Re: Alligator wrestling

[bceltics@mindspring.com]

Jon,

There's a reason why the Cavaliers never gave Potapenko much playing time
when Ilgaukas was healthy!

1.  He's a terrible rebounder on a per minute basis.

2.  He's jumps as high as my grandmother on a GOOD day!

3.  He's not tall enough to be a center in this league and not agile enough
to be a power foward.

In a nutshell, this was a horrible trade even for a team desperate for help
in the middle.  Pitino gave up a pick(unprotected if it's not top three)
which could have landed him next year's Pierce or Walker.  Remember, neither
of those two guys was a top three pick either!!  If Pitino really thinks
he's set with this core of young players, he's not only a bad GM but he's
downright DELUSIONAL!!!

RTC

-----Original Message-----
From: jmc@ptc.com <jmc@ptc.com>
To: celtics@igtc.com <celtics@igtc.com>
Cc: jmc@luzon.ptc.com <jmc@luzon.ptc.com>
Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 09:32 PM
Subject: Alligator wrestling


>Ellie Cutler said:
>> Did you all see Potapenko wrestle both the ball and Lorenzen Wright?
>> Tossed him right out of the ring. Our very own Hulk Hogan can also pass,
>> shoot free throws (not to mention a decent jump shot), and knows how
>> to run the pick&roll. I can't overstate how different things look with
him in
>> the middle - the rest of the team is less frenetic and has more breathing
>> room
>> to play their own positions. Yes, this was a *good* trade. Kudos to RP
for
>> getting him without giving up Walker/Pierce/Mercer.
>
>I agree with you, Ellie.  The thing I like most about Potapenko is how
>the ball never gets ripped from his hands, but he often strips other
>players of the ball.  Sheer fierceness and STRENGTH.  Once the ball's
>in his hands, it's not leaving until he passes or shoots.  The other
>Celtics have gotten stripped of the ball too easily in the paint, so it's
>refreshing to see Potapenko hold on to it like his life depended on it.
>
>He also has shown a nice shooting touch when taking a balanced shot.
>He often holds the ball high with his back to the defender, then in
>one motion pivots one foot back to face the basket, keeping the ball
>high so that his arms are already in shooting position, then just
>releasing before his defender realizes he was planning to shoot and not
>drive.
>
>One important effect which Dana Barros mentioned in his interview last
>night is that with Potapenko in there, the team is not double-teaming
>the other team's big man as much or as quickly, which means less scrambling
>and rotating to the open man, and fewer oppotunities for the other team
>to create layups with a couple quick passes.  Folks, this can make a TON
>of difference in conserving the Celtics' energy and playing better defense.
>
>Pitino said he was waffling on the trade for 2 weeks because he loves
>Andrew DeClerq so much, but finally gave in and made it, and he's glad
>he did, and gave kudos to the scout who has been pushing Pitino for the
>last several months to get Potapenko.
>
>Jon Mc
>