On Kenny Anderson

[jmc@ptc.com]

Kestutis.Kveraga said:
> Yup, for whatever reason, Kenny, to put it plainly, sucks right now. It
> amazes me that people who were so quick to (rightfully) credit him with
> making the C's offense flow last season are now blaming his teammates (!)
> for not making themselves available for Kenny's passes.  It's great that he
> hit 14-14 FTs to keep the game out of Miami's reach, but it shouldnt've come
> to that. It's bad enough for any PG to locked into this "shoot first, pass
> second" mentality; it's a disaster when someone with Kenny's shooting % does
...

Todd Crane said:    
> As one who posted a "Kenny Anderson sucks" post, let me elaborate.
>   
> First off, I never suggested getting rid of him just yet.  I truely
> understand his importance to this team.  However, I do have serious
> problems when the point guard has the second most shots attempted when
> he should be able to realize that he isn't shooting it very well yet.
> I'm sorry, but shooting something like 33% is absolutely unacceptable
> for a starting point guard.

I think for a point gaurd, it's the decisions he makes that's important, 
not how high his percentage is.  In the first few games, Anderson has 
taken too many quick shots, without exploring other options, and he's 
really looked bad at times, so I agree with some of the complaints. 
However, there are some things to keep in mind: 

   - There will be times where Kenny SHOULD take a lot of shots.
     If the defense is laying off the point gaurd 
     and clogging the passing lanes, the point gaurd has to find a spot 
     and hit the shot, which will cause them to cover him closer next time, 
     which will open up the passing lanes.  Part of the reason Kenny's 
     taken so many shots is because defenses are laying off him, daring him 
     to take it.  They'll keep doing it until his shooting percentage goes 
     up.  I think in the first half against Miami, Kenny took a ton of 
     awful shots & stunk up the place.  In the second half, he seemed to 
     take what the defense gave and play smarter.

   - Another smart thing Kenny did in the 3rd quarter was to pick up the 
     pace of the game, which tired Miami out.  It meant he took some shots 
     where he penetrated quickly and missed, but it kept everyone running, 
     and eventually Miami wore down.  Sure, Miami scored 14 straight, but 
     Kenny helped make sure they wore themselves out doing it. 

   - It's early in the season, and Kenny's shooting percentage is 
     bound to increase as Pitino makes him practice shooting with the 
     new shooting coach.

   - The Celtics lost a lot of close games last year due to free-throw 
     shooting.  With Barros and Anderson as the point gaurds with the 
     ball in their hands at the end of close games, that shouldn't be a 
     problem anymore.  These 2 guys will hit the shots. 

   - As Josh Ozersky stated so well: 
     > this to you, KK, but point guard is a team oriented position.  Kenny
     > was able to make the machine run so well last season because, among
     > other things, the team was so revved up and well-oiled on the
     > defensive end, and because they were able to get running via the press
     > and defensive rebounds.  In the half court, his teammates spaced
     > themselves out right, reversed the ball, and made the extra pass. 
     I.e. once the Celtics defense starts forcing turnovers at the rate they 
     did last year, Kenny will have more transition opportunities, then 
     watch out for double-digit assist totals from Kenny! 

Kenny is a smart player, and an excellent point gaurd, who just needs to 
get some more minutes under his belt with his newest teammates, and Pitino's 
system.  I look for him to start playing a lot better on the road trip. 


Andy Shaw said: 
> Your description is right, but your conclusion is backwards.
> 
> PG's have _low_ FG% because they end up taking bad shots because of
> the shot clock.

Interesting point.  I hadn't thought of that before. 

 
> What a great quote! I even added to my signature. The Celtic swagger is back!
> Nathan A.
> 
> >''Hey, man,'' the point guard announced  near the entrance of the locker
> >room, ''this is a new era for the Celtics. This is the Pitino Era. We're
> >about to play some ball here (.....) I hope teams understand they are
> >playing the Boston Celtics. We are not the rebuilding Boston Celtics. When
> >we're on our game, we can do some damage. Look at the Pitino Era. We're not
> >going to be blown out by teams. Do teams know that? If they don't, they
> >better ask somebody.''  (Boston Globe)

I love it!  That's the attitude our players have been lacking for so many 
years... it's good to have it back!  I think he's absolutely right, too.


Jon Mc