Re: FA money and draft

["Nissen, David" <DNissen@ventnds1.telstra.com.au>]

>At 14:15 -0400 5/18/98, gandahlf@capecod.net wrote:
>>Dumping Travis is NOT the answer!! Unless we trade him for a large
body
>>that can rebound and play defense. Travis is a pf in a centers body,
the
>>major problem is we have to play him at center when he should be
playing
>>the 4.
>>

>I didn't say it IS the answer - not because I like him, but because
this
>whole Travis affair would seem even more stupid than it is.  As for his
>real position, I doubt he can REALLY play any position (as opposed to
>taking advantage of opportunities because of Shaq's dominance) - at
least
>not until he acquires some guts in addition to his so-so talent.

> ETC....

In the short while I've been a member of this list I've seen an awful
lot of 
Travis Bashing, and I have to admit that a lot of it is deserved,
however 
people seem to have forgotton a number of important facts.

1) A lot of the games in which he put up good numbers for the Lakers,
Shaq 
was injured and Travis was basically playing a power forward to Elden
C's 
center.

2) At the start of the year he did seem to show some hints of the
potential 
for which he was signed (too bad for us it didn't continue).

3) Despite his height, PF does seem to suit him a lot better, so until
he 
bulks up (if ever), it is pointless complaining that he is a hopeless
center, 
because he isn't a center, no matter how much we want him to be.

4) Jerry West also felt Travis was worth signing and developing, and 
expressed dissapointment at losing him the big dollars, but perhaps
Jerry 
West isn't too good at judging talent either (that's sarcasm for those
who 
didn't pick it).

5) When Luc Longley was at the T-Wolves, how many people would have
picked 
such a clumsy and unagressive player to be the starting center for the
bulls 
and to have people seriously suggesting that the Celtics try to aquire
him 
(btw: I hope we do NOT aquire him).

OK, I'm dissapointed with Travis, I feel we have paid too much for him,
but 
he is young, he is playing within a system that is considered hard to
learn, 
he has been expected to play a position that doesn't suit him well and
he is 
obviously struggling with confidence problems (maybe he reads this
list).

So in short, it is way early to be hanging it on Travis (who we picked
up as 
a project) for not being who we needed this year, and it is way early to
be 
hanging it on Pitino for perceived errors in his tallent evaluation.

        - DN