Eric & Eric

[Michael Joseph Byrnes <mbyrnes@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

1) I'm still not a beliver in Eric Williams.  He may have averaged almost
20 before his season ending injury with the Nuggets last year, but he was
shooting less than 40% from the field, and not helping the Nuggets win
games.  The previous year with the Celtics, he shot better, but still only
45% from the floor.  A guy who gets the majority of his points from the
inside should be shooting well above 45%.  Even Antoine should be shooting
better than he is, but, unlike Williams, at least Antoine adds ~10
rebounds per game in addition to his scoring.  Maybe the Celtics should
have gotten more for Williams, but he wouldn't even be in Pitino's
rotation if he were still on the team, and he isn't half the player Rick
Fox is.

2) Eric Riley.  This guy is a good pickup.  Last year, he averaged 1 block
every 11.8 minutes.  Michael Stewart averaged a block every 9 minutes,
which isn't a whole lot better.  Riley is 7 feet tall, can run the floor,
and can block shots.  He may be a little small for a center, but so is
Tony Battie, so is Michael Stewart, so is Andrew DeClerq, so is Popeye
Jones.  I think one of Pitino's mistakes last year was not trying to
develop a "project" center.  This year, he has two of them, Schintzius and
Riley, and I think both of them have an upside.  Of course, both have a
downside too, which is why they're projects, but if Pitino can go 1 for 2,
then the Celtics will be a better team for it.