I didn't do it!

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

When I saw the news on Kenny last night I half expected a Boston detective
to knock on my door asking me where I was Sunday night. It was like an
episode of Columbo... "Sure, I wanted him out of the lineup. I felt like
breaking his jaw. But did I? Nah." But where were you, Josh????

We may not see the benefits of a Kenny-free lineup for a few games, but I'm
confident we will see them. Once the rest of the team gets used to
unselfish, free-flowing basketball from Herren and Brown, I think we'll see
more ball movement, more player movement away from the ball, and more
running. Will there be growing pains? Sure, but I'm willing to live with
them.

I hate to pin everything that's wrong with this team on Kenny, because there
certainly are plenty of other problems. Still, think back to Pitino's first
year. Chauncey was playing terrible at the point, but the team was playing
well, overachieving and having fun. Remember how enthusiastic that group
was? Well, things changed not long after Kenny got here. Am I the only one
who remembers this? Kenny had a great first few games, but pretty soon he
settled in like he always does. The team settled with him, and faded down
the stretch. The next season was the lockout, and Kenny came in out of shape
and played terribly and the team did the same. It continued last year.

The Celtics with Herren in that brief stretch this preseason played more
like that early first-year Pitino team than at any time since. They were
moving the ball, having fun, congratulating each other on great plays. It
was fun to watch. There's something to be said for the psyche of a
team--it's why Jason Williams' net impact on the Kings has been so positive
even though his shooting percentage and turnovers seem to make him a
liability at point guard. In reality, his passing and enthusiasm have been
contagious on that team. Doesn't anyone remember Chris Webber in Washington?
Did you ever think you'd see him running, passing and enjoying the game the
way he seems to while playing with Williams in Sacramento?

But it's not just Herren. The offense performed better with Brown in the
game against the Cavs. There were a couple of possessions when the ball
moved around the offense until finding Brown wide-open for 15-footers. He
made them both. There was no dribbling. He just found an open spot, waited
for the ball to work through the offense, and took an open shot as a last
resort. And he made it. Great, understated point guard play.

Looking forward to seeing it on a full-time basis.

Mark