Re: Mutombo anyone?

[Joe Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Hi Mark:
    The big Denver season aside, you've got to admit there isn't as much ammo to
argue that Mutombo remains that impactful on the won-loss record of teams.
Although I also agree with you that Mutombo is and remains a major player --a
guy who still actually dominates the league in certain hugely important
statistical categories--he nevertheless hasn't had quite the expected impact for
the past few season on teams with a lot better ball players than Laphonso Ellis
or Bryant Stith (plus a classy coach with more wins than Red Auerbach).
    I certainly don't object to a trade package that by necessity will need to
include some of our 24-year-olds like Vitaly to pick up a Mutombo on the back
end of his career. It's worth it. But I also happen to believe Vitaly will be a
solid center with 7-8 rpg for another ten seasons and one of the most improved
players on the team. When it come to containing your own man (as opposed to help
defense), I would say that Vitaly is a more effective defensive player than his
teammates. He holds his ground amazingly well, he frustrates people, he boxes
out superbly, he is the only Boston Celtic since Andrew DeClerq that wears a
"game face" on defense. If the Celtics were getting especially out-played at
center last year (like they were with Knight and DeClerq), that's something I
totally missed from watching game videos.
    Can Mutombo carry Pitino to the playoffs after failing to do so for Lenny
Wilkins? It's a pat, easy answer to say that Boston's lack of a shotblocking
defensive center is why they stink. This is why Potapenko's relatively promising
career learning curve and refreshing degree of toughness and hustle in Boston
has really gotten him nothing but grief from Mike Holley and others. People like
Holley think that unselfish 290 pound big men with a top work ethic and good
offensive skills grow like leaves on trees, even though there aren't more than
five centers like that in the NBA (of which ours is one of the youngest). People
like that also seem to think that since the Celtics had one of the worst
defensive FG% allowed they naturally must have been getting abused in the paint,
when in fact all evidence shows the embarrassingly easy buckets came mainly from
bad transition and perimeter defense. I don't think there was a coach in the
league last year that said "let's slow things down, isolate Boston's inferior
center, and wail on him."
    If a trade for Mutombo (not involving Toine or Pierce) happens, then great.
But don't be so sure it will positively impact more than a fraction of the
Celtics defensive problems.

***
"Berry, Mark S" wrote:

>  Arguments like this are why I hate pointing to stats. Sure, project
> Vitaly's stats out over 48 minutes, and they look good. Same for Fortson.
> But watch the games and you see the difference in a Fortson and a McDyess or
> a Vitaly and a Mutombo. There's no comparison. There's usually a reason guys
> don't play 48 minutes-they foul too much, they can't defend (something you
> can't measure with any stat, but true of both Fortson and Vitaly), or the
> team just doesn't perform with them on the floor. Now, Vitaly is a valuable
> player, but if the Celts could somehow land Mutombo without giving up Walker
> or Pierce (and I don't see how they could, but...), they'd be crazy not to
> do it. Mutombo is a huge difference-maker. Those Denver teams he led to the
> playoffs used Laphonzo Ellis as a go-to guy. Bryant Stith played a lot of
> minutes. I mean, we're talking terrible, terrible talent-but competitive
> because of Dikembe. Judging him by his scoring numbers is a huge mistake.
>
> Mark