Re: Los Angeles Box Score

[opi@unesco.org]

Alex Wang wrote:

> I don't think that
> playing Fortson until he pukes or until he reinjures himself is the
> answer. He can continue to condition himself outside of games while his
> minutes gradually increase.

I hope so. There's no real "gradually" going on here. Fortson's two biggest games
in terms of minutes played (17) happened 5 games and 8 games ago respectively.
He's played less than 10 minutes in two of the past four games.

I'm also now hoping to see Fortson have a dramatically different season after the
All Star Break. I also find it implausible that Pitino would keep Fort's contract
demands artificially low enough by denying him minutes, no matter how
tight-fisted Gaston may be.

It may well be that Antoine simply failed to impress at defending perimeter
forwards (or even impressed too much on offense out of the low post), thereby
making Fortson's move into the starting lineup, or even as a backup power
forward, impractical. This would certainly also explain why Eric Williams, not a
power forward like Tony Battie, has been thrown into the starting lineup to try
to replace our leading rebounder.

I'm sure it all shows up on video, regardless of how frustrating Pitino's moves
may seem from a distance. I certainly don't have the best vantage point.

I'm wondering who will guard Garnett tonight in our starting lineup. Antoine
Walker? Battie? Williams/Cheaney?

I think we are a bit stronger and/or deeper than Minnesota at three of the five
positions (shooting guard, center, forward). Kenny could also always rise to a
challenge tonight.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but Kenny has racked up 50 assists to
just 6 turnovers in the past 8 games. That's a phenomenal ratio (over 8:1) that
few NBA point guards can do.  He's also averaging a more Kenny-like 6.8 assists
over the past 11 games.

Let's hope for some good, smart, tough Celtics basketball tonight from Antoine,
Paul, Kenny and V.

Go Boston!

Joe


p.s. In case it's not very clear, I don't want to see Pitino fail in Boston. To
the degree that I'm a card-carrying "Pitino-Basher", I'll be overjoyed if he
"proves me wrong" and turns the team around. The principle reason I've been
bashing him lately is because I don't think it is balanced or accurate to focus
the scapegoating on certain players. Also I think Pitino needs to be a little
more flexible and adaptable to the talent on hand as well as the talent needed to
win in the NBA, as opposed to the NCAA. He's not a dim-witted or lazy man at all.
He's a type of thinker. His work ethic for this team is extraordinary and
admirable.

****