Re: Mike Szostak: C's Finished Before They Start

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

What an asshole.  Cheap shots galore and outright
deceit.  Scum filth.  I'd like to see him race Vitaly
down the floor, or be guarded by Dana Barros, I really
would.  This year has really made me hate
sportswriters.  They don't know anything, and they
think it makes them look smart to shit on their own
teams.  

--- Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> A little too down on Wayne Turner, but seems to have
> a good
> grasp of the situation...
> > 
> 
>         11.2.99 00:22:28
> 
>         Celts finished before they start (The bottom
>         line: Not enough talent)
> 
> By MIKE SZOSTAK
> Providence Journal Sports Writer
> 
> The Celtics will launch their 1999-2000 season
> tonight
> in Toronto. They will light up the FleetCenter
> tomorrow
> night for their home opener against Washington.
> 
> What should you expect between now and April?
> 
> Well, on a good day you can close your eyes and
> listen
> to a Rick Pitino motivational talk about making the
> playoffs and being a great basketball team.
> 
> The rest of the time you can open your eyes and
> believe
> what you see. Vitaly Potapenko starting at center.
> Pervis Ellison coming off the bench. Wayne Turner
> throwing up jump shots from behind his left ear.
> Antoine Walker missing layups. Danny Fortson parked
> at
> the end of the bench with a broken foot.
> 
> Up-tempo offense? Pressing defense? In your dreams,
> baby.
> 
> Year 3 of the Pitino regime won't be any better than
> Year 1 (36-46) or Year 2 (19-31). The Celtics will
> be
> repeat visitors to Lottery Land in Secaucus, N.J.,
> next
> spring. Forget the playoffs, regardless of any
> guarantee from the coach.
> 
> Why? This requires a two-part answer.
> 
> First, one of the eight playoff teams from last
> season
> would have to falter. Orlando and Detroit are
> possibilities. But Charlotte, Toronto and Cleveland
> are
> poised to take their places. All finished ahead of
> the
> Celtics.
> 
> Second, Pitino doesn't have the players. Only two
> Celtics, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, compare
> with
> higher-echelon players in the NBA.
> 
> Walker is a marginal franchise player, despite his
> $71-million contract. He is starting his fourth NBA
> season, lacks the respect of his peers and still
> isn't
> in great shape, according to his coach. Walker
> already
> seems tired of Pitino's nagging.
> 
> Pierce has star potential but risks being dragged
> down
> by a mediocre supporting cast. As the losses mount
> this
> season, he may try to do too much by himself.
> 
> The rest of the Celtics are complements, men whose
> skills would mesh with those of a franchise player
> or
> star, neither of which the Celtics possess.
> 
> Check them out:
> 
> [Image] Point guard Kenny Anderson, model citizen
> throughout training camp. Worked hard, said all the
> right things about teamwork, remained healthy. But
> can
> he survive the 82-game grind? He has succeeded only
> twice in his eight-year career.
> 
> [Image] Potapenko, plodding center with bad hands.
> Pitino sacrificed his No. 1 draft pick to get him
> from
> Cleveland, where he was a backup until Zydrunas
> Ilgauskas got hurt.
> 
> [Image] Center/forward Tony Battie, a decent young
> player who can run and rebound.
> 
> [Image] Forward Walter McCarty, a bundle of energy
> prone to nagging injuries.
> 
> [Image] Dana Barros, a 32-year-old shooter who can't
> guard anybody.
> 
> [Image] Ellison, who hasn't played in a
> regular-season
> game since March 11, 1998.
> 
> As usual under Pitino, there are new Celtics to get
> acquainted with. Unfortunately, two arrived from
> Denver
> and one from Washington, two of the worst teams in
> the
> league. Another is an undrafted rookie, another a
> career CBAer and the last a veteran journeyman.
> 
> The ex-Nuggets are Eric Williams, beginning his
> second
> tour with the Celtics, who is, according to Pitino,
> ``an outstanding scorer as a starter or coming off
> the
> bench.'' He averaged about 9 points per game during
> Boston's 3-5 preseason.
> 
> And Fortson, the third-year pro the Celtics had
> considered drafting, who, according to Pitino, ``was
> much better than I ever anticipated. . . . From the
> rebounding standpoint, he was as good as I've seen.
> We're very excited about him and looking forward to
> geting him back'' (in about two months).
> 
> The ex-Wizard is Calbert Cheaney, a career
> 12-pointer
> who didn't come close to that during preseason
> because,
> Pitino said, he's still learning the offense.
> 
> The rookie is Wayne Turner of Boston and Kentucky.
> He
> set the NCAA record for games played (151) during
> his
> four-year career with the Wildcats, but nobody in
> the
> NBA wanted him on draft night. Not even the Celtics,
> who drafted Kris Clack in the second round and then
> didn't invite him to camp. Turner is a 6-2
> ball-handler
> who can't shoot from outside.
> 
> Adrian Griffin, a 6-5 guard, spent three years with
> the
> CBA's Connecticut Pride and was even the league's
> most
> valuable player last season. But he never heard from
> the NBA until Pitino called during the summer.
> 
> ``Adrian's the type of person if you watch him for
> two
> or three days, you'll leave saying he's a nice
> basketball player, [but] I'm not sure if he can play
> on
> this level,'' Pitino said.
> 
> But Pitino listened to scout Leo Papile and watched
> Griffin for a week at a time.
> 
> ``We watched him in two summer leagues. His team
> went
> undefeated largely because of what he brought to
> their
> lineup. He's very humble, very hungry, and he's
> going
> to play a lot of minutes for us this year,'' Pitino
> said.
> 
> Griffin averaged about 17 minutes during the
> preseason.
> 
> When Fortson went down with a stress fracture in his
> right foot, the Celtics scrambled and located Marty
> Conlon, who had played for Pitino at Providence
> College
> in 1987 and for M.L. Carr with the Celtics in 1997.
> 
> What about Greg Minor, you ask? He's still with the
> team but probably won't play this season because of
> a
> broken hip he suffered April 29 against Miami.
> 
> So there you have them. The last Celtics team of the
> 1990s.
> 
> ``I really like this team a great deal,'' Pitino
> said.
> No surprise there. After all, he assembled it.
> 
> ``I think we are going to be in a lot of close ball
> games,'' the boss said. ``I think our depth is good
> enough to keep us in almost every game in any place.
> .
> . . I've been very excited to see how well we've
> been
> shooting free throws this year. It does come down to
> 
=== message truncated ===


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