Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V5 #10

[Mike Dynon <mdynon@ix.netcom.com>]

Michael Joseph Byrnes wrote:
> 
> I am just worried that Antione is more "desperate to prove himself as an
> All-Star" than he is to prove himself a team leader.  Players like Larry
> Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson surely wanted the recognition that
> goes with making the All-Star team - however, each of them wanted to win
> basketball games more than anything else.  I haven't seen enough of
> Antoine to believe that that is true for him.
> 
> At this point, Antoine has great talent, but there are still a number of
> huge weaknesses in his game: creating for teammates (he does not make the
> players around him better), running the fast break (the Celtics fast
> break, largely led by Walker, is the worst I've ever seen), getting to
> the free throw line, ability to hit free throws.
> 
> Even his 49 point game yesterday came in a losing effort.  If he had been
> even adequate from the free throw line the game would have at least gone
> to overtime.  He also took himself out of the game in crunch time on a
> reach in foul.  And, he had *no* assists to go along with his five
> turnovers.  WHile it was still a great game, was it really all that much
> better than Todd Day's 41-point effort in the Fleet Center?
> 
> At some time in the near future, the Celtics are going to have to decide
> whether to make Walker their franchise player.  If they do sign him, it
> will most definately cost them "Garnett-money" at the very least.  At this
> point I am not entirely convinced that Walker is worth that kind of
> investment.  And, if he doesn't make changes in his style of play before
> he starts making Garnett-money, who is to say that he ever will afterward?
> 
> Michael Byrnes
> mbyrnes@stanford.edu

If you are a professor at Stanford, I guess no one gets an "A" in your
class.  Antoine is a great player in the making, but it's a bit much to
expect him to compare to three of the greatest ever.  Last night, he
swam the English Channel, but you think he should have walked across!

You choose to focus on what Antoine can't yet do, rather than what he
can do, so probably no amount of persuasion will change your mind. As I
stated in my first post, Antoine certainly needs to improve in some
areas.  However, he is the best player the Celts have had since Reggie.
I simply suggest that we try to enjoy that as he matures.
 
Mike Dynon
North Kingstown, RI

********************************************************
Are you connected with women's college volleyball? Visit
this site for a look at a talented potential recruit:
	http://www.netcom.com/~mdynon/Diane1.html
********************************************************