Re: Mark Berry's fears (and other notes... Khalid!)

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

I hope you're right, Josh, and you certainly could be. I'm just taking a
more conservative approach to expectations of our rookies. I'm trying to
imagine how Bryant Stith would look in the same summer league
situation-probably pretty similar to Joe Johnson. And remember, these guys
are the focal point in the summer league. When the real games start, Antoine
and Pierce are going to dominate the ball and the shots. Johnson and Kedrick
Brown are going to be playing off of those guys, just like Stith did last
year. Rookies are putting up huge numbers in these summer leagues, so you
have to take it with a grain of salt. Look at last night: Zach Randolph had
38 points and 16 boards for Portland. You also value Tony Battie much more
than I do, and you probably have a point there. He's just a notch above
Kenny in my book.

Anyway, I'm willing to go along with most of your post, but there's no way
the Celts are better than New York or Miami. It's not as if those teams are
ancient. The Knicks still have Houston, Sprewell and Camby, not to mention
Clarence Weatherspoon, Kurt Thomas and Othella Harrington. The Heat have
Alonzo, Brian Grant, Eddie Jones and either Anthony Mason or whoever they
land in a sign-and-trade for Mason. They're talking about adding Derek
Anderson. They have great coaches. Those are 50-win teams. Their time is
coming, but it won't be this year. That's why I'm so cautious in my
expectations for the Celts. Barring injury, Miami, New York, Philly,
Milwaukee, Toronto, Charlotte and Orlando are playoff locks. That's seven
spots. That means the Celts are battling Indiana and improved teams in
Atlanta, Detroit and New Jersey-plus maybe a Jordan-led Wizards-for one
playoff spot. It's certainly possible that the Celts get that spot, but fans
of those teams probably feel just as strongly that their teams are in line
for it. It's going to be a dogfight.

On the other part of your post... I completely agree Josh about the Bulls
and Hawks and how well they did in the draft. I'd add Houston to that list,
because they got Eddie Griffin for three mid-to-late-first-round picks. I
thought those three teams did a great job improving their teams, and all did
it in different ways. 

Anyway, on to today's other good news... it sounds like the Celtic brass is
as impressed with Khalid El-Amin as we are, and he may be signed for the
season. That's tremendous. He'd be the only living, breathing true point
guard on the roster, since we all know Kenny's dead. He's fun to watch. I've
respected him ever since that championship run at UConn. I'll never forget
how he outplayed Scoonie Penn of my beloved Buckeyes in the Final Four.
Scoonie was unbelievable that season and had just embarrassed Erick Barkley
in the Regional Final, but El-Amin clearly was the better player that day. I
know it was college, and he's short and stocky and all that. He can play. I
have no idea if he'll eventually start or just be a spark off the bench, but
I have no doubt that, if signed, El-Amin will be a factor.

Mark