RE: Re: interesting NBA notes

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

Maybe, maybe not. I happen to think you're seeing the Celtics' strategy in
the best possible light. But I would counter by saying all of their efforts
this offseason seem to be aimed at addressing a very short-term need. That
is, they want someone better than Stith, Eric Williams or Walter McCarty
taking the jumpers after Pierce and Walker are double-teamed. They drafted
guys who can get on the floor right away in that role and be an improvement
in that limited role. But that just seems like plugging the smallest hole in
the dike because that's the one that fits your finger. I'll say it again...
I have no problem with the draft picks. My problem is with their utter
disinterest in addressing this team's most glaring need. I'm all for
long-term plans, but there are plenty of ways to make short-term
improvements that advance a long-term plan. Like Joe said, at some point you
have to win, or guys are going to start to believe the grass is greener on a
playoff team.

The Celtics don't want to pay a luxury tax. Fine. But if you're going to do
a sign-and-trade, you first have to convince the guy to come to Boston. The
Celtics never made that effort. It's like the Knicks going after Webber or
the Sixers going after Antonio Davis. They're making their pitches first,
then worrying about piecing together the sign-and-trade later.

As for Wallace or O'Brien having a weird aversion to centers... that's not
what I said. I'm just saying they seem to lack an appreciation for the
bangers and space-eaters in the NBA. Look around at the good teams and look
around at the bad teams. There aren't any consistent formulas for being one
or the other, but the one thing you will notice is that the good teams have
at least one legitimate banger/big body at PF or C. Not just a Shaq, Duncan,
Webber or Mutombo either. I'm talking about Antonio Davis, Brian Grant, Dale
Davis, P.J. Brown, Tyrone Hill, Horace Grant, Marcus Camby, Theo Ratliff,
Kurt Thomas, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason... Are there exceptions? Maybe a
few, but none with worse big men than Vitaly, Battie and Blount. I'm not
even counting Walker, because he's a power forward in name only.

Of course, you can argue that we just have to trust Wallace and be patient
and everything will work out. Fine. Let's shut down the list until October.
Personally, I think the non-moves are just as relevant as the moves the team
does make. I happen to think they're missing a golden opportunity to improve
at a crucial position of need. Time may prove me wrong.

Mark


*******

Alex wrote:

I think this is an obvious misinterpretation of our draft strategy. They 
wouldn't have passed on Diop if he had been the top player on their board. 
But they had him ranked much lower than several other player that were 
available. The concept of taking the "consensus best player" is absurd. If 
that was the strategy of our GM, I could do it -- just read the latest mock 
drafts and pick based on that. The hope is that Wallace actually has 
superior evaluating skills than you or I, or the mock draft people, or 
teams like Cleveland  -- that he picks McGrady over consensus best player 
Van Horn, for instance, like Isiah Thomas stated he would have done. That's 
what Wallace is paid for. If he would have picked Radmanovic over Diop, or 
Forte over Haywood, then it would be because he projects them to be better 
NBA players over their careers, not because he has a weird aversion to 
centers.