re: Kenny, my keen opinions.

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

Thanks for agreeing with me so much!  I agree pretty
much with your take, except for three things: 

1)  I think Kenny is what he is, but I think if he was
in shape you would see him playing more of an uptempo
style, and releasing the ball earlier.  Pitino would
like to trade him, but no one will take him.  Kenny
will get with the program and you will see more games
like last years (1998).  Someone will have to cover
for him on D.

2)  Mercer and not Battie must be the one to go.  Ron
is going to be a very effective scoring guard, but he
has real limitations.  I see him as an Alan Houston -
Doug Christie type 2nd tier star.  I don't think he
will ever be a real all-star caliber player, because
of his limited range and inability to finish (except
in the open court).  At this point we can get much
value for him.  Battie on the other hand has a bigger
upside and is the only legit shot blocker on the team
-- AND he can run AND score, all at less cost than
Ron.  If the pitino press can work, you need a
shotblocker to erase mistakes at the back of it.

3)  I really think that Pitino knows what he's doing. 
But the guys have to know where they're supposed to be
and they have to be in shape.  Neither could happen
this year.  Pitino plays the press selectively most of
the time, and remains the master of it in my opinion. 
Karl had a more conservative style and players to suit
it who reported in shape.  Props to him but he's no
guru.

Josh


--- Christopher Sax-04  wrote:
> You are so unbelievably on the mark in your column.
> I was at that Bucks
> game where he blew it at the end, though I must say
> that I was in the
> nosebleed section and not in those amazing seats you
> had. Kenny Anderson
> is an old-school, eighties style point guard who
> doesn't play any defense,
> and then runs the whole offense through himself by
> scoring on scrappy
> drives. He can't defend for --, and he plays a
> complete end to end
> ball-control style like Stephon Marbury. The
> difference is that Marbury is
> good, and that the Nets play that style of ball. You
> seem like the only
> other person who realizes that Potapenko has bad
> hands except in the low
> post. He works hard for long rebound loose balls,
> but he just can't hold
> onto them. He also drops a lot of passes. He has
> good low post moves, but
> the Celts don't play him there enough. You're also
> right about Pierce.
> When he works hard to get open and attacks the
> basket, then that opens up
> his spot-up three that is so effective. If he hadn't
> rolled than ankle in
> March, then he would have played with confidence
> through the whole seaon
> and been rookie of the year. Regardless of how
> inconsistently he tries on
> offense, he's still a kickass defender. I think the
> Celtics have a solid
> core of players in Walker, Mercer, Pierce,
> Potapenko, Battie, Mcarty, and
> Barros. I think that Kenny Anderson doesn't quite
> fit in as a Celtic, but
> that's no excuse for this seaon. Pitino needs to
> revise his style more to
> fit the NBA. Teams constantly throw it right over
> the press, and swing it
> right around the Pitino "trap-downs", the term he
> uses for his ineffective
> double-teaming. You can play an intense trapping
> defense, but not the way
> Pitino does. Do something more George Karl-style,
> who didn't have a center
> and lost his point guard midway, but still managed
> to coach his team into
> the playoffs without giving up his first-round pick.
> With regards to the
> offseason, I say Kenny has got to go, freeing up
> room to sign Ron Mercer,
> who will be one of the premier shooting guards
> pretty soon, and have Dana
> start at the point. If they can keep the
> afforementioned core of players,
> than the void at center will be filled by Potapenko
> or Battie, one of
> whom's potential will surely pan out. Damon Jones,
> as cool a guy as he is,
> is not the answer at the backup point though. If
> they can trade kenny for
> a pick good enough to get a Barros caliber guard,
> then the two of the
> players can split the minutes, and the Big 3
> (Mercer, Walker, and Pierce)
> will pick up the slack, much like the Knicks having
> Ward and Childs, or
> the Lakers having Fisher and Harper. Jones should
> still sign on, replacing
> Marlon Garnett, who frankly sucks, so that he can
> lighten up the
> atmosphere with his joking, as well as give the
> Celts another three point
> threat. Mcarty, Battie, and the afforementioned
> Barros-quality guard would
> be a very solid second unit, wit one question to be
> answered, the
> energizer. A lot of team have hardnosed guys who
> come of the bench,
> rebound, defend, and dunk, and get their team really
> pumped by diving
> after loose balls and get the crowd into it.
> Somebody like Bo Outlaw,
> Jerome Williams, or Malik Rose. That person can be
> either Bowen or Popeye,
> and I think we'd like it to be a healthy Popeye so
> we could get rid of
> Bowen and keep Greg Minor. If Pitino loses Battie
> and/or Mercer, he's an
> idiot. He has to stop changing the faces every year
> and let the
> teamdevelop. What do you think?   
> 
> 

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