Silly Twon Thread

[JOzersky@aol.com]

I think this frustrated thread has about had it.  Look.  A great player has
to be given the freedom to throw circus passes, to take a lot of shots, to
turn the ball over, and to be the man even when his shooting percentage
doesn't seem to justify it.  Just as you want to see your point guard have a
few turnovers, because that reflects him trying to make something happen.
 Now, obviously, Antoine will never reach the Bird-like heights we all hope
for if he hogs the ball on breaks and misses easy post-ups.  But we are
grooming him to be the best player in the NBA.  Not a dependable
Bill-Cartwright style scorer, not a one dimensional postup threat, not a
point forward.  The bottom line is that Antoine is going to be great or
nothing.  Ordinary rules don't apply to talent like his, at least not at this
stage in his career.  I for one would like to see him rebounding like the
maniac of last year, but if he is to develop into the controlling force we
need, he has to feel his oats in every facet of the game, and that means he
is going miss shots and play out of control.  

Three rules about Antoine
1.  He has to be signed at any price, and kept in Boston as an untouchable
foundation, a true franchise player.

2.  He has to be forgiven oncourt sins which would bench other players, both
for the present need to stay competitive in the game, and the future's need
to develop the true "next Larry Bird."

3.  We have to bear in mind, as Rick does, that Antoine is completely,
obsessively committed to being a winner and a better player.  He truly wants
to be a leader, which few players do  (see Danny Manning, Penny Hardaway,
Grant Hill.)  His occasional remarks, such as his argument that he deserves
ROY honors, are if anything far more modest than the kind of stuff Bird used
to say, and are part of the rituals of respect that comprise the secret
substance of the player's fraternity.

In other words, stop riding Antoine!  He's not some nerd sitting in front of
a computer splitting hairs, but the man who night in and night out is
fighting for our future.

Defensively,
Josh