Re: Fortson trade simultaneously good and troubling

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

> 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. 

Good post Joe.

Hopefully Potapenko and Fortson complement each other the way Longley and 
Rodman did in Chicago. Longley wasn't particularly adept at grabbing rebounds 
and frequently wouldn't even go for the ball, but he would use his big body 
to create a lot of space under the basket for Rodman to work with. From what 
we've seen of Potapenko, he seems to have the ability to create this sort of 
space; ideally the two of them, with help from Walker, would secure the 
defensive boards enough for the team to really run. Hopefully Fortson can 
develop into a smart outlet passer if he isn't already.

I'm not too worried about Potapenko not dominating in summer league play.
I think his primary use for the Celtics is in neutralizing (not dominating) 
top Eastern conference centers like Mourning and that is not going to 
reflect itself in summer league games. I also remember how people were 
making a big deal of how Tim Duncan was having trouble with Greg Ostertag
during the summer league in Duncan's rookie year. One scout was quoted as 
speculating whether Ostertag would end up being the more valuable player 
due to his defensive skills. I wonder if he still has a job.

Alex