RE: KA & KA Jr.

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

I disagree.  Kenny has been on four or five different teams in his
career and has never looked to pass first.  It's not about game plan
it's about mentality.  "Assist oppotunities!"  Please.  A point guard is
supposed to create assist opportunities!  That's what he's there for.
There aren't assists there to be had, because
Kenny isn't the kind of floor leader that makes guys think they are 
going to get the ball.  So they don't cut, roll, etc.  And Kenny doesn't
deliberately slow down a fast break opportunity; it's just a byproduct
of his ball-control, measured, slow-down style.  He would rather hold
up at the top of the key than (god forbid) make a turnover.  I've been
watching NBA basketball for twenty years, I was Kenny's biggest booster
when he arrived, but the truth will out.  Kenny is a half-court point guard;
and even as a halfcourt point guard, he looks for his own shot first.  No
way is that "the plan."  

Josh Ozersky	
Marketing Communications Specialist 
Corning Museum of Glass

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Hironaka [SMTP:j.hironaka@unesco.org]
> Sent:	Wednesday, October 18, 2000 11:25 AM
> To:	OzerskyJA; celtics@igtc.com
> Subject:	Re: KA & KA Jr.
> 
> To me the offense last year doesn't seem that much different from the
> offense as
> described by listmembers during the last Atlanta game that Kenny missed.
> You
> have a big man-- almost always Antoine- starting the halfcourt offense
> from the
> top of the key. One difference may be that Antoine is bringing the ball up
> himself after made baskets, but that seems like a detail.
> 
> To the degree that Kenny's role last year was to take open jump shots off
> the
> pass (career high FG% as a result), avoid turnovers, and try to play the
> best
> defense he could and stay healthy (he played 82 games), I think he did his
> "job". He filled roughly the same role as Brown filled in against Atlanta
> (minus
> the 13 deflections), which is very different from the systems that allowed
> a
> very talented dribbler to average as high as 9.6 assists and 16+ shot
> attempts
> per game in the NBA.
> 
> But if you've watched games last season and honestly saw Kenny regularly
> passing
> up easy assist opportunities to jack up a jumpshot, or deliberately
> slowing down
> a fast break opportunity, then as much as I'd like to believe that is true
> I'd
> have to say you were watching from a different twilight zone. The Kenny I
> saw
> had very few genuine assist opportunities and also very few turnovers.
> Like I
> said, he was doing what it sounds like Brown was doing the other night,
> and what
> Pitino demanded of him.
> 
> Right now people seem to be stereotyping Kenny (a cancer, selfish etc.)
> rather
> than somewhat more accurately as a guy who followed the Celts game plan
> for once
> in good faith. The point is that what Kenny provided last season for
> Pitino was
> still probably inadequate (because of defensive shortcomings), not that
> the
> Celtics failed because of his selfishness or unwillingness to push the
> ball.
> 
> Guess what, if Kenny could have his way I'd bet he'd LOVE to push the ball
> and
> dribble the ball twice as long on every single possession like Jason
> Williams
> gets to.
> 
> The critical difference between Brown and Kenny is defensive AND offensive
> ability. Unless you are a close family member of the Browns, you have to
> agree
> that we have a clear tradeoff. And we have a problem too if Kenny gets
> benched
> by Pitino. The Lorenzon Wright deal will be hard for Spintino to sell to
> Gaston
> and the public, since he'll be the third 6-11 backup we've added this
> offseason
> after Blount and Moiso, not to mention that the veteran Brown was the
> starting
> point guard on one of the worst teams in professional basketball last
> year. But
> this is a deal that has to make sense if nothing else is out there (c'mon
> who
> else wants Kenny other than a team anxious to unload a horrible contract
> like
> Wrights) and if the odds of Kenny being a distraction/cancer on the bench
> rises
> any higher. Of course Wright could also become an 8-million-a-year (or
> whatever
> it is) benchwarming, hard-to-trade cancers as well, unless we can ship out
> one
> of the other guys clogging the center-forward rotation. If Wright comes to
> Boston, he will be the second highest paid player on the team and another
> archetypal underachiever/perennial loser we'll have to worry about on the
> road
> back to team chemistry and Celtics Pride.
> 
> ------
> 
> OzerskyJA wrote:
> 
> > I agree completely.  Especially since he played like this all of last
> > year.  I remember all the crap about his divorce...Kenny is a selfish
> > player.  It has nothing to do with concentration.  He should be in
> shape,
> > he should have been working out all summer.  He stinks on hot ice.
> >
> > Josh Ozersky
> > Marketing Communications Specialist
> > Corning Museum of Glass
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Dan Forant [SMTP:dforant1@nycap.rr.com]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 9:30 AM
> > > To:   celtics@igloo.igtc.com
> > > Subject:      Re: KA & KA Jr.
> > >
> > > It has been insinuated that KA has had a rough camp because of
> personal
> > > problems. Purely, Crocodile tears. I don't care about his private
> life. He
> > > is not earning his check for the Celts.
> > >
> > > Dan
> > >
> > > At 10:14 AM 10/18/00 -0700, you wrote:
> > > >Dan...I know that logic and critical thinking do not apply to most of
> > > your
> > > >posts, but have you ever had a female in your life endure a difficult
> > > >pregnancy?  It is next to impossible to focus on anything but, at
> least
> > > if
> > > >you are a reasonably responsible partner.  To make the allegation
> that KA
> > > is
> > > >using that as an excuse, unless you know that for a fact, which I
> rather
> > > >doubt highly, is very dubious.
> > > >
> > > >I don't think he played defense was well as he thought he did last
> year,
> > > but
> > > >I applaud him for being concerned about the health and welfare of his
> > > >fiancee and child.
> > > >
> > > >Cecil
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >----- Original Message -----
> > > >From: "Dan Forant" <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>
> > > >To: <celtics@igloo.igtc.com>
> > > >Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 5:54 AM
> > > >Subject: KA & KA Jr.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >> Just another example of KA's offensive play and no defense.
> Evidently
> > > he
> > > >> practices it in private life also. They should be highlighted on
> the
> > > front
> > > >> cover of the Celtics of the program so all the young Celtic
> > > compassionate
> > > >> fans will see KA, KA Jr, and his *fiancee*. Funny he can't
> concentrate
> > > >> playing basketball lately. The Celts only pay him millions, his
> present
> > > >> fiancee gives him,..........well...............a Monica?
> > > >>
> > > >> Dan
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >