Re: notes

["j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

At 21:32 05/06/01 -0600, Gene Kirkpatrick wrote:
>Good, all-around players can help our team achieve its
>optimum--they do not have to be superstars in the making.  Battier is
>a good example.  Also, Tinsley.  Those two make everyone on the floor
>a better player.

It is becoming a bit clearer (both in terms of team needs and talent 
available) that only one point guard may be drafted (by GS) between 
Boston's 11th and 21st picks, at least at the moment. If Omar Cook is 
really moving up in the eyes of scouts, then I actually think it is not so 
far-fetched for Tinsley to still be there at 21.

Remember that Hall of Famer K.C. Jones was also once-upon-a-time the third 
pick of the Boston Celtics (after Russell and Heinsohn). Same deal with 
Danny Ainge (after Charles Bradley and Tracy Jackson I think). I know I may 
just be day dreaming, but there really are a ton of quality players who 
conceivably will go ahead of Tinsley in the 11-21 range.

As for Omar Cook, besides the fact he's missing the lettah "N" in front of 
"Omar" he often sounds like a "enough about myself, let's talk about me" 
type of punk in the workout quotes I've read. If I were a scout I'd ask the 
same question of him that I'd ask of Bibby, namely why does your team 
underperform relative to their overall talent? It's a fair question to ask 
in an interview...as well as to carefully analyze on tape. How many NBA 
point guards who have stood the test of time came from losing college 
programs?

Clearly there are some leadership and "court sense" intangibles that go 
with the job. I believe that if Andre Miller (not a top-five point guard 
IMO) had the same talent on the roster as Bibby has in Vancouver, his team 
would regularly find more ways to win. And it's pretty clear St Johns isn't 
shedding any tears watching Omar leave. He is an assist-machine though, in 
the Mark Jackson, Sherman Douglas, Pearl Washington Big East mode.

If Boston really needs a point guard, then they should look to maturity and 
a guy with a knack for leadership and winning, whatever his age.

Joe

p.s. I think it is flat-out retarded that Cisse and Gerald Wallace are 
ducking the Chicago camp invitations. Cisse in particular is going to 
plunge straight out of the first round through his individual workouts...I 
think he's probably best in a five-on-five setting just as Dennis Rodman 
was when he got discovered. Part of the reason Cisse's being so widely 
dissed is that he has the worst kind of agent (a guy who basically conned 
Cisse's parents in Mali into letting him legally adopt the kid after he led 
his team to the Alabama state championship as a sophomore). This agent 
hasn't allowed any reporters to interview Cisse, or let his actual high 
school coach talk to the press.  Let's not forget that Cisse was Bob 
Gibbon's number one rated high school player for large parts of this 
season, having destroyed the best competition in shoe camps (Adidas I 
think) despite the height disadvantage. It would be nice to get a good 
close look at him in the Moody college scrimages. Without that kind of 
information, I'd stay away from both Cisse and Gerald Wallace at #21. 
Gerald Wallace basically is starting to look like another Felipe Lopez 
flash-in-the-pan, and he ought to be doing his utmost to prove himself on 
the court in structured games. Same with Zach Randolph, although he risks 
millions since he's already projected in the lottery range. You've got to 
give 20-year-old Gilbert Arenas a lot of credit for stepping up to the 
challenge. I hope he doesn't do TOO well, because he might look good 
wearing a Boston uniform.

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