No Subject

[Kestas <Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu>]

Last night's game perfectly illustrated the contention of some that there
isn't a worse 3-12 rotation in the league than the Celtics'. It also was a
perfect example of how Robinson and Allen were carried into All-Stardom on
the shoulders of their teammates, while Walker and Pierce were deemed not
worthy, even though they carry this team day in and day out. Toine & Paul
dropped 66 points (70% of total points), 21 rebounds, 8 assists and 6
steals on the Bucks' All-Stars while shooting almost 50% from the floor
(the other 3 starters had 0 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists). The
All-Stars accounted for 24 points between them, while shooting 22%. Just
consider for a moment switching these two pairs of players. What would we
have? The Bucks would probably be a serious championship contender, and the
Celtics would be seriously contending for the top pick in the draft. Just
think  about it: Walker and Pierce surrounded by the likes of Sam Cassell,
Tim Thomas, Lindsey Hunter, Ervin Johnson, Darvin Ham, Scott Williams. Any
one of these guys would be a sure-fire starter for us. Sam Cassell alone
probably brings more to the table than the Celtics' 3-12 combined. 
We're basically missing 3 starters. Stith, Brown, and Pot can be nice
backups on a good day, Palacio may develop into a solid backup point some
day, and Kenny has been killed. The rest have a few skills that keep them
in the NBA: EW can defend a little and occasionally hit a 3, Carr can shoot
a little, Blount can block a shot here and there, and McCarty can sing a
little and entertain his teammates (OK, OK, I'm stretching for something
here). Moiso and Herren are mysteries: one may not have the toughness/drive
to succeed in the  NBA, the other, the physical ability. The only player
who shows promise (!) of becoming an NBA starter-quality player is Battie,
at PF. 
Until this situation is remedied, we're not going anywhere. Had OB been at
the helm from the start of the season, we'd be virtually guaranteed a
playoff spot because of the light schedule in November/December, but it
stops there. This team, as presently constituted, is pretty much maxed out
in terms of achievement - I doubt that even Riley or Jackson would squeeze
more out of it.  But Pitino's abdication allowed us (and hopefully the
management) to assess the situation without confounding factors in the mix,
not to mention making the season more enjoyable. Now it's up to the
management to figure out how to turn the assets that we have into 2-3
starter-, or potential starter-quality players. I fervently hope that Sesar
proves to be a Stojakovic/Turkoglu type of player for us, but that may be
optimistic - if he were as good as these guys, he'd have been picked in the
1st round.    
Kestas