re: kenny anderson

["Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@worldnet.att.net>]

I think you have a good point here Josh. On a team that has such a dearth of
talent as the Celts we really can't afford to stick our noses in the air
when it comes to a point guard who does after all has some undeniable
talent. You are right to point out also that just a year ago Kenny was
considered by some to have had the best year of any Celtic - my how things
can change quickly!

I guess my point is whether we want to ultimately trade him or not we have
to get value for a talented player like Kenny and not just flush him for
nothing (or Baker which would be worse!). That means a) playing him and b)
giving him a role that will at the very least increase his trade value if
not his value to the team overall. Kenny is best when he can dribble
penetrate and create off that - he is not well served by either spotting up
or pounding the dribble waiting for someone coming off screens or to set up
down low.

Despite Kenny's love of his own handle I think we have seen over the course
of this year that it is the offense (or lack of one) that leads whoever is
the primary ball-handler into pounding the dribble waiting for the one man
the play is designed for to get open. In other words, the offense is
rudimentary at best with little player movement and this results in a lot of
wasted time on the part of the initiator. Next year will make such an
'offense' even less appropriate. I fear however that O'Brien's love of the
3-pointer and his Pitino-esque tendencies will continue to leave our offense
as bereft of direction as a raft in a typhoon. (the very idea of playing
Williams & mcCarty & Pierce and Twon on the perimeter all together as
spot-up 3pt shooters leaves me cold).

We need talent! We must make the most of what we have especially if we plan
to trade it away. Benching or buying Kenny out does not help what is already
a talent-thin team. (hats off to whoever noted that Kenny has only reacted
as most people would - I actually found his comments fairly restrained and
insightful - our 'offense' is too rudimentary)

> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:52:43 -0400
> From: OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>
> Subject: RE: [Celtic_Pride] Re: Baker a possibility again?
>
> The thing about Kenny is that, for all his faults, I don't
> believe the Bill Simmons fantasy that he has just lost it
> and is on his way out of the league.  I fully expect a
> healthy Kenny to do all the same stuff next year that
> he did a year ago, both good and bad.  If there were
> some way to let him handle the ball a little more, he
> would be very good as our third scorer; I'm still not
> convinced that the only role for a point guard on the
> celtics is to shoot three pointers and drive to the rack.
>
> Josh Ozersky
> Marketing Communications Specialist
> Corning Museum of Glass