Re: On Bird & Pitino

[RSMALL@clarku.edu]

>I've got to admit I haven't seen much of Alvin Chipmunk's reported lightning
>penetration or above-average defensive skills, nor do I think Toronto's other
>point guards ahead of him would start on most other NBA teams.
>
>By "system player" I meant that Alvin was a Pitino system player. RP seems to
>have a very high tolerance for very low FG% players with multi-positional
>skills, regardless of the rhetoric. It's time to say good-bye to Ovaltine's
>.392FG% and hello cruel world to Alvin's .414FG%.
>
>Whew, I'm glad we made that upgrade.

I truly hope this is an upgrade, but for a guy will so much upside he just 
couldn't get any play.  Kinda makes you wonder.

>If it makes you feel any better, then let's go right ahead and keep heaping
>blame on Antoine and Potapenko for our 29th place defense and the constant
>embarrassing size mismatches and layups as a result of Pitino's "traps".

I don't remeber saying anything about Walker or Pot, but now that you 
mentioned it ;)  The real fault lies with his trapping.  Why do they continue 
to trap players not worthy of traps.  These usually lead to open shots and 
lay-ups.

>On paper, we downgraded mightily to go get Alvin (Mercer or Fortson, take your
>pick). So he better make the "system" look better than it has so far.

I have questions with the system.  This stuff works in college but rarely in 
the pro's.  I don't feel you can employ it full (or even semi-full) time.  The 
press probably works best when used sparingly.  Just too many good ball 
handlers in the pro's. 

>In effect, the full court press is a good change-up pitch with kids like Alvin
>and Waltah able to wave their long arms in the way of second-stringers of all
>shapes and sizes. But it's the rest of Pitino's counter-intuitive halfcourt
>gimmicks that fail against veteran NBA athletes. They merely pity us for running
>around eagerly into hopeless defensive mismatches. Sheep to the slaughterhouse.
>It's one of the best kept obvious secrets of the rest of the NBA teams.

Agree.  As I said in the past I beleive Ricky P. needs a Professional bench 
coach.  Some one who has been in the league a long time, and truly understands 
the pro game.

>When Pitino says "player X is a weight-room away...yada yada don't you love the
>sound of my voice", the rest of the NBA general managers probably run straight
>to their xerox or water cooler room to start high-fiving every employee in
>sight. Antoine and Waltah have been in Pitino's system for more than half a
>decade and they still can't get it right.

Basically I have grown tired of Ricky speak.

>Au contraire baby, it shows just how obvious execution can make basketball easy.
>Coach your talent to control the defensive boards and turn obvious passing lanes
>and angles into an efficient (almost repetitive) fastbreak and you don't have to
>dunk or do anything else spectacular to score.

Sounds simple doesn't it.

>Pitino treats the game like it's his own personal rocket science. The problem is
>that he gets only 5 hours of sleep a night and makes dogmatic, robotic
>approximations of intelligent thinking as a result.

Time to take the simple route.  Simplify the game and let the players play.

Rich,,,