RE: More on Haywood

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

The mistakes of others don't excuse our own. No one hesitated to
second-guess the Moiso choice. These guys get paid to make these decisions,
and fans are entitled to second guess. Is it too early? Yes, but remember...
the Celts didn't draft three high school kids. Everyone compares them to
McGrady, but Johnson and Forte played two seasons at major D-I schools and
Kedrick played two years at JC. So the McGrady comparison is flimsy. Forte
is older than Tony Parker. Why should we believe he'll surpass Parker
eventually? Haywood played four years, but is young for his class. Bad draft
decisions haunt teams for years. We don't know if the Celts made bad
decisions, but I'll guarantee Washington wouldn't trade Haywood right now
for any of the Celtics' rookies. Indy wouldn't trade Tinsley for any of
them. San Antonio wouldn't trade Parker for any of them. That says a lot
about all of the players involved, because the Celts' first two picks were
much higher than the others.

Mark

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	jason david jones [mailto:jdjones1@midway.uchicago.edu] 
Sent:	Tuesday, December 11, 2001 4:01 PM
To:	Berry, Mark  S
Cc:	'celtics@igtc.com'; 'celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com'
Subject:	Re: More on Haywood

And why was he traded twice?  No use crying over spilt milk.  We aren't
the only team in the league that can mis-judge talent.

Jason David Jones


On Tue, 11 Dec 2001, Berry, Mark  S wrote:

> Last post about this, but this story was in the Washington Post today, so
> I'm not the only one noticing...
> 
> Mark
> 
> Dallas Mavericks Coach Don Nelson, whose team had been dunked on for three
> quarters Saturday night by Washington Wizards center Brendan Haywood, said
> the rookie big man was the difference in the outcome, not Michael Jordan's
> fourth-quarter heroics.
> "They have quite a catch in him," Nelson said.
> Don't the Wizards know it.
> Teams have been calling, trying to acquire the 7-footer from North
Carolina.
> The Wizards say Haywood, who has already been traded by Cleveland and
> Orlando in his young professional career, is unavailable.
> The Wizards (7-12), who gave up reserve guard Laron Profit and a future
> first-rounder to the Magic for Haywood, find themselves with a player who
> has created a buzz through the league in only seven games. He missed the
> first 12 games with torn ligaments in his left thumb.
> "Brendan is a good anchor back there," Wizards Coach Doug Collins said.
"He
> really has a good grasp defensively. He can really jump out on the
> screen-roll and get himself back into the play. The one thing that we'd
like
> to be able to do, especially with Brendan, is get him where he can catch
the
> ball on the block and be able to make a move, use the jump hook or jump
shot
> on the baseline that he does so well.
> "With his growth, hopefully, there will be some point and time where we
can
> use him as an offensive weapon, rather than Michael."
> It's been many a year since there has been this much talent and promise in
> the middle for the Washington franchise. Haywood has blocked 10 shots,
> altered several others and has steadily developed a complementary
offensive
> game. Haywood scored a season-high 19 points against the Mavericks, 12 on
> dunks.
> "It's a great opportunity for me," said Haywood, who is averaging 8.9
> points, 6.1 rebounds and 25.3 minutes. "I just have to be smart and take
> good shots."
> Haywood will continue playing as a reserve. Beefy starter Jahidi White has
> allowed Collins and his staff to employ a boxing-like strategy. Soften up
> the middle with White early, then finesse it for a lengthy stretch in the
> middle with Haywood and let scorers Richard Hamilton and Jordan deliver
the
> knockout blows late.
> In the Wizards' past two victories, White and Haywood have combined for 30
> points, 26 rebounds and 7 blocks.
> "Coach is doing a good job working us both in. He knows what he's doing,"
> said White, who is averaging 17.4 minutes, 4.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and
.94
> blocks. "I go out there to start things off and get the physical thing
> going, hustle for rebounds, then Brendan goes out there and gives us a
great
> offensive game. Right now, we're meshing together and the whole team is
> starting to come around."
> Jordan, by the way, scrimmaged for the first time in two weeks at practice
> yesterday and had no swelling or soreness in his problematic right knee,
> Collins said.
> "He was moving very well," Collins said. "He was doing a lot of talking
and
> when he's talking, you know he feels pretty good."
> There is another offshoot to Haywood's ascension -- fellow rookie Kwame
> Brown has stepped up his game, Collins said. Brown, the first overall pick
> in last summer's draft, has been watching Haywood, picked 20th by
Cleveland,
> establish himself almost overnight. That has flipped a switch in Brown,
who
> came to the NBA straight from high school while Haywood spent four seasons
> honing his game at North Carolina.
> Brown's growth has come in practice, Collins said, since he has only
played
> four minutes the past two games. However, that could change soon -- maybe
> tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.
> "The light has gone on," Collins said of Brown. "Seeing Brendan out there
> playing is a great motivator."
> The excitement about the development of Haywood and Brown is enhanced by
the
> potential long-term results. Nearly every team wants to build around a
young
> big man and the Wizards have a pair, actually a foursome, Collins points
> out. White and seldom-used Etan Thomas could grow together with Haywood
and
> Brown, possibly giving the Wizards a formidable front court for years.
> All have drawn trade interest, particularly Brown. Brown is in the same
> hands-off category as Haywood unless an established or nearly established
> superstar is offered and that might not even be enough, a team official
> said. The Wizards don't seem to be as willing to part with White as they
> were a few weeks ago, either, now that he seems to have found his niche as
a
> complement to Haywood.
> "I can always look down the road a little bit and say if we keep getting
> these guys better then they have a chance of being something really
special
> for us down the road," Collins said.