Re: ...Chauncey

[jmc@ptc.com (Jonathan McIntyre)]

KK said:
> Poor shooting and a couple of boo-boos notwithstanding, Chauncey was at
> last exhibiting some point guard skills.  Interestingly, his passing
> seems at his best  (and worst!) when he jumps in the air and lays it
> down to a cutting teammate.  When it works, it's spectacular; when it
> doesn't, spectators in the expensive seats are lucky recipients of his
> passes (and people like me post mean comments about him to the list).
> Perhaps his lack of passing success stemmed from the ban Pitino imposed
> on his jump-passing - Billups seems congenitally unable to make
> productive passes when he's on the ground.  However, if he can get 9
> assists and keep his TOs down to 2, what the heck!

Cousy, Pitino and the others never said that jumping in the air to 
pass is ALWAYS a bad idea.  Cousy even said during a broadcast that it's 
OK to jump in the air as long as you know EXACTLY what you're going to 
do with the ball before you DECIDE to jump.  If you see an open teammate 
and the only way you can find to get the ball to him is to jump in the air, 
then jump in the air.  

The problem Billups had is that he'd drive into the lane, see lots of 
traffic around him, and immediately jump in the air, probably thinking 
he'd either shoot over or pass over the defenders, but he hadn't
decided on which to do when he started to jump.  Either that or he had 
decided, but in mid-air realized his pass or shot would be blocked, meaning 
he hadn't spotted all the defenders well enough before jumping. 


> - - If Pitino could figure out a way get Minor's head in order, that
> guy could be a player - he's got the tools.  Obviously, the previous
> administrations counted on the same thing in giving Minor that
> relatively fat contract. Or, maybe they felt sorry for his kids.

I think you're right.  Minor came in around the end of the first
quarter last night and made several excellent plays in a row, including
scoring inside, which the Celtics hadn't been able or very willing to
do up until that point.  John Thomas came in at the same time and also
immediately helped with his aggressive inside play.  So as hard as it
might be to believe, Minor and Thomas were the ones who got the Celtics
started on the right track after a horrendous start.  Minor really
looked unusually impressive with his all-around game for the few plays
that he was in there.  Of course that in no way means he'll be able to
play that well consistently.

Anyone know why the C's haven't used Roy Rogers more?  It seems like 
they've really needed his shot-blocking talents the last 2 games against 
Robinson/Duncan and Reeves, but he's barely played. 

Jon Mc