Re: Pitino's Problems?

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>]

> Anyway, moving on to another question, if we seriously intend getting a
championship with Shaq still around, is a perimeter game the answer? If you
review some of the games in the Finals, you can see how Shaq seems to "shrug
off" his opponents - with Mutombo being at the receiving end most of the
time. Mutombo is a pretty good centre, but in the slow-motion replays he can
be seen literally bouncing off Shaq as the latter turns around and moves
towards the basket. Doug Collins commented on this at least two or three
times - what is normal force for Shaq would be a flagrant foul for most
normal players, so how do the refs call a foul on this chap? If we can't
bang and bounce around with Shaq, then do we have to go to the perimeter? I
don't think this is the complete answer. You have to get some stops on the
guy, though how we are going to do it is ....
> Of course, there is the minor matter of getting into the play-offs first
and winning the Eastern conference finals with the team that we have
presently. Doable? Hmmmm .... Chris Wallace said 3-4 years from now. Let's
see.
>
> venkat

I think this is the primary reason that Shaq is complaining about the move
to zone defenses next season.  Because it won't be as easy to bull people
out of the way as when it is man to man.  It's also one reason why I think
we wisely selected some shooters who have damaged opposing zones at the
college level.

Cecil