Re: Just when I was feeling better. A few thoughts.

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

Well I'm feeling worse, as I was going to post my own thoughts about
Pitino's foul prone comments, but you beat me to the take. But here
they are any ways:

It's nice that Danny Fortson is 6-8 instead of 6-6 and that he and 
Vitaly Sassoon have biceps the size of John Hannah's thighs, but it
isn't going to do them much good if they're both sitting on the bench 
with fouls. Oh sure, as Pitino says, we have depth which will help us 
overcome this malady, but when Il Duce starts mentioning Mr.
Comatose - Pervis Ellison - as being part of that depth, my 
beliveability meter registers another low. 

I'd feel much more secure about the frontcourt in this age of 
fouling licentiousness, if they go out and acquire another
big person. It's too bad, the C's couldn't have done
some sort of peripheral deal with Dallas to acquire Samaki Walker.
But there's trading deadline hope as I suspect Pitino will make
some sort of move, as with four draft picks over the next three
years and some decent bench types, the C's should be able to
put some package together. 
Ray

PS: Group consensus - leave me out - I keep vacillating between the
C's making it big in the playoffs to finishing somewhere between 6 - 10
in the lottery. I'm very unsure.

 

Subject: Just when I was feeling better. A few thoughts.
> Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 15:42:37 -0800
> From: damekmo@teleport.com
> To: celtics@igtc.com
> 
> >Pitino has decided to end the two-a-days because everyone is
> >in shape. ''Normally in two-a-days, one of those is for conditioning,''
> >he said. ''But we're in great shape.''
> 
> This should end the "Antoine's a tubbo," talk. I find this comforting.
> 
> >... Pitino on new bruiser Danny
> >Fortson: ''I think he'll be in foul trouble [with the new rules]. I think
> >Vitaly Potapenko will be, too. But we have five legitimate frontcourt
> >players this year so we can withstand foul trouble.''
> 
> I find this troubling. Pitino seems pretty certain about both players
> inability to play effectively under the new rules. There doesn't seem to be
> a doubt in his mind. Both of these guys need to be physically agressive at
> both ends of the floor in order to make a difference. And yes, there is
> greater depth in the frontcourt, but I'd feel a lot better if Pitino was
> forcing the other team's hand concerning who was on the court and when.
> But...perhaps it's a case of Fortson/Pot or Walker/Battie starting/playing
> more minutes against different lineups and more favorable matchups. I will
> say that when the Mercer/Fortson trade was announced my first thought was
> that Pitino could've done better. But after reading the article from Dave
> Krieger, it seems that Pitino's been trying to move Mercer for a while now
> and perhaps it's safe to assume that Fortson and the pick was the best deal
> Pitino could make. Now of course, a rebounder like Fortson and a lottery
> pick from the Nugs is nothing to be sneered at, but I assumed there were
> other gm's around the league who shared Issel's opinion of Mercer and
> would've offered more. That apparently wasn't the case. But the team needed
> rebounding help last year, and defintely got it in Fortson. It also,
> however, needed interior defense, and here's where there could be a problem
> if Pitino's right about "foul trouble." But we'll find out very soon. I
> think most of us agree that the deal for Fortson and the pick had to be
> made (I know Mishra has serious reservations. Are you still out there
> Mishra? I look forward to some posts soon.) but I'm not sure this is the
> deal that guarantees a playoff appearance this year. Is the team better?
> Yes. The concensus around here seems to be, however, that they're a lock
> for at least the eighth spot in the playoffs, and I'm not so sure. The
> preseason could tell us a lot about this team. Now if only Kenny could've
> also gotten a one-way ticket out of Boston this summer...
> 
> Paul M.