BSG's Celtics Scouting Report

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

BSG and I agree on Wayne Turner; disagree on Kenny...
           
             Digital City - Boston - Boston's Sports Guy

            Bill Simmons brings Boston's sports to you.

      CELTICS PREVIEW
      SG gives his scouting report for everyone on the Y2K Celtics (11/1)
      <snips>
             
      Remember, I'm a basketball junkie and a frustrated NBA scout... this is 
      heavy in basketball lingo, so beware:

      KENNY ANDERSON
      Looked infinitely better during this preseason than he ever did in the 
      previous two seasons ... he's in superb shape, and it shows ... showing a 
      renewed, inspired effort on the defensive end ... he appears to finally 
      have his legs back (no trace of the limp from the past two seasons) ... 
      also beating guys off the dribble, which he wasn't doing last year ... 
      looking for his teammates in transition, which is a pleasant 
      development... love/hate relationship with Rick Pitino vaguely reminscent 
      of Sam and Diane from "Cheers"...

      Still launches the occasional "19 seconds left on the shotclock with 
      nobody under the boards" horrible jumper, which must drive Pitino's hair 
      plugs fall out ... we might have underestimated the effects of the Lockout 
      and his divorce on Kenny last season ... even if he's not the perfect 
      point guard for the Pitino system, at least he has some trade value now 
      that he's in shape (emphasis on the word "some") ... don't give up on him 
      yet.

      (Please forward the previous two paragraphs to every GM in the league, 
      just in case he's a bust again.)

      DANA BARROS
      Don't be surprised if he's not here two months from now ... the only 
      reliable scorer on the second unit, but Wayne Turner is a much better fit 
      as a defender/playmaker ... the Celts have a tendency to stand around when 
      Dana's in the game, maybe because he's not a real point guard ... sporting 
      new dreadlocks, or as Tommy Heinsohn called them last week, "dreadknocks" 
      ... Kenny Anderson actually worked harder than Dana defensively during the 
      preseason, which warrants mentioning ... if Turner continues to emerge, 
      Pitino and Wallace should move Barros while he still has value ... tell me 
      Toronto, Miami, San Antonio or Sacramento couldn't use this guy?

      (Prediction: Barros to Toronto for Micheal Stewart.)

      TONY BATTIE
      Maybe the most impressive player from the preseason -- besides Pierce -- 
      which is why the C's quickly locked him up to a six-year contract 
      extension ... he put on a good 15-20 pounds of muscle without losing any 
      of his athleticism ... looks like a bonafide 35-minute, "11 pts/10 rebs/3 
      blks" guy every night ... he really hustles down the floor (ala Robert 
      Parish) and gives opposing big men problems in the transition game ... 
      perfect guy for the back end of the second unit press ... developing a 
      nice little drop step, ala Parish... 

      The C's will explore playing him at center when Danny Fortson comes back 
      for that very reason -- no opposing centers can keep up with the Battman 
      ... there's no reason why he can't break into that Antonio Davis/PJ 
      Brown/Theo Ratliff level this season (I'm not kidding) ... have you ever 
      noticed how he looks like a cross between Woody Harrelson and Lawrence 
      Fishburne?

      CAL CHEANEY
      My buddy Joe House in Washington was right about one thing: This guy gets 
      zero respect from the referees .... Cal fouled out of an astonishing FOUR 
      exhibition games, which speaks for itself ... maybe the worst body 
      language of any Celtic player since Brad Lohaus ... no confidence 
      whatsoever, to the point that you feel bad for him whenever something goes 
      wrong and he's hanging his head and looking suicidal ... streaky 
      jumpshooter, but shows a nice touch on the baseline from time to time ... 
      gives new meaning to the word "passive"... a perfect Pitino System player 
      because he played for Knight in Indiana and he's used to meglomaniacal 
      basketball coaches who scream every two seconds.

      On the bright side, he's a terrific athlete and this might be the perfect 
      team for him ... from what I've seen, Cheaney's at his best when he's just 
      running around and not thinking -- he's one of those classic "great 
      body/bad basketball mind" guys ... as far as this year's team is 
      concerned, he's a better athlete and a better open-court player than Greg 
      Minor is/was, so he makes the second unit better as long as he's flying 
      around like a maniac with McCarty and Griffin ... I'm willing to give him 
      a chance.

      (By the way, I made that last paragraph up -- I can't STAND Call Cheaney's 
      game. I was just being nice because he seems like a good guy.) 

