Re: All-Star game

[opi@unesco.org]

Alex Wang wrote:

> I don't think that Pierce makes the All-Star team under any circumstances
> due to the depth in Eastern shooting guards, as other posts have mentioned.
> Reggie Miller is sure to be included in my opinion as the best player on
> the conference leader. Statistically he's about the same as he's been
> in previous All-Star seasons. He's a tremendously efficient scorer who
> manages to shoot the rare combination of tons of threes and tons of free
> throws, both with great accuracy. He's a great, underrated player even
> though I don't like his style. Pierce has the potential to be even better
> though, with similar shooting skills (though not yet at Miller's level) to
> go along with superior rebounding, athleticism, and defensive ability.
> But assuming that five guards make it, besides starters Eddie Jones and
> Iverson, you'd probably have Miller, Houston, and Cassell.

Hi Alex:

It's also hard to imagine Ray Allen being left off the team. He's a movie star
("Jesus Shuttlesworth") averaging over 22ppg with precocious stats that might
even make a young Reggie Miller envious (top five in FT% at .890, top five in
3-pointers made, 9th in 3-point FG% at .432 plus four assists and boards per
game). He's a great "veteran" shooter at the age of 24.


> You look at $50M in free agency for Geiger, the #1 pick for Olowokandi,
> and numerous other expensive signings or risky drafts and you realize
> the market for centers. The #8 pick and DeClercq for an average center
> is pretty fair value for us.
>

Pitino has so far signed his young guys longterm before their market value
explodes, much as Duquette did with Garciaparra and Pedro. He actually "lucked
out" in his timing to get Antoine so, uh, "cheap" (roughly 2/3rds of Rasheed's
or Juwan's salary) as well as by how the new rookie contracts applied just in
time to assure Paul Pierce remains affordable and nearly impossible not to
re-sign (thanks to Ewing's great negotiating acumen).

Pitino also got Potapenko signed longterm for roughly half of what Geiger cost
on the open market just a few months earlier, which really surprised me and -
if you think about - adds to Pot's overall "fair value" (to the degree that it
leaves more space to sign others like Fortson).

The Battie signing was a minor gamble because he has established himself as one
of the most inconsistent young players in the NBA, but again he was locked up
longterm for cheaper (Yogi Stewart money) than his talent could eventually take
him (1.42 blocks last year but 0.93 this year). He came to life last Spring, so
maybe he'll be a factor in the playoff race.

If the Celts can sign Fortson and later Griffin, they will have put together a
nucleus that could stay together for ten more years (augmented by a few key
veterans once the team's winning prospects look more promising to free agents).
For what it's worth, the Celts arguably have the best and deepest
"24-and-under" basketball team on the planet (Fortson, Griffin, Potapenko,
Antoine, Pierce, Battie, McCarty).