Re: more summer ramblings

[Gregory Hurst <gh18@juno.com>]

I do not see Blount making a major contribution during the season as a
starter.  I would love to see him and mioso brought along slowly without
the consideration of the pressure of starting.  They both can block shots
and probably will be the in the five spot during  the press to alter
shots.  




>>
>>Mark Blount: It really is weird how many contradictory reports
>>on his weight there are [...] and Blount is at best a backup anyway,
>>or even third string. It's probably too early to pencil him in front
>>of Battie. Gotta be better than Pervis was though.
>
>Sounds like he might actually play (in games!), so, yeah, I think 
>he'll outshine Out of Service.  I'm actually getting excited about 
>the upcoming season, and Blount might be a small reason why.  I 
>thought he might be a 12th man, but what if he can make it into the 
>rotation?  (With Pitino, that probably means just moving to 10th man, 
>or even 11th.)  I'm begininng to believe he might just be decent.  I 
>like to actually see him play a few times before annointing him, 
>though.
>
>>Paul Pierce the "3": ... Pierce showed
>>that he could create some major mismatches against 2 guards. If he
>>can pick it up on defense and work on his athleticism, he'll be
>>an All-Star shooting guard.
>
>Sounds a lot like our other major talent/tweener, except for the 
>position.  For all the mismatches created by having Pierce at the 2 
>or Walker at the 3 that go against us (and they do exist), there are 
>ones that _we_ would create in our favor.  I say, take advantage of 
>the fact that we have two good players who can play more than one 
>position.  I'd like to see Pierce-3-Walker, 2-Pierce-Walker, and 
>Pierce-Walker-4 kinds of lineups.  (Battie would make a nice 4, Wahad 
>(or Cheaney, I guess) makes a good 2, Griffin has shown that he plays 
>well with these guys, either as a 3 or maybe a 2, etc.)
>
>>Ron Mercer: I wasn't a fan of his game after his first year, but
>>for the exception, yes. The chemistry was so bad during the lockout
>>though.
>
>I was a fan of Mercer in his first year: I thought he could drive 
>well (but not often enough) and had some good all-around skills. 
>Seeing him explode for a then-career-high 28 points against Portland 
>(this was the second or third game after Anderson joined the team) 
>cemented my opinion that his was a superior jumper.
>
>And I don't know what happened, whether it was Mercer's selfish 
>"jacking-it-up-boss" mentality, or whatever, but his trade was 
>virtually addition by subtraction.  (And he didn't look too good in 
>the Denver/Orlando games I saw either.)  I'd take him at the 
>exception, too -- though I think I'd rather have Wahad for this team 
>(better defender).  You've gotta worry about the chemistry issues, 
>though: that kind of year might cripple this team.
>
>>Moiso: I recall reading a chat where I think he projected himself
>>as a small forward at first, until he developed the strength to play
>>PF. If he can play a Shawn Marion role, he won't need at outside
>>shot at that position.
>
>This is really intriguing.  Moiso as sort of a McCarty with skills. 
>Since we aim to be playing more like the first year, why not think 
>about a Pierce-Moiso-Walker 2-3-4?  Looks a bit like the starting 
>lineup from that first year.  Only thing I worry about in this 
>scenario is the effect of the system: I thought that in the Tao of 
>Pitino, that the small forward is basically interchangable with the 2 
>guard -- both hang out more on the perimeter and take more outside 
>shots.  Isn't this one of the criticisms about trying Walker at the 
>3?  So maybe Pitino isn't lilely to use Moiso at the 3 -- I don't 
>know.  Unless it upsets the delicate balance, though, I'd certainly 
>like to try a player like Moiso or Walker there.
>
>Regards,
>
>Bill
>-- 
>wm. l. bird
>mailto:bird@pixi.com
>"I'll tune me fiddle and I rosen me bow"
>

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