Re: Why are we taking swings at our players...

[snoopy1@pig.net]

At 12:28 AM 2/12/99 +0800, Jaime Salud Castillo, Jr. wrote: 
> I really don't
> get it why some people in the list won't stop swaggerin' about what this
> player did and the other player didn't do.  Why do some of us fans
> hit on our own guys.  Hey, guys, these are the players (people) who
> do the work for us.  We have our opinions and complaints from time
> to time but we also have to understand that they are still the players to
> play ball for the celtics team. 
>  
Exactly.  They are well paid to play a game to
the best of their ability.  Fans spend a lot of money to see them do
this.  Allow me to quote the late folksinger Harry Chapin:

"People come in every night and pay me money to do what I want, how
I want, when I want.  If you see that, and you can't give back over
100%, then I think you're a damn fool...and I've been a fool in my life,
but not THAT big a fool."

That can be equally applied to people playing basketball, as to people
singing on stage.

> If some have
> problems concerning why Walker or Anderson shooting too much, why don't
> you people just understand they're made like that.  Walker is a
> shooter/scorer since then and so is Kenny A.  It doesn't help our
> hopes for the success of this team if you keep on continuing to complain
> and see negative stuff.

No, they're not made like that, they're coached like that.  They're
supposed to, ideally, take high percentage shots that have a more than a
snowballs chance in hell of going in.  And there is no excuse for
Walker to be shooting in the low 60% range in free throws. 
None.  That shot, at the professional level, and ESPECIALLY with a
70 million dollar contract, should be an automatic score at least 80% of
the time (I'm kind of demanding on free throws, learned that from Cousy)
.

And bear in mind, this is relative nitpicking.  None of our players
showed up 20+ pounds overweight.  None of our players are having
free for alls in the hallway after the game.  We expect the Celtics
to meet a very high standard BECAUSE they are the Boston Celtics. 
We've been fortunate to have fielded some of the best basketball players
on earth.  And we expect the newcomers to work their collective
butts off to live up to that.

>  
> As I see this early in the season, we are
> still feeling our way into the chemistry flow and system.  But I
> also see everybody is starting to adapt and know their roles once inside
> the court.  Starting with Walker:  Everybody should know by now
> that this guy is a born scorer and rock-thrower.  He will shoot at
> any place at anytime and anyhow.  HE'LL ALWAYS BE A PLAYER WHO'LL
> SHOOT THE BALL 30-40 TIMES A GAME.  I accept that even if it's 5/30
> fg pct.

I don't object to someone shooting, so long as it's A) in the flow of the
offense; and B) a decent percentage shot (at least most of the
time).  Hitting 5 baskets out of 30 is, to me, unacceptable, unless
you're playing against a fantastically good defense.


>  
> Kenny Anderson is another one of those
> pointguards that has the "shoot first mentality" .  I also
> accepted this readily as he does the other things of his roles. 
> Assisting, help defense, clutch free throw shooting...he was the leader
> in GTech in his time...so he can be our floor leader (offensively and
> locker room pep talks) too.

But being the floor leader is not Anderson's job.  It's Walker's
job.


>  
> As for Mercer and Pierce, these guys are
> both important offensive and defensive assets of the team and I really
> sometimes get puzzled why some of us still put in negative stuff about
> them.  

Mercer is injured.  Hard to be positive about anything except hoping
he comes back healthy soon.  Pierce is another matter.  It's
not that people are bad-mouthing him so much as there's been a LOT of
hype about this rookie.  To hear Tommy Heinsohn talk, you'd think
the kid jumps tall buildings in a single bound.  It's just not
sensible to put that kind of onus on someone who is, after all, still
learning.  I grant you, he is VERY good.  I like what I see
that he does well.  My personal problem is he needs finesse--at
least enough to cut down on early fouls.  That's something only
experience and good coaching will teach him. 

>  
> Lastly, Declerq, Battie, Ron Jones, Riley,
> Shintzius, Bowen, Garnett, McCarty, Minor and Barros all of them as I see
> have already internalized their roles into the team.  Some still (I
> know) are dissing Minor or Barros for being in the team but I don't see
> any way that we could replace them at the same time teach the replacement
> his role/s into the team again.  Meaning, we are already jelling now
> as a cohesive team as every player is starting to know their roles and
> duties once tapped to play.  

Frankly, Schintzius has shown me nothing at all.  I don't think he's
going to be there much longer.  The others have worked tout well to
varying degrees, and also have various problems.

>  
> So, I am just hoping that we as fans, would
> just hope for the best for our "current" team now.  We
> should be wishing  them the best so they in return would give out
> their best too inside the court.

We do wish them the best.  But we also have some pretty firm
opinions on how to best acheive that.  

>  
> The more we diss and put in negative stuff
> on our players the more discouraged our hopes will be. 

Considering this is a thousand times better team than 2 years ago, you
don't need to worry. :>)

>  
> So let's GO Celts!!!

They DID go---to Miami, where they're going through what I hope are tight
drills on passing, playmaking, constant press (and in Walker's case, free
throw shooting), and conditioning.

poof...