Kenny and other thoughts

[Rohan Prashad <rprasha@clemson.edu>]

I haven't commented on all the criticism on Kenny, because I haven't
been able to watch a game until tonight.  Kenny looked really slow on
both offense and defense in the first quarter, and looked like he got
winded very quickly.  He did take too many shots, but that was mostly
because guys weren't coming free off the picks, or not posting up with
good position. He had no choice but to throw up a jumper. But the team
still plays much better together when he's on the floor, and almost all
of our runs come when he's in the game.  In the 2nd quarter and
throughout the rest of the game I thought he played well and even did a
good job on defense.  He finished with 20 pts. (mostly on FTs) and 7
assists (even though he had two nice passes botched by Eric Riley and
Minor).  He still handles the ball expertly, and is the best floor
leader we've had since DJ.

We obviously miss Ron Mercer's quickness, open-court ability, and the
way he comes free off the screens.  But I thought McCarty's absence was
even more conspicuous.  He not only is a spark plug off the bench, but
he is the heart and soul of the ballclub.  He always provides energy and
excitement, and the Celtics were lacking that in the first half.  When
we get these two back, I think you will see us play a much better brand
of basketball, and everyone from Anderson to Battie will benefit.

It was nice to see Antoine play like Antoine.  I could tell just from
radio broadcasts that he was playing tenative, and his game was
deteriorating.  Some players need lots of shots to get into the flow and
Twon is one of them.  Pierce was very impressive, however I did get
nervous seeing him struggle a bit bringing the ball upcourt.  The way he
went right past Majerle, and strong to the hole on Zo was awesome.

I'm still upset about the Toronto loss, we could be 3-1 right now. But
after a week off to heal some injuries, and work on the plays, I think
this team could surprise a lot of teams.