RE: Kenny Anderson

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

This is a pretty reasonable and judicious post, and one that makes me
think.  Still, how much in the way of point guard instincts/offensive talent
does it take to throw the ball downcourt instead of dribbling it, or to run
a three-on-two break?  Or any break?  When I watch the Celtics run a
half court offense that consists of getting one guy or another an open 
jumper by moving the ball around the perimeter, I feel like even if we score
we don't deserve to win.  A point guard has to get you some easy baskets.  

I think the other thing that has to be addressed is the isolation plays for
Paul and Antoine.  This is too much of a good thing.  Pitino needs to
instruct these guys how to run a true motion offense, or (at the very least)
to use the center as a passing pivot, as the position was intended.  That
gums up the works a lot too.

Josh Ozersky	
Marketing Communications Specialist 
Corning Museum of Glass

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Alexander Wang [SMTP:awang@MIT.EDU]
> Sent:	Wednesday, November 08, 2000 1:55 PM
> To:	celtics@igtc.com
> Subject:	Kenny Anderson
> 
> Kenny does not execute the offense exactly the way Pitino wants and we
> want. As we've all noticed, he doesn't push the ball, he doesn't take
> chances, he generally doesn't penetrate with the idea of passing. I think
> we'd all agree that if we replaced him with Jason Kidd, our offense would
> be much, much improved. But on the other hand, Kenny does take care of the
> ball, he's been shooting well, he can get into the paint, and he does make
> good plays in the halfcourt -- just not enough of them. The infuriating
> thing about Kenny is that he has the talent to play better but not really
> the desire. There was a time when he averaged 10 assists a game so there's
> no questioning that he has the ability to be a good offensive point guard.
> 
> But we've seen that you can't just replace Kenny with some random player
> who doesn't have the ability or instincts of a true point guard and expect
> improvement. In fact when you see the offense completely fall apart under
> another "point guard" like Barros last year, or any number of
> third-stringers we've had, you appreciate Kenny a bit more. As much as I
> like the addition of Randy Brown because he's a leader, a hustler, and a
> defensive player, he's not the answer on offense. Nothing he's done in his
> career suggests that. When he was running the Bulls, they were the worst
> offensive team in the league. When he's on the floor, the offense probably
> should be going through Walker.
> 
> The main question, which we'll find out soon, is whether Chris Herren has
> the ability and instincts right now to be the point guard we all hope for.
> I'm a bit cautious because we've only seen him have one good game. Kenny's
> injury is certainly a great opportunity for him, similar to how Brevin
> Knight's injury opened the door for Andre Miller. But I'm not a believer
> in
> the idea that removing Kenny improves the team offensively by default.
> He's
> still a decent point guard, though not as good as he should be. And the
> defense is still a problem. But until someone else shows they can handle
> the position well, he's still an asset for this team, albeit an overpaid
> one.
> 
> Alex