Re: Good news, Bad news

[damekmo@teleport.com]

Now Joe, you didn't post that entire piece. Here's the first part:

"Moiso has all the skills to be a solid pro.  He is a long and lean
lefthander with good athleticism and a soft touch.   He has range to at
least 20 feet, and can run very well."

And from his "College Highlights:"

>>College highlights at UCLA

>>As a sophomore, was UCLA's top rebounder (7.6 rpg) and shot blocker (1.7
>>bpg) and was the team's second-leading scorer (13.0 ppg). His 7.6
>>rebounds per game and 1.7 blocks per game averages ranked first and
>>fourth, respectively, in the Pac-10. Finished ninth in the Pac-10 in
>>field-goal percentage (50.1 percent). Earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-10
>>and Second Team NABC All-District 15 honors.
>
>>Contributed a season-high 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to go
>>along with three steals and two blocked shots vs. Arizona. Recorded his
>>ninth double-double in UCLA's upset of No. 1 Stanford, scoring 17 points
>>on 7-for-11 shooting (3 of 5 from beyond the arc) and adding 12 rebounds,
>>three blocks, and a career-high tying three assists. His 10th
>>double-double of the season came against Iowa State in the NCAA Midwest
>>Regional semifinal, in which he tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds, both
>>team-highs, and rejected three shots.


Now, I'm not saying the kid's Tim Duncan, but he's certainly not a stiff.
Moiso can play and he's athletic. He does have "all the skills to be a
solid pro." Right now he's a much better offensive player than Fortson and
he's a better defender, primarily because he's not stuck to the floor. It's
his head that worries everybody...his toughness and intensity. This pick
could be a disaster, but....it's not a "guaranteed" disaster, as some of us
think. If he comes to play we'll all be saying "Danny who?" But if not....

My biggest worry is that even with a well motivated Moiso, this team still
sucks...but Pitino believes he's done. Austin Croshere is the flavor of the
month. Pitino's going to need more than Austin Croshere and Jerome Moiso to
get this team into contention for anything substantial. He needs to make a
big, gutsy trade for a substantial upgrade in talent. My biggest worry is
that Pitino is going to be satisfied with "a fight for the 8th spot!" If
Gaston and Pitino really want to win now, he's going to need to make a
trade. He's taking a big chance on Moiso working out. He still might. He
might not. Why not trade for a sure thing now?

Paul M.