FW: In praise of sluggish play

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

> Battie was pretty good -- active on defense, blocked/changed a few shots,
> and pulled down a few rebounds in traffic.  Kenny was Kenny; 
> it's like he's trying to move the ball upcourt but thinks you have to
> dribble
> to do it.  Of course, since everybody was standing around on offense,
> it was all dump-ins or perimeter passes anyway.  Brown tried to make
> something happen, and had a couple of nice penetration passes, but
> it was like trying to light moist firewood.  He has a better jump shot
> than advertised. 
> 
>  The team didn't press much, but when they did it was very effective with
> him starting it.  I wish we could press for the whole game; I feel that
> would be our best chance to win in the NBA. Put Vitaly on the bench and
> use him to punish opposing big men.  Or use him in the press.  Why not?
> he can run.
> 
> Josh Ozersky	
> Marketing Communications Specialist 
> Corning Museum of Glass
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Berry, Mark  S [SMTP:berrym@BATTELLE.ORG]
> Sent:	Wednesday, October 25, 2000 10:52 AM
> To:	'OzerskyJA'; Berry, Mark  S; 'celtics@igloo.igtc.com'
> Subject:	RE: In praise of sluggish play
> 
> Well, I don't want to jump the gun on giving Walter a roster spot. The
> story
> in either the Herald or Globe today suggested McCarty would get the spot
> until Moiso is more comfortable. That's possible.
> 
> It's obvious that Pitino values McCarty's length, athleticism and energy
> and
> believes he can be a valuable player in the press. He was a positive
> factor
> that first Pitino season when he started alongside Walker. My problem with
> McCarty is his failure to understand his limitations. He isn't a good
> shooter, yet he insists on shooting a lot. Also, he should be a good
> defender at the small forward spot, but he isn't, unless he's operating in
> a
> full-court press. There's no reason, with his length, quickness and
> leaping
> ability, that he couldn't be a defensive stopper against most SFs.
> 
> I have to agree Josh, that I'd prefer Moiso get the active roster spot.
> Even
> as lost as he seems right now, he provides as much as McCarty (you might
> even argue more since Moiso actually rebounds).
> 
> How did Battie play last night, and what were your impressions of Anderson
> and Randy Brown?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OzerskyJA [mailto:OzerskyJA@cmog.org]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2000 10:37 AM
> To: 'Berry, Mark S'; 'celtics@igloo.igtc.com'
> Subject: RE: In praise of sluggish play
> 
> 
> I know this is the kind of thing we all get tired of saying (and reading)
> here, but why would Moiso be on the injured list while Walter plays?
> Moiso is talented and has something to offer, and Walter isn't even the 
> player he was two years ago, when he was no good.  The players on the
> IR should be Minor and Walter; if Minor is waived, it should be Walter and
> either Stith or Eric, depending on who's playing better.
> 
> As for Vitaly, he was truly at his worst last night, with hands of stone
> to
> put Roberto Duran to shame.  He did cause some havoc on D with his big
> body
> and high energy... on offense, no one got the ball down low but Walker and
> Pierce.
> 
> Josh Ozersky	
> Marketing Communications Specialist 
> Corning Museum of Glass
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	Berry, Mark  S [SMTP:berrym@BATTELLE.ORG]
> > Sent:	Wednesday, October 25, 2000 10:19 AM
> > To:	'celtics@igloo.igtc.com'
> > Subject:	Re: In praise of sluggish play
> > 
> > Last night was the fourth game in five nights. None of us like it, but
> in
> > the NBA you see games like that in those situations. 
> > 
> > I hope this team doesn't start using the schedule as a crutch like they
> > did
> > last year when the record on the road and in back-to-backs was abysmal.
> > The
> > bottom line is every team faces the same schedule and you have to find a
> > way
> > to get it done. Last night was a great example of a game that, hopefully
> > they can pull out during the regular season. They played awful, were
> > sluggish for four quarters and still managed a tie with four minutes to
> > play. Sometimes in the NBA, you have to win games when you don't play
> > well.
> > They didn't tough it out last night, and that's the most disturbing
> thing
> > about the game.
> > 
> > Didn't watch this one, but looking at the stats, you see why so many of
> us
> > are so down on Kenny Anderson. His energy level never is what I'd call
> > high,
> > but he is flat-out awful in tough stretches of the schedule like this.
> He
> > just mails it in. You want to know why Chris Herren will make a
> difference
> > in this team? Imagine his energy in that game last night. 
> > 
> > This is a bad rebounding team, but they're going to get absolutely
> killed
> > if
> > Vitaly plays as much as he did last night without grabbing a single
> > rebound.
> > If he's not rebounding and he's not scoring, what is he contributing?
> He's
> > not an impact defender, that's for sure.
> > 
> > We've been holding our breath waiting for Evil Toine to return, and he
> > did.
> > Impossible to tell how much of it was conditioning or following Kenny's
> > sluggish lead, but it's discouraging after seeing him play so well for
> the
> > past few games. Again, if this team is going to have a chance, he has to
> > rebound, and he can't take nights off.
> > 
> > Moiso grabbed seven rebounds in his short stint on the floor. I know
> it's
> > looking more and more likely that he ends up on the injured list, and it
> > makes some sense, but that is one thin frontcourt without his
> > availability.
> > Pitino has a tough decision to make, especially since it sounds like
> > McCarty
> > may not be the automatic injury casualty most of us assumed.
> > 
> > Anyway, this is one of those games you forget about (although I'm glad
> > Pitino made the team practice today so the players don't forget about
> it).
> > If it continues to be a trend during the season, then we worry. For now,
> > I'm
> > hoping for a good outing Friday to wash the bad taste out of our mouths.
> > 
> > Mark