Re: My case against Obie and Chris Wallace

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>]

In addition to Mark's comments, I would add that we need someone who knows
how to teach these guys how to properly shoot free throws.  It can be done.
Just witness the improvement, statistically at least, with Shaq.  His shot
is certainly not one of esthetic beauty but who cares as long as the results
are there.  We have lost too many winnable games this year by shooting
poorly at the line IMHO.

Cecil


----- Original Message -----
From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 10:31 AM
Subject: My case against Obie and Chris Wallace


> The players and almost everyone on the list seem to be in favor of
retaining
> O'Brien and Wallace. I'm not, and here's why:
>
> This is a terrible, terrible rebounding team, and yet every time these two
> discuss the roster it begins and ends with Walker at PF and "our three
> centers hold their own..." They seem to have zeroed in on PG as the team's
> biggest need. Obviously, PG is a problem, but in my mind the biggest
> weakness for this team has been and continues to be the soft middle. You
> might be able to survive with the mediocre centers if you had a stud
> rebounder/defender at PF. You might be able to survive with Antoine at PF
if
> you had a stud rebounder/defender at center. But you can't continue to run
> out a lineup of Walker at PF with Vitaly/Battie/Blount at center, get
> outrebounded by the margins the Celts are getting outrebounded (the
numbers
> in the last month are startling), and still expect to win. You have to
> rebound and defend the post to win consistently in the NBA.
>
> I have to think someone coming in with a fresh perspective on this roster
> would see that. O'Brien seems as stubborn as Pitino in his outright
refusal
> to play Antoine at SF alongside another big body at PF. Some might argue
> he'd change his approach if given time in training camp, and maybe that's
> true. But he has given no indication at all that he has even considered
such
> a change in philosophy.
>
> This team clearly needs a legit PG, as well as a third scoring option
(Mike
> Bibby would solve both), and I'd never dispute that, but the most glaring
> need is up front. That seems lost on the current Celtic braintrust. And
> that's why I strongly believe we need someone with vision and a plan to
take
> over this franchise. O'Brien and Wallace are so focused on the here and
now
> and making the playoffs, that they can't see the forest for the trees. I
see
> them using draft picks and free agent signings to plug holes in an effort
to
> get that last playoff spot, but we need someone thinking long-term. The
> final playoff spot in a bad conference shouldn't be our goal--it's just
one
> step along the way. And we need someone who always keeps that in mind.
>
> Mark
>