He
seems to have a healthy respect for Pitino and vice versa evidenced by 
the minutes he keeps receiving of late.  But the fact is he earns his 
PT.  He has done a credible job already on Iverson, Van Excel and 
Stoudamire, but never do I read anything about it.  It's a continuous 
situation of doubt regarding his tools as a player.  Once upon a time, a 
gifted defensive point guard was considered a jewel.  Here some of us are 
offering only pessimisms about a rookie who has played 27 games.  
Honestly, what rookies don't struggle for a while?

Give Pitino a chance to work with this kid before we trade him away for a 
bag of marbles and a cheese-steak sandwich.

Cecil