Re: Potential Vitaly trade?

[bird <birdw@aloha.net>]

>From: "Troy Hash" <troyhash@kih.net>
>
>I'm not talking about Kleine of today, but the Kleine when he was a 
>Celtic.  And yes, then he was an allstar compared to Potastenko of 
>today. 

Well, if you're talking about the Kleine of the past, you have a 
point.  But how was the old Kleine so much better than V?  To me, 
they seem to have some of the same weaknesses.  Like, hard hands, not 
really passing all that well, kind of a bull-in-a-china-shop thing 
going for both of them.  Maybe V even has some better offensive 
skills than ol' Joe -- at least, in the way Pitino seems to use big 
men: high-post screens and jumpers.

>As you may gather, I really think VP really stinks!  [...]  He can't 
>run, can't defend, can't jump or block shocks and has hands of 
>stone.  He does has beef, but that hardly makes him anything short 
>of NBA backup.  Get rid of him and Batman at all costs!

Well, he can't really jump or block shots, you're right about that 
(and about his hands), but I actually do think he can run (he fills 
the lane just as much as anyone on the team, which is to say not very 
often).  I see him beating opposing big men down the floor -- when 
the team is running -- and I'd like to see more of that from him. 
His defense could sure use improvement, but it's not all that bad. 
He denies position pretty well.  Defending the low post once his guy 
gets the ball could be better, though.

As for his good qualities, don't discount the beef.  He's the only 
guy on the team with any real bulk, and if he can improve his 
defense, that can become a real benefit to the team.  (A team with 
3-4 skinny guys with "length" playing the pivot doesn't seem wise to 
me.)  V's got a nice jumper that he's been working on, and he sets 
screens very well.  He and Anderson have that little pick-and-roll at 
the top of the key thing going for them, and V makes a good 
percentage of those shots (at least, it seems that way to me).  Plus, 
he works hard, which might increase his chances of improving his 
overall game.

As for being a backup -- ten years ago I think you're right, but now 
it just seems as if big men who aren't 7'/215lbs and better suited 
for sf/pf are at a real premium, and so, if the team could trade V 
for a guy with size and better skills, I'm all for it, but if we 
trade him away for another swingman type and yet another tall, 
skinny, long guy who hasn't really shown anything (other than 
lighting _us_ up) I think that's not so good.

(Hey, we might even draft or otherwise acquire the kind of center 
that would be a perfect starting center for us, and then VP might be 
a very good backup, and the team can quit trying to use guys like 
Battie at center.)

Regards,

Bill