      MARTY CONLON
      Token white guy ... runs like he's running on broken glass with bare feet 
      ... should be turning an ankle any day now so they can stick him on 
      injured reserve.

      PERVIS ELLISON
      Looks rustier than my car right now, which is saying something ... just 
      seems like too many seasons passed where he wasn't getting enough quality 
      NBA action, and now he's just a liability ... can still block an 
      occasional shot (but that's it) ... too slow to play with the second unit 
      press, so I'm not sure where he fits in ... Coach P calls him "Perv" ... 
      his teammates seem to like him, for whatever reason ... with that hair, he 
      kinda looks like Harriet Tubman ... I can't wait for the Pervis Era to be 
      over.

      DANNY FORTSON
      Broke his foot two weeks ago, which REALLY hurt because he was already 
      looking like Boston's most indispensable player not named "Paul Pierce" 
      ... hopefully he'll be back within five weeks ... without the Fort, this 
      team will get killed on the boards by the following teams over the next 
      few weeks: Toronto, Miami, New York, Atlanta, San Antonio and Charlotte 
      ... would I make that Mercer trade again? Damn right I would.

      Don't underestimate this guy and how important he is to this team: Not 
      only does every NBA team needs a banger who does the nitty-gritty stuff, 
      but his presence makes Battie better (he can concentrate on running the 
      floor) and Walker better (he can move to the perimeter and concentrate on 
      running the offense.)

      ADRIAN GRIFFIN
      Showed his stuff during the final exhibition game against Washington, when 
      he looked like a young Stacey Augmon (in fact, that's exactly who he plays 
      like -- the Augmon from UNLV, not the Augmon we see now) ... doesn't have 
      a jumpshot, but that won't matter since he'll only be used on the second 
      unit with the press ... a big upgrade over Bruce Bowen, from what I've 
      seen (that's not saying much) ... get ready for Tommy Heinsohn to call him 
      "Griffith" as least ten thousand times over the next few months.

      WALTER MCCARTY
      Finally worked his way back into '97 form after that foot injury plagued 
      him last winter (he was just dreadful last season) ... his shooting touch 
      seems to have improved, so the ballboys have been able to remove their 
      protective helmets during home games ... the perfect power forward for 
      Pitino's pressing second unit ... not only does the team feed off his 
      energy, but he seems to be one of the indispensable leaders on the team -- 
      when he's playing well, it seems like everyone else picks up their games 
      ... one of the more likable guys on a likable team.

      PAUL PIERCE
      The Truth ... the most talented Celtics player we've had since Reggie 
      passed away... no 2-guard in the league can defend him, especially in the 
      post ... he added 15 pounds of muscle and somehow his first step is even 
      better than it was last season... if Anderson can get this team running, 
      Pierce will be even more dangerous ... any game where Pierce doesn't score 
      at least 20 will be an aberration ... one of the best open-court defenders 
      in the league ... should thrive this season now that Mercer's gone and he 
      can touch the ball more ... the Sports Gal loves him and calls him "My 
      PP," which is pretty damned disturbing if you ask me ... it will be 
      interesting to see how Antoine deals with the fact that Pierce is the best 
      offensive player on the team this season, especially at the end of games.

      Two more things on Pierce:

      1. He's playing with a lot more energy/emotion/confidence than he did last 
      season -- it's like he shed the whole "I'm a rookie" thing and his true 
      personality emerged. He's also standing up for himself when people push 
      him around -- unlike last year -- and he's already had near-altercations 
      with the completely-insane Isaiah Rider and Washington's Michael Smith. 
      This stuff sounds stupid, but it's very important -- if you're going to be 
      a top player in the league, you need to stick up for yourself. Pierce is 
      finally doing that.

      2. One drawback that I've seen: Pierce is going to have trouble defending 
      the quicker 2-guards in the league one-on-one. Like Larry Bird, he's a 
      great open-court defensive player and he's great at roaming around and 
      stepping into passing lanes, but he can be beaten off the dribble pretty 
      easily (Richard Hamilton killed him last week). So that will be 
      interesting to monitor, especially when the C's play teams in their 
      conference like Atlanta (Rider), Charlotte (Eddie Jones), Milwaukee (Ray 
      Allen) and Philly (Larry Hughes).

