"Have no fear, Underdog is here!"

[Jim Metz <JBMetzEA@AOL.com>]

   Against the beaten path, I'll predict that Joe Forte is a lot farther
along than Kedrick Brown and will log plenty of minutes in the bckcourt. In
fact, my preference, unless Kenny Anderson has been meditating at Lourdes,
would be to start Forte and Joe Johnson as the guards, with Walker, Battie
and Pierce up front. As has been said elsewhere; without impressive debuts
from the rookies, "we ain't goin nowhere," anyway.
   From what I saw at Shaw's summer league, Forte is a team player.
Seamless, a good defender, who can keep the play moving and get open for
easy mid-range shots. While his shots weren't falling with consistencey, no
one else's were either. The rims were incredibly tight there. You could feel
it and hear it, as the shots "hit iron" and "clanged" out.
   One observer posted here, that Forte's game could improve when the level
of the players around him improves and the play is not so helter- skelter. I
agree. He appeared to me, to be a very smart and selfless player, with NBA
skills already. The remarks, that he wont get off his shot against NBA
defenders, doesn't hold water, as he will move without the ball and if a
defender wants to blanket him, what happens to the zone? Who else will be
left with looser coverage?
   Kedrick, had some spectacular moves, buit was not as much in the flow of
what the team was doing, as Forte. He is a virtuoso, not so much of a
compliment, perfectly designed, as a spark off the bench. When the team
wasn't looking to showcase him, he looked lost, over to the side, an
observer. Forte always found some way to contribute.
   I think, once pre-season games begin, we will see more and more of Forte
as the off guard, as Johnson becomes groomed for the point guard role.
Johnson is already a better point guard than Palacio. O'Brien would have to
be blind not to see that.
-JB-

                   

                   
Unchain My Heart!