Re: Re: interesting NBA notes

["John Lyell" <johnlyell@hotmail.com>]

I agree with  Mark. Is Nazr a risk ? Yes. But so was Parish we are not going
to get Shaq and or any other big name center. VP & Battie's numbers are just
pitiful. Skinny guys like Camby and even Rahim got 20 boards on us.  Battie
has probably more potential  but just doesn't  seem to have the motivation
and can't beat the 'El busto" rap.

With Walker you would think Mohammed would find a place he likes to play.
Like it or not the championship goes through LA, and Battie  & VP don't have
a chance in hell containing Shaq in any way. Dale Davis doesn't, Antonio
Davis doesn't.






----- Original Message -----
From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2001 10:15 AM
Subject: Re: Re: interesting NBA notes


>
>
>
>
>
> These are all excellent points, Joe, and I'll add one more log to the Nazr
> fire... Kestas mentions the "one-year wonder" effect, and wonders what was
> holding Nazr back before his trade to Atlanta. That's easy... Theo
Ratliff,
> Tyrone Hill and Matt Geiger, three talented and/or expensive big men who
ate
> up most of the center/power forward minutes. Add in the fact that Nazr
left
> Kentucky a year earlier than he should have and thus needed development,
and
> it's easy to see why his impact was delayed in the NBA.
>
> These arguments completely frustrate me. "Antonio Davis is too expensive.
> Mutombo is too old. Webber is too far-fetched. Camby is too skinny.
Haywood
> is too passive. Nazr Mohammed is too unproven." What is the answer? Just
> keep waiting, hoping everyone else in the NBA passes on that sure-thing
> center in the draft and he drops into our laps? Is Nazr Mohammed a sure
> thing? No, but Robert Parish was considered a loafer and an underachiever
> before coming to Boston in that trade. You take risks. Nazr's track record
> is limited, but as Joe points out, none of our three-headed monster at
> center has ever approached a stretch of play like Mohammed put together in
> Atlanta. Because we can't have the lobster, we have to settle for dog
food?
> I'd love a good, solid hamburger like Nazr.
>
> Nazr Mohammed went to Kentucky as a 300 pound freshman and looked like he
> would never play there. He was too big, too raw and the longest of long
shot
> prospects. But he worked hard and turned himself into a heck of a
player-far
> better than any Kentucky fan would have believed after his freshman
> campaign. He has a good, solid body, long arms and a soft touch. He has
been
> coached in college by Rick Pitino and in the NBA by Larry Brown. He was a
> productive college player, and has been productive in the NBA when given a
> chance. His best friend plays for the Celtics, his former college
assistant
> coach coaches for the C's, and another former teammate is on the roster.
He
> could come in and start and play big minutes on a team with a promising
> future. He's available at a reasonable price and he fills a glaring need.
> And the Celtics haven't even made an attempt to sign or sign-and-trade for
> the guy (unless it has been extremely covert; Nazr says he wants to decide
> by this weekend, and he hasn't been to Boston).
>
> So the point is moot. We'll go into the season with Vitaly, Battie and
> Blount at center, get killed on the boards again, wonder why-with Pierce,
> Walker and all these talented rookies-we're still scuffling along under
.500
> and out of the playoff picture. I love the Celtics' draft, because they
> added talent. But it's time to address some needs. When the season ended,
> everyone here would have agreed that the biggest needs on this team were
> point guard and center. We had three draft picks and didn't take a point
> guard or center with any of them, which is fine. But don't you at some
point
> in the offseason try to address your weaknesses? Maybe Wallace has
something
> cooking to surprise me, but I doubt it. My only solace is taken in the
fact
> that I honestly believe the interior weakness of this team will be so
> obvious this season that it can't be ignored next season. Of course, I
> thought it was that obvious this year.
>
> Mark
>
> ********
>
> Joe H. wrote:
>
> I really admit to having no idea about Nazr' actual game, but last year he
> had some rebounding performances that it would be quite hard to picture
> Batgirl or Potsie having.
>
> I kind of view him as a taller Fortson with sufficient athleticism to hang
> with our system.
>
> For instance, Nazr had a 19 rebound game against the Pistons, followed by
a
> five-game stretch of 15, 15, 16, 8 and 16 boards (in just 28.4 minutes of
> PT in that stretch). Also he had a 9 offensive rebound game in 23 minutes
> earlier in the year versus the Grizz.
>
> Earlier I posted his scouting reports from college and it suggests he was
a
> player with an outstanding work ethic.
>
> He's only 24 and it's not like we'll pay him "Geiger money". In fact, I
> assume we are pretty much limited to 4.5 million exception for two years.
>
> He may still be an overpaid bust for Obie. There are a lot of good reasons
> why it seems like a stretch he could help us.
>
> But would even an occasional 15+ rebound game from a center hurt our team?
> That doesn't sound too bad to me. I don't know, but it seems at least
worth
> exploring.
>
>