Joe Forte

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

Hi list:
Since there's much more useful info out there now, I've begun cutting 
together quotes on each of the three newest Boston Celtics players into one 
file, starting below with Joe Forte. I guess you might want to save these 
as a text file and refer back to them four years from now, to recall how 
wicked smaht our Celtics braintrust was.  Incidentally, I've also already 
saved Way's evaluation, just for fun. ;-)  I hope he's wrong this time.

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JOE FORTE
6-3, 185 pounds
DOB: March 23, 1981

Leo Papile:
"He was the best player available (at 21) by a wide margin," said Papile. 
"Joe Forte's a dynamite player. We think Joe Forte is going to be a 
longtime NBA player, a guy that's going to play in this league for 10 or 12 
years."
``Joe can cover the point guards and he can also run some sets where he can 
kick the ball inside and get it back to shoot. We had him up here on 
Memorial Day weekend with Brendan Haywood and Zach Randolph. Joe spent two 
very productive days up here and we fell in love with him.''
Papile indicated that Forte could work himself into the point-guard 
equation, currently with Randy Brown and Kenny Anderson in place for two 
more seasons and free agents Milt Palacio and Chris Herren possibly returning.
''If this draft was held last Oct. 15, he would have gone [from Nos.] 4 to 
7. You might say, `why did he slip?' The reason is because of the real 
depth of this draft. We rated him the No. 2 shooting guard in the draft.''

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Chris Wallace:
``We were a bunch of nervous Nellies when Portland was picking,'' said 
Wallace. ``The two players we were looking at were Joe Forte and Tony 
Parker and we were hoping to get a chance at one of them.
``Tony Parker was the No. 1-ranked point guard on our list, but we made a 
decision to take the best player on the board. That's how Red Auerbach and 
Jerry West did it and that's good enough for us.''
Wallace envisions ''seeing him play some minutes at the point next season.''

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Jim O’Brien:
Forte joins a crowded backcourt….Never mind, said a beaming O'Brien. ''You 
could never understand how happy we are with Forte,'' said O'Brien.
``I thought there was no way Joe Forte could get to 21,'' said a pleasantly 
surprised O'Brien. ``From Red Auerbach, Chris Wallace, Leo Papile to my 
coaching staff, Joe Forte was a player we coveted.''

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Joe Forte:
''I felt elated,'' said Forte, reached last night in New York. ''This was 
one of those feelings where up to that point I was nervous, and when I 
heard my name it was overwhelming. I am happy they have the confidence in 
me that I was the best player available and to think that I might be able 
to play the point. I'm not disappointed at all to go at No. 21. I'm happy 
to go in the first round and to be in the NBA.

''I think I can create for others and do a lot of the little things a lot 
of people haven't had the opportunity to see me do. I know Antoine Walker, 
and with him and Paul Pierce, I just need to play my part. There's no 
pressure on me.''

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After a stellar high school career at famed DeMatha High, Forte quickly 
made his mark at North Carolina. He became the first freshman to lead UNC 
in scoring, pouring in 16.7 points a game in earning ACC Rookie of the Year 
honors and helping an unsung Tar Heel team reach the Final Four.
This past season, Forte finished second in the ACC in scoring (20.9), third 
in free throw percentage (85.3), fourth in steals (2.03) and ninth in field 
goal percentage (45). For his efforts, Forte was a first team All-American, 
becoming just the fourth UNC sophomore to garner those honors, following 
Michael Jordan, J.R. Reid and Jerry Stackhouse.

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Scouting Report (ESPN):
Supremely confident, magnificent instincts ... A lithe scorer, silky-smooth 
athlete, who creates his own shot and collects many of his points in the 
mid-range game ... Leans into his shot, especially on pullups going to the 
basket ... High elevation on his jumper, picture perfect mechanics ... 
Keeps his shooting elbow aligned with his knee, conducive to alignment with 
the basket on his release ... Excellent shooter off screens and curls ... 
Equally adept from downtown ... The scary part is that he will only get 
better with experience ... Excellent rebounder and passer ... Quick hands 
on defense ... Played for legendary prep coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha 
High School where he teamed with Kentucky guard Keith Bogans.

Scouting Report (TSN):
Defining characteristic: Forte is a pure scorer, the Tar Heels' go-to guy 
on offense during his two-year stay in Chapel Hill.

Strengths: Forte gets his points. He averaged 16.7 as a freshman, which is 
unheard of at North Carolina, and 20.9 as a sophomore. In 69 career 
collegiate games, Forte scored in double figures 63 times. Forte has a nice 
midrange game, can hit the 3 and is also good at attacking the basket. Just 
get the ball in his hands and he usually takes it from there. Forte, 
though, is not one-dimensional. He's a very good rebounder for a guard, and 
he can also play the point in a pinch.

Weaknesses: Forte may be generously listed as 6-4. Even if not, he lacks 
bulk. Forte reportedly clashed with UNC coach Matt Doherty at times last 
season, and there were also reports that he didn't always mesh with his 
teammates on the court. After positioning himself as a player-of-the year 
candidate last season, Forte faded down the stretch, which probably not 
coincidentally, so did the Tar Heels. He struggled with shot selection and 
was erratic from the field, with the low point coming in UNC's second-round 
loss to Penn State in the NCAA Tournament when Forte was 3-for-13 from the 
field to tie his career low with six points. Performances like that 
underscore that Forte could have used some more college development. It 
would have been good to see him become more of a consistent long-range 
shooter since he will be an NBA shooting guard.

Amateur highlight: To be considered a Tar Heel great, you need to either be 
named player of the year or win a national title. Forte didn't do either, 
but he came fairly close. He led a down UNC team to the Final Four as a 
freshman. Last season, he had the Heels perched at No. 1 late in the season 
and he was a first-team All-American.

NBA comparison: Michael Dickerson, Grizzlies
Forte and Dickerson are scorers, first and foremost. Neither is a pure 
shooter in the Reggie Miller or Ray Allen mode, but they are threats from 
long range and will get their points more often than not.

Outlook: Forte is a certain first-round pick who could slip into the 
lottery if he impresses in workouts. He will be a productive NBA scorer but 
could be the kind of player who bounces around a bit before finding his 
niche. If he works hard on his game, particularly on his good-but-not-great 
outside shot, then he could develop into something special. -- Kyle Veltrop

***