Re: quote of the month

[opi@unesco.org]

Joshua Ozersky wrote:

> ''The leprechaun must have been traveling with me,'' Anderson joked.
> ''I'm just trying to get more comfortable with this offense. I'm used
> to playing a slow-down, isolation-type offense. Now, I've got the
> motion offense. Everyone has to get accustomed to it, but I like it so
> far.''Josh Ozersky

I don't know enough about Kenny Anderson's career to judge if this is
spin or the whole truth (I never was a New Jersey or Georgia Tech fan).
Many of us had the impression Anderson was an ideal run&shoot gunslinger
when he first arrived in town. But last season it didn't seem like he
knew the concept of a "fast break" had even been invented, much less how
in heck to run one. His game was as conservative as that of "Arthur"
Anderson (the accounting firm). The most notable thing about his game to
this day - something I really marvel at - is how rarely he turns the
ball over with a bad pass. That was the striking difference when he
first joined the team, after we had all gotten used to 1-to-1
turnover-assist ratios with Chauncey Billups and Antoine Walker.

In fact, Kenny's turned into a frustratingly risk-averse veteran despite
his breathtaking handle and decent albeit never great court vision.
Whenever he finds himself double teamed and jammed up (for example upon
retrieving a long rebound around the hoop), he's the kind of pointguard
who rather than hold the ball tight while looking for a teammate, or
dribbling immediately out of trouble like most people would try to do,
he'll often instinctively continue dribbling at a total standstill &
mere inches from the nearest defenders sneakers, casually consider his
options, then finally scoot out of there without any break in cadence.
He's such a confounding player. He needs to handle the ball on offense
as much as Cousy in order to be at his most spectacular, yet lacks
Cousy's ability to run a fast break. And despite having a knack for
putting his foot in his mouth, he tends to say all the right "rah rah"
team-spirited things with conviction, and acts as though he actually
wants to be a Boston Celtic and play for Pitino as much as any other guy
on the team.

Joe

****