      VITALY POTAPENKO
      He has terrible hands, he doesn't have any post moves, he can't rebound 
      and he'll have trouble adjusting to the new rules (read: foul trouble 
      galore). Also, Anderson, Barros and Walker ignore him offensively. With 
      that said, here are four reasons why V is indispensable for this team:

      1. He's the only guy Celtic other than Fortson who can handle those big, 
      physical low-post guys in the Eastern Conference -- Shawn Kemp, Patrick 
      Ewing, Ike Austin, Alonzo Mourning and so on. TOTALLY underrated. When V's 
      not in the game, those guys are setting up five feet from the basket 
      offensively. When V's in the game, those guys are setting up ten feet away 
      from the basket. Watch the C's this year and notice the difference when 
      V's in and V's out.

      (One more note here: Once Fortson comes back, you won't see V playing in 
      crunch time unless the opposing team has a big guy who can score down low. 
      But that's fine... unlike the '97 season and the first part of last year, 
      Pitino has a viable option when he needs some low-post defense down the 
      stretch.)

      2. When Fortson DOES come back, V's rebounding deficiences won't matter as 
      much (Fort takes care of business when the glass is concerned).

      3. V actually has an underrated 12-foot jumper, especially on the 
      baseline. When Pierce and Walker draw double teams, he can make that shot 
      when the ball swings around, which is crucial.

      4. Don't underestimate the "enforcer" aspect here, because V's presence 
      (and Fortson as well) is something the Celts have been missing since 
      Xavier McDaniel left town five years ago. The Russian Bear sticks up for 
      his teammates -- he would never let anyone throw Pierce or Walker into 
      basket supports (which is one of the things that ruined Ron Mercer's 
      confidence last season). In the Atlanta game two weeks ago -- when Rider 
      and Pierce were beefing -- V was the first guy over there. In the 
      Washington game last week, Michael Smith leveled Pierce with a forearm, so 
      V bided his team and gave Smith a nice elbow to the groin at the halftime 
      buzzer that the refs missed (swear to God). 

      (As an aside, I love Vitaly. He's the kinda guy you want on YOUR team, not 
      the other team.)

      WAYNE TURNER
      An absolute steal and my personal favorite player from the preseason ... 
      you couldn't ask for a better point guard for Pitino's second unit ... I 
      spent the last two weeks trying to figure out which player he reminded me 
      of, then it hit me -- he's just like Rickey Green, another 
      "lightning-fast/great defender/great playmaker/no jumpshot guy" from the 
      80's ... hard to believe he wasn't drafted ... ugliest jumpshoot in league 
      history, or at least since Quinn Buckner played ... but so what if he 
      can't shoot? ... the only point guard on this roster who actually looks 
      inside to pass to Potapenko, which warrants mentioning ... it will be hard 
      for Pitino to keep him off the floor, especially if Anderson stops working 
      hard ... could be a pivotal guy this season in an "Eric Snow" kinda way 
      ... or that might be proven to be the most ridiculous sentence I've ever 
      written.

      ANTOINE WALKER
      The most important player on the team, simply for all the things he can do 
      on a basketball court ... Pitino's making a concerted effort to run the 
      half-court offense through him as a point forward, which plays to Twan's 
      cyber-strengths (ballhandling and passing) ... needs to crash the boards 
      with Fortson out, but will he do it? ... underrated shooter and scorer ... 
      also underrated in the open floor, especially as a ballhandler (watch how 
      other teams back off whenever he brings the ball up off a missed basket) 
      ... there's not a small forward in the league who can handle him, 
      especially down low ... saying and doing all the right things so far ... 
      in much better shape than he was last season...

      His shot selections still borders on horrendous, but it's getting better 
      ... should put up huge roto numbers this year ... his teammates revere him 
      and feed off his energy, which is always telling ... still bitching at 
      officials, who all hate his guts ... one of the most intriguing players in 
      the league ... this is a crucial season for him, much like last season was 
      for C-Webb in Sacramento.

      The big thing: How will Twan co-exist with Pierce especially when Pierce 
      is the safest, most logical choice at crunch-time for this team?

      ERIC WILLIAMS
      Inconsistent preseason, as Pitino went from touting him as a potential 
      starter to basically writing him off for this season last week (one of 
      those classic "He needs time to learn our system" quotes) ... that second 
      unit could use his offense, but as it stands right now, he's only cracking 
      the second unit if McCarty, Griffin or Cheaney get hurt ... he's just not 
      as good of a fit as those other guys are (he's not as good of an athlete) 
      ... he'll always have a great ability to get to the line, a skill that 
      will definitely be tapped during garbage time this season.