Schintzius, I like it!

[Mark Piotrowski <pio@nwu.edu>]

>Not bloody likely.  Schintzius will never shake the underachiever label,
>primarily because he isn't motivated to work hard.  He's been a stiff with
>a number of teams (LA Clippers (?), San Antonio, New Jersey), all of
>whom were enamored with his potential and talent.

I have to admit I really like the idea of bringing in Schintzius for the
minimum (or maybe even a little more) -- and not just because it means that
we'll have 2 former Florida Gators (my favorite college team & alma mater)
on the Celts (my favorite team ever)!  I will admit that in the cases I
have seen (and that's not many) he's as big a wasted talent as Derrick
Coleman and Roy Tarpley.  He had the potential to be a Rick Smits type, but
it has been a wasted career.  With that said I do think he could still
contribute -- he'll never be an all-star but could contribute to a
championship if used in the right role.

Let me give y'all some background on Dwayne Schintzius from his playing
days at UF where I saw him play plenty.

He came as a highly recruited freshman.  As a sophmore he was part of a
team (w/ Vernon Maxwell & Andrew Motem) that was 3 blown layups from
beating the Syracuse Orangmen (who had Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly &
Sherm Douglas) and advancing to the final four.

Schintzius was (and I'm assuming still is since this is one of those things
that are more instinctive & less taught) a great passer for his size.  That
was, in my mind, what was going to have made him a great player.  Obviously
that hasn't happened but I will say that his is/was just a notch below big
men like Daugherty, Sabonis and Parrish in terms of finding an open teamate
when double teamed or from the high post - a position he played regularly
at UF.  In addition to his passing prowess he had a beautifully soft touch
for a big man.  His touch on 10-12 foot jumper reminded me of McHale's
(notice I'm comparing their touches not them as complete players).

Well what happened then?  Maturity had never been Dwayne's strong suit.
Rumor had it that some kids in Gainesville asked him how the weather was up
there (he being 7' 3", they being 4' or something), and he replied it's
raining after spitting on them.  Anyways, he was kept in check & on really
good behavior his first two seasons by Norm Sloan.  I remember them having
a similar type relationship to Rodman & Daley had in Detroit.  Following a
solid junior year where it looked like he was a lock to be a lottery pick
(if not the #1 pick), Sloan was forced to resign under NCAA investigations
a few games into Schintzius' Senior year.

Don DeVos, the new Gator coach, immediately clashed with Schintzius.  It
was all about controll.  DeVos was serving notice that he was the boss &
what he said was the law.  Schintzius was never going to win any beauty
contests and had this ridiculous haircut which was flattop on top and
shoulder length in the back.  DeVos demanded he cut it, Schitnzius freaked
and quit the team.  DeVos actually lasted only that season and set back a
promising UF program several years (IMO, but that's a different story).

Anyhow Dwayne was spotted around Gainesville out of shape and smoking
cigarettes - not a good sign for a future NBA center.  He was taken late in
the 1st round by San Antonio.  If recollection serves me, he played on the
pre-Robinson Spurs.  He

Anyways I think 2 things have contributed to Schintzius being an
underacheiver.  First, Dwayne was immature.  He was a great ballplayer who
couldn't handle the pressure of a big time program and a coach who didn't
use kid gloves with him.  He - like Benoit Benjamin - was blessed with
physical skills but lacked the effort of a Bruce Bowen that could have made
him a true star.  I have a feeling that now - when he realizes that he
probably has maybe 1 or 2 chances left of even being in the NBA, there is a
chance he may be willing to work a little harder.

Second, Schintzius always played better when he wasn't the focus of a team.
His first 2 years he had All-SEC guards Vernon Maxwell & Andrew Motem
running the show.  In the NBA as you can see he has always been on horrible
(actually 2-3 of the absolute worst) teams with real immature players that
couldn't have had a very good effect on his development as a player or a
mature adult.  He's played with Chris Morris, Benoit Benjamin, Derrick
Coleman, the Clippers, etc.  Maybe with a great coach & motivator (Pitino)
& some mature players (Bowen, Mercer, DeClercq) to show him the way he
could realize some of his once-enormous potential.

His trimming down to 255 and his getting in shape shows to me he might
realize that this is one of his last chances and that the Celtics offer a
terrific opportunity to end a once-promising career by making a real
contribution to an NBA team shooting for a title.

I'm not of the opinion that people can't change.  I'm just guessing/hoping
that Dwayne will/has, and certainly it's happened before in sports so why
not now with Schintzius?

** One final note:  Even if Schintzius doesn't pan out you have to like
that the current C's are at least looking.  This is such a nice change from
the 1990-1997 Celtics that basically had no scouting/developing success.
In my mind it's not that hard to go out and get a couple stars, what makes
a true contender is the ability of a team to find diamonds in the rough to
complete a champion!  Wallace looks like he's doing that or at the very
least won't rest in trying.
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Mark Piotrowski
Registrar,
Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic Center
345 E. Superior St.
Room. 1712
Chicago, IL 60611

(312) 908-8006
pio@nwu.edu
www.repoc.nwu.edu/nupoc/nupoc.html
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