starting slowpokes

["Berry, Mark S" <mberry@journalink.com>]

I don't see a real problem starting both VP and Fortson against 80 percent
of the league. Obviously, neither player is gifted with great footspeed or,
for that matter, great height. But both are solid positional defenders who
will not be moved off of their spots. At the 4 and 5 spots, that's the most
important thing (certain matchups notwithstanding).

Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised to see Battie start ahead of
Fortson simply to try to keep Fortson out of early foul trouble. There isn't
any depth in the frontcourt, so we'll need to keep our three key guys on the
floor. Buying Fortson a few minutes at the start of the game may be one way
of doing that. I'm not convinced yet, however, that Battie can be much more
than a situational player.

The other key, however, to a VP-Fortson-Walker starting frontcourt is
Antoine. You can afford to have two bruisers who dominate the boards but
don't really run the floor (offensively or defensively) but not three.
Antoine has to run the break and, more importantly, keep up with his man in
defensive transition because he isn't going to have a swift big man to cover
his back.

I'm an Antoine supporter and believe he can do this with a full training
camp to get in shape.

BY THE WAY: Am I the only one deliriously happy over the announcement that
the NBA League Pass will be available on digital cable? I was having a devil
of a time convincing my wife that we needed a mini-dish, but I think digital
cable is an easier sell. I can't wait to see all those game.

Mark