TSN columnist on Taylor

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

The guy sounds pretty good, and wright is a legitimate center...We all
love Ron, but if this deal is true, we are pretty much set at every
position.  Antoine is too big for other three men to deal with, and
Paul Pierce will be murder on two guards.  I am beginning to like this
trade a lot.  

When the injury bug hit the Clippers recently, the team had to play
without Maurice Taylor and Michael Olowokandi, and their absence was
clearly evident. Taylor and Olowokandi have been bright spots
throughout the losing streak because of their effort and willingness
to do anything to help the team win. Without them on the floor, the
Clippers' more seasoned inside players like Rodney Rogers, Lorenzen
Wright and Stojko Vrankovic, who was removed from the injured list
when Olowokandi went down with an ankle sprain, could not get the job
done. 

Taylor, a second-year power forward from Michigan, gave the Clippers a
major scare when he hurt his right knee in a game against the Lakers.
Taylor basically is unstoppable when playing one-on-one in the post
and he can do more than score. His biggest downfall is his lack of NBA
experience. At 22, Taylor is still learning, and his next learning
challenge is figuring out the different double-teams opponents are
using against him. 

Fortunately for the Clippers, Taylor -- shooting close to 53 percent
from the field -- did not suffer a serious injury. He was expected to
be out for at least a week with a knee sprain but returned in five
days and missed only two games. Coach Chris Ford loves Taylor's upside
and is hoping that he continues to develop. Although Taylor has proven
that he can score from all over the floor, he seems to know his
shooting limitations. He's just as comfortable facing his defender and
beating him off the dribble as he is with his back to the basket. What
has made Taylor so dangerous is his outside shooting. He can put down
shots from up to 18 feet and rarely ventures out to the 3-point line. 

Olowokandi, placed on the injured list with his injury, does not
expect to be sidelined long. He's eager to continue to play with
Taylor as the two "Clippers' players of the future" give Ford some
hope. Olowokandi took his lumps playing consecutive games against the
Los Angeles Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal, but he never backed down. He's
the leading rookie rebounder in the league and Ford thinks that he
hasn't even begun to realize his potential. 

Ford envisions Olowokandi and Taylor growing into the type of inside
tandem the Boston Celtics had in Robert Parish and Kevin McHale during
the 1980's. Olowokandi has yet to learn how not to be pushed too far
away from the basket before he starts his moves. But his quickness and
hunger to get better makes him fun to watch. Ford wants Olowokandi to
master the jump hook (a shot McHale and former Celtic Bill Walton
perfected). When Olowokandi returns to the lineup, he'll get enough
minutes to work on this move because Ford knows that with a limited
amount of practice time, the only way Olowokandi is going to get
better is to play in games. . . . 





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