Some thoughts from the left corner.

[damekmo@teleport.com]

>the line (or both).  If Antoine had that type of support, he'd be more
>effective, too.  It's a chicken/egg situation: does Walker have to
>improve for the team to get better, or vice versa?  Either way, it's a
>long process.
>--
>Mike Dynon
>North Kingstown, RI

It's been so long since I've responded to anything on this list I feel kind
of like an outsider. First, let me say that I picked this team to win 25
games this year. Now, they could still go on a long, horrific losing
streak. Anything's possible, but I doubt it. I had my doubts about Pitino's
coaching abilities and I expressed them when ML was still in charge. I was
absolutely wrong. Pitino is clearly head and shoulders above all but a
small handfull of NBA coaches. So let's review. I was wrong about the win
total. I was wrong about Pitino. Let's see if I can get something right.
Now, I've only seen this team play a few times this year. I've seen much
more of the west coast teams. Perhaps you'd be interested in an outsider's
view? There seems to be a bit of frustration on this list. The Celtics have
lost, what, four straight now. They're two games under .500? I think the
view from the left coast is that Pitino has been working miracles all year
long, and that the current losing streak is long overdue. I have to be
honest, most people I've spoken to out here, rightly I think, see the
Celtics as a joke. Guys, there's only one legitimate NBA starter on the
team. Some perspective: Everyone out here is out of their minds because the
Blazers suck. Look at their line-up, especially in the
frontcourt...Wallace, Grant, Sabonis, Trent, Cato. Sabonis would need to be
in traction, Wallace and Grant would have to be in jail, and Cato would
have to be cruising the Salt Lake City malls with Clff Robinson before
Andrew Declercq ever started. Travis Knight? This guy is nice coming off
the bench but would never, ever play big minutes let alone be considered a
starting NBA center on this team. Walter McCarty? He's back IR for the
year. Look at the backcourt of Rider and Anderson. Which Celtic starts over
those two guys?  Barros? Barros is the quintessential one year wonder. He
does one thing well, otherwise he's mediocre at best. Billups doesn't start
on any other NBA team. When he comes off the bench is he a point? Mercer
does not have the range of offensive skills to start at shooting guard on
any other team. He might play more minutes than Billups, but big
minutes?....no. This is not a starting NBA backcourt. Do they play big
minutes on any team over .500? Bruce Bowen...great defense but again, is
this a big minute NBA shooting guard? Potential is one thing. Billups,
Mercer, Knight, McCarty look good in flashes but let's be realistic. If
they're going to play prominent roles on any NBA team at this point in
their careers, with the talent/skills they've shown, that team is screwed.
Walker, right now, is the team's only legitimate player. He does everything
for this team. If the Celtics had a point guard and one other passable
inside scoring threat who could play some defense Walker's turnovers would
decline and his shooting percentage would rise. It would also help if the
point guard could shoot better than 1-10. Walker does everything on the
court and he's playing, what, 39-40+ minutes a night? That's toatally
absurd. From out here it appears that the team is overachieving because
Pitino is getting everything he can out of a bunch of kids who have no
business competing on most nights, and because they have a superstar in the
making. Get Walker some help and this guy..he's only 21... has what it
takes to take over games and get his team wins in any number of ways. The
Celtics better give this guy the cash he wants, or they can forget
"building for the future." Right now the Blazers are having a hard time
putting two straight decent quarters together. The fact that the Celtics
ever win two straight games is a miracle. The Celtics are composed of
mostly young inexperienced players, who, with a couple of exceptions, are
career back-ups (that's including McCarty). Those three exceptions are
Mercer, Billups and Walker and the only one you can be sure about is
Walker. Personally, the team's record looks pretty good to me.

Just my two cents. I'll go back to watching the Blazers and Lakers fade
into oblivion come playoff time.


Paul M.