Re: Holley on who may be going. . .

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

Hello:
On the subject of Tony "El Busto" Battie vs. Jerome Williams (who according to
press accounts is one of the most positive locker room guys you could have in
terms of character), I'm happy for JW that he had a monster last ten games of
the season in terms of rebounding and scoring, and I would imagine he is a fan
favorite in the motorcity and now virtually untradeable from a p.r. point of
view. But I've also tried to watch Tony Battie closely and I generally view him
(like some of you) as a potential "most improved player" candidate next season.

But having said this, I would add that while "El Bustout Season in 2000" is a
spectacular vertical athlete on a par with Ron Mercer, he really does not show
a Mensa IQ when it comes to the rest of his game. True TB has a soft shot and
fairly clean footwork etc, but he'll likely never see driving and passing lanes
evolve frame-by-frame the way Larry Bird did nor even a split second ahead of
schedule like an Antoine Walker.

Few players will retrieve balls hanging near the rack and stuff it back down
with the authority of Tony Battie. I saw him pretty much eat NY's "Marcus
Gumby" alive like he was being guarded by a gummy bear. And yes, TB's not a bad
rebounder (at all) for a shotblocker, and vice-versa. But if you watch him
somewhat regularly, you will typically see him disappear for a full quarter of
play, save for one highlight dunk or aggressive block that conjures images of
McDyess or Ratliff.

This guy could go either direction next season with starter minutes, IMHO. He's
someone who would profit from playing everyday with a smart veteran like Popeye
or Pervis, if they both didn't seem so washed up.

On the subject of the bashings we purportedly give "Pitinochio/Slick Ricky", I
personally agree with Tom Murphy's last post. FWIW, I'm re-posting a segment of
the last Steve Bulpett piece in the Boston Herald, because I think he
illustrates one of my major concerns with RP's style (as opposed to his
substance). It deals with Pitino's habit of shouting on offense, which to me is
something a coach should have gotten out of his system in the bush leagues, and
is a major "no brainer" faux pas.

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from BosHerald:
"As is his habit, Pitino was directing nearly every movement from the sideline
in his stream of consciousness style, calling for screens and reversals of the
ball until it went to the wing. ``Drive!'' Pitino shouted, as the player did.
And when the player was fouled, Pitino called, ``Now make the free throws.''

"The last sentence begs the questions of whether the player wouldn't have tried
to do so if not told and, maybe of greater importance, whether there was a
Cavalier in earshot who didn't think the Celtics coach a lunatic.

"The bottom line is that Rick Pitino is too smart not to recognize the need for
economy when passing information to his players and the need for restraint when
passing his image to the rest of the league. Pitino is not the hardest coach in
the NBA and he does offer more positive reinforcement than others employing the
leather-lung approach. But do potential free agents know that? If I had a few
bucks for every opposing player who brought up Pitino's demeanor, I'd be
golfing right now instead of writing. In a more technical sense, this team has
to be allowed to play offense. Pitino cannot coach the ball into the basket."