So much for the shakeup ...

[peter delevett <pdelevett@amcity.com>]

Sorry to be list-hogging here, everyone ... And I'm sorry if I'm posting "old"
news, as I get the digest version of this list ... But I just checked the
halftime score and it's not pretty. Damn. Dennis Scott has 18 points already,
and since he's about as mobile as a fire hydrant I'd have to assume we're not
doing much of a defensive job on him. But more importantly, it looks like
Pitino started the *exact* same lineup that has produced such wonderful
results for us recently. Guess he's really going to follow through on his
threats, huh? "Best" of all, Mercer is 2-9, Walker 1-7, Kenny 3-7 and Pierce
3-9. I can't look anymore because I don't want to puke on my keyboard. The
amazing thing is we're "only" down by 8.

You know, Walter hasn't even gotten into the game so far, and it's got me
wondering: Last year, when the Celtics exceeded nearly everyone's
expectations, McCarty played 28.5 mpg. This season, with Pierce on hand, it's
16.8 mpg. His stats, predictably, have dipped (including his shooting
percentages). But as others have posited before, McCarty's contributions can't
only be measured by the box score. Can it be that what the Celtics are lacking
-- energy, enthusiasm, hustle, the ability to work the press -- are exactly
what Walter brings? And that he can't showcase them on the talent-deprived
Bomb Squad as well as he could with scorers Antoine, Mercer & Kenny around him?

I'm not saying for a moment I want to take minutes from Pierce, or that we're
worse off with Pierce, or anything. I personally have always thought the bench
was exactly where McCarty belonged and could best contribute. But maybe, just
maybe, Tommy's on to something with this "I Love Waltuh" thing. Maybe this
team works better when he's in the starting lineup & getting more minutes.
(Perfect example: the Pacers went to the conference championship the year
after they replaced Detlef Schrempf with the much-less-offensively-gifted
Derrick McKey.) 

Thoughts?