Re: Here We Go Again

[Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu (Kestutis Kveraga)]

--- You wrote:
Anyway, back to Webber... like John Lyell wrote, it seems to me the Kings
would be fortunate to get as much as Antoine Walker out of any Webber deal
at this point. So what's the harm in trying? And what's the harm in
speculating about it?
--- end of quote ---

This may seem quaint, but I'd rather win a championship later with our
'home-grown' players than win one sooner by trading for established stars. Now,
this is purely hypothetical, of course, because, while the chances of winning a
championship with the current nucleus are slim, the likelihood  of acquiring
someone like Shaq, Kobe, McGrady, or even Webber is even smaller.  The
satisfaction of seeing Walker, Pierce, JJ, KB, JF, Palacio et al. grow as
players and people, and put it all together for a championship run would be
immensely greater than trading them for, say, Kobe & Webber to win the 17th
championship next year. 

Obviously, in pro sports, we'll never approach the original concept of what a
local team is - a group of the best young men from that town or village
representing their home and defending its pride. But Stern is right -
continuity is important, and at least the nucleus of the team should be
composed of "lifers" - players who have never played for any other team in that
league, or at least were picked up early in their careers and blossomed here.
You know, the old Celtics' approach. I realize that this ideal is hard to
adhere to in the current-day NBA, and perhaps even silly, but the Pitino
approach to roster management (constantly looking to trade your best players
and incessant roster turnover) is, IMO, costly because of player discomfort and
alienation of the fans.  

I guess what I'm saying is, it's hard for me to be a fan of players just
because they happen to be wearing the uniform of my favorite team.  I'm a fan
because I've grown to know these people as players and even as individuals, if
from afar. It's all about seeing them grow and projecting their development.
That's pretty much the only reason I (and I suspect, many of us) follow the
Celtics because, let's face it, the quality of play over the last decade hasn't
been enough to attract the interest of a 'generic'  NBA fan. 
Kestas