Re: Alligator wrestling

["Troy Hash" <troyhash@kih.net>]

As bad as I hate to admit it, I to believe this trade to be a disaster.  VP
will never give us what we need in the middle,  Yes he is physical, but he
doesn't rebound and he doesn't block shots.  With draft pick and BIG
contract he now has, bad trade for years to come.  Hope I'm wrong, but I am
beginning to think RP doesn't cut it as GM.  Troy

----------
> From: bceltics@mindspring.com
> To: jmc@ptc.com; celtics@igtc.com
> Subject: Re: Alligator wrestling
> Date: Saturday, March 20, 1999 12:17 PM
> 
> 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
> >
>