RE: OK, I've collected my thoughts...

["Michael Griffin" <mgriffin@rillc.com>]

Pitino would have correctly pass on Pryzbilla because the game is not
centered on the 5 hole anymore, it is at the 4 spot (Webber,Wallace,Malone,)
with the exception of Shaq and Mourning.  All the other Centers are not that
great in the league and most of the great talent is at the four spot.
Indiana didn't have any type of defensive presence in the middle and made it
to the finals because they have scoring from four positions and a great
defensive power forward in Dale Davis.  So as much as think Courtney will be
the best NBA talent that the Celtics passed on, Moiso is much better to me
than Pryzbilla.  I mean, you compare Moiso to potentially being better than
Mihm but would have been disappointed if we passed on Pryzbilla?

Next year's draft will be interesting and I look forward to everyone's posts
because we'll be able to see the early returns on all these draft picks and
our predictions on how they will do.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-celtics@igtc.com [mailto:owner-celtics@igtc.com]On Behalf Of
> Berry, Mark S
> Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 6:42 AM
> To: 'celtics@igtc.com'
> Subject: OK, I've collected my thoughts...
>
>
> Jerome Moiso is fine by me. I wanted no part of Courtney Alexander. No
> defense and selfish, not to mention a thug. He would have been
> terrible for
> this team. Haven't we learned that yet? At least Pitino has.
>
> As soon as Przybilla went off the board, I resigned myself to the
> fact that
> the draft pick would not make a significant difference in this
> team. Having
> said that, if you're going to gamble in the draft, I would think you could
> do a lot worse than taking a shot on an athletic 7-footer who runs like a
> deer, is left-handed (always a plus for big guys) and can play three
> positions if needed. He is a big-time talent. The question is,
> can he do it
> every night. If he can, he'll go down as a steal.
>
> I was shaking in my shoes when Vecsey mentioned the O'Neal offer.
> Three No.
> 1 picks is too much. I'll take Moiso, thank you.
>
> Let's stop the Battie comparisons. They have vastly different games. Moiso
> is infinitely more talented than Battie. Hopefully Moiso finds the "on"
> switch, because Battie doesn't have a clue. Moiso will be a factor this
> year, and he could turn out to be a real force. The thing you know you get
> with Moiso is the measurables: He's big enough, athletic enough, runs well
> enough and shoots well enough to play the power forward spot
> offensively and
> defensively. If he adds a little polish and consistency, he's a
> pretty rare
> commodity. Would anyone be that surprised if he is a better player than
> Marcus Fizer or Chris Mihm three years from now? Not me.
>
> Now, I'm not just looking through green-colored glasses. I was frustrated
> last night because I thought there were deals to be made to make
> us better,
> and we didn't make them. Milwaukee added Jason Caffey and Joel
> Przybilla to
> a team that only lacked interior defensive presence (sound familiar?), and
> they only gave up Jason Collier and a future first-rounder, while dumping
> unwanted Tractor Traylor and J.R. Reid. Watch out for the Bucks.
> That's the
> kind of deal I would have liked to have seen the Celts make. Of course, it
> sounds like Przybilla wasn't even a consideration for Pitino, who said he
> would have taken Moiso even if Przybilla were still there (I
> would have been
> shopping for a new television set if that had happened).
>
> By all accounts, it sounds like the Euroshooter we traded for in
> the second
> round can fill a role. He's a shooter with good size and some experience
> playing the point. He's weak defensively, so he'll fit right in.
> One of the
> Celtics' really overlooked weaknesses is perimeter shooting, and this guy
> may be the best shooter in the draft. He's not a starter, but he
> should help
> in a well-defined role.
>
> More good news: Pitino said Gaston wants him to be aggressive in
> bringing a
> winner to Boston. I'm hoping their lack of aggressiveness in the
> draft means
> they are after bigger game. Here's hoping, again, that Pierce
> moves off the
> untouchable list and we can bring in some more help in trade.
>
> Finally, on Walker playing point guard: Why not? He basically handled the
> ball when Barros was in there anyway. He has the ability, and he could
> present tremendous matchup problems. Can he guard Stephon Marbury? No, but
> who can?
>
> Sorry so long, but I tried to summarize a lot of stuff swirling through my
> head. My evaluation of the draft? Not bad, with the potential to be very
> good. And I'm hoping Aug. 1 is when the real fun starts.
>
> Mark
>