Re: Fortson trade simultaneously good and troubling

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

Nice post once again Ryan. I'm more familiar with Potapenko than Fortson, and I
realize Vitaly is a mediocre per-minute rebounder (while Fortson is kind of a
legend in the making). What Potapenko does for Boston is box out and create space
for guys to flash into the paint secure an easy board. What's more, Potapenko does
this on every play (maul people), yet at the same time he accomplishes this without
leaning hard or even pushing outwards with his elbows and hands. Compare that to
Ringo (also a totally committed defender) and you realize its not just a matter of
effort and technique but of sheer leverage.

So if ever there were an ideal complement to a great offensive rebounder (Fortson)
it would be a Potapenko-type mauler. And if you were also searching for the right
guy to share power forward minutes with Fortson, it would be a Battie or Marcus
Camby. I guarantee you our two pitbulls (Potapenko and Fortson) will look their
best against the bigger/taller guys. It's only against the smaller, speedier
attackers that you would much rather have Tony Battie anchoring the press unit.

As for Pierce, he's not the only guy who will have troubles next year at shooting
guard with the new rules. Even using the stiff arm to slow down a guy about to whiz
past him, Ron Mercer was like a revolving door. Even lousy dribblers like Reggie
Miller were blowing past him. Mercer was solid playing the passing lanes or
intercepting a guy at midcourt who has already well into his dribble. Pierce is
going to have a hard time at first. Nevertheless, that's a position (shooting
guard) where we'll still come out ahead statistically nearly every night.

I'm very pleased with this trade. We have a team that can eventually dominate
several statistical categories (rebounding, steals, turnovers) that historically
translate into wins. We are going to travel from city to city next season to win
back respect and restore Celtics pride.  I truly believe the Celtics are going to
deliver enough cans of serious, "Grade-A", government-inspected "whoopass" around
the league that they'll have to open several new canneries within the NAFTA zone to
meet demand.



------

Ryan Falcone wrote:

> Let me be the first one to say that I spent last season marvelling at both
> Fortson's rebounding numbers AND consistency.  I think that it's amazing
> that an undersized player was (is) such a force on the glass, especially
> when playing out of position at center and being overmatched from a
> height perspective.
>
> However, I'm a little hesitant to fully support this trade.  Let me begin by
> making a disclaimer:  I think that Fortson will do a fine job at power
> forward, and might be just the blue-collar type at "4" that many on the list
> have been clamoring for.  However, how does a 260 pound wrecking
> ball fit into a pressing / trapping defensive style?  Aren't the new
> officiating changes designed to prevent physical defensive play in the
> post, thus benefitting lithe, quick big men like Battie or Camby while
> theoretically working against battleships like Potapenko and Fortson?
>
> Someone else brought up the point that with Potapenko and Fortson, we
> have TWO undersized interior players, meaning that we could still be
> susceptible defensively inside to teams that have legitimate low post
> offenses, especially if Fortson has to rely on being physical and leaning
> on his man to deny position and make up for his height shortcoming (pun
> intended!).  Hopefully, Battie would fit into the rotation somehow,
> otherwise the Celtics won't have any shotblocking to speak of.
>
> I'm also not convinced about the position changes for Walker and Pierce.
> I think that it's possible that Pierce might have a tough transition to playing
> in the backcourt, especially on the defensive end.  Hopefully he will both
> improve upon last season's play and continue with the strong
> performances he demonstrated in the LA summer league.  But his
> summer audition at shooting guard--made at the expense of marginal
> NBA prospects--hasn't convinced me that he can be most effective
> playing in the backcourt.
>
> Also, having bookends Potapenko and Fortson anchored within the
> shadow of the basket will likely preclude Walker from setting up camp
> there, as well.  I don't think that anyone will argue that Antoine has been
> most effective on the block--I lament the prospect of him moving his game
> further out on the perimeter, where his propensity to launch ill-advised,
> long range bombs might become problematic.
>
> I've also seen Eric Washington--both in college and in the NBA--and feel
> that he's a mixed bag.  He scored more as a rookie, and is a fine athlete
> who could excel in a full court game (goodbye Bowen, if this trade
> actually happens).  However, while he can make perimeter shots (a few
> other posts have referred to him as being a fine three point marksman),
> he is much more of a slasher / score than a shooter.
>
> Ryan