re: draft thoughts

["Joshua Ozersky" <jozersky@stny.rr.com>]

Well, we all cursed the idea of going for position over talent -- the Eric Montrosses

of the world who we've drafted over the years.  Well this year the theory has come

to the test.   We just drafted three guys who all play the same position -- Paul

Pierce's!   Or to be more accurate, Brown seems a pure small forward; Johnson is

a true swingman; and Forte a pure 2.  The idea of trying to make Forte into a point

guard is psychotic.  He's a born scorer, the opposite of a point guard.  I guess they

figure that with Twon handling the ball so much, you can get away with playing two

shooting guards in the backcourt, particularly if one of them, such as Johnson, is

an accomplished passer. 

 

But there's still no room for all these guys at the inn.  Alex proposes this lineup:

 

Right now, under contract:
5. Battie, Potapenko, Blount.
4. Walker, Moiso, McCarty.
3. Williams, K. Brown.
2. Pierce, Johnson, Forte.
1. Anderson, Palacio, R. Brown.

 

Now, presumably, Brown can be bought out somehow.  But still, I would say

the best we could hope for is something along the lines of

 

5. Battie, Vitaly, Blount

4. Antoine (!), Moiso, McCarty

3. Paul Pierce, Eric Williams UNTIL Kedrick Brown takes his minutes

 (Brown isn't ready yet, but this is his natural position)

2. Johnson, Forte (makes sense, no?)

1. Palacio, Anderson, Forte, Walker

 

Looking at this roster, it makes a little more sense, although there are clearly some odd men

out.  Eric Williams is our best defender at the 3 spot, but he won't be able to keep Johnson or

Brown off the floor.  I can't see Kenny as the starter, esp. now that we don't need his jumper;

and Walter, though a potent weapon in some situations, probably will get a lot of DNP-CDs.

I guess you can start the season with Eric at the three, and then replace him when he gets

a hangnail with Pierce, moving Joe Johnson into his rightful place.  Meanwhile, we need to use

that 4.5 M exception on some big animal to fight down low.  Or maybe better still, we can

trade Vitaly for someone who can finish around the rim in traffic and block shots. 

 

I think the roster is still a work in progress, but you have to like the talent infusion, as Alex

says.  You're only looking at Kedrick Brown getting ten minutes a game over Eric Williams'

dead body, but I guess he's a long-term investment.  The guy I want to see produce at starter

minutes is Johnson.  If Forte can give us fifteen minutes or so a game at both backcourt positions,

we'll definitely score a lot of points. 

 

I have to say though that for a team that is supposedly predicated on tough defense, the idea of

winning with offense, Milwaukee-style, makes me more than a little nervous.  I was hoping for

Diop and Johnson as the two picks.

 

Josh