Re: Tommy is getting critical

[opi@unesco.org]

Hi Cecil,  but Antoine's been a perimeter player on offense pretty much all his
career (he's actually playing traditional power forward for the first time this
year). In fact, he attempted 292 three-pointers in his second season.

He's fallen off 27% in his defensive rebounding this season, and that's not
peanuts. Do you see Antoine taking off early for cherry picking season (like a
James Worthy)?

I don't. There is a significant drop-off happening, and it overshadows all the
things he's doing better this year as a team player. If you could clear your
memory banks and just judge Antoine based on this season to say, you'd see a
player who maybe many things but certainly not very "selfish" (he passes off
once nearly every trip down the court, he sets screen after screen for his
teammates). The problem is no longer that he can't fit in as a team player (I
don't think we should worry for a second about this issue).

The problem is that he's having an horrible shooting year along with a massive
dropoff in rebounding production (just when his teammates desperately need him
to step it up with Fortson out). To be an apologist about Antoine's play this
year is IMHO pretty equivalent to admitting that he's just an average NBA
forward in the end.

It could well be that Antoine's just an average (6.9 rpg) big guy with a
substandard shooting touch. But this also means he was just incredibly "lucky"
to pile up 836 rebounds a couple of years ago. We SHOULD expect more from
Antoine. Granted my "Antoine is a girlie-man" thing is totally childish, but at
least I insist that Toine be more of a menace on the boards so long as he'll
keep putting on the green and white uniform and walking through the tunnel.

In our 36-win season, I believe we would not have blown the 13-point
third-quarter lead against the Fakers (Antoine BTW had 5 rebounds and 2 assists
for that game). I know Antoine did his "best" under the circumstances...it's
just so frustrating to lose at home to the Lakers. Los Angeles may be hot stuff
right now, but all they achieved on Monday was to narrow the overall series
deficit to 107-144, not to mention 2-7 in NBA finals and 0-4 in decisive 7th
games. I hope those guys had fun beating our undermanned Celts team, because
next time we will deliver a lot more bruises and whup-ass cans in a payback win.

---------
Cecil Wright wrote:

> I have been avoiding this conversation on purpose, but I will say this
> AGAIN.  How can Toine be expected to increase his rebounding from the
> point/forward position?  He is spending increasing amounts of time in that
> spot and some individuals want his rebounding numbers to rise.  Impossible
> if things stay as they are.  He is making an abvious effort to include more
> of his teammates in the plays.  He is playing absent Pierce, Fortson, VP's
> playing injured, as is Griffin and McCarty.  WTF!
>
> Cecil