Celts-Nugs

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

Two wins on the road, on a back-to-back, with Pierce having an off night
offensively. They persevered despite playing pretty poorly in stretches.
That's a sign of a maturing, focused team.  Since it's Sat. morning, and I
can't be bothered to write coherently at this hour, here are my summary
thougths/observations on this last stretch of games:

- Walker: Watch out for falling rebounding numbers! "Only" six threes last
night, though, some of them very timely, others not so....The more I watch
him, the more he seems tailor- made for the SF. I don't know, maybe it's
wishful thinking.

- Pierce: somebody was complaining that he wasn't doing much else besides
(efficiently) scoring 42 points on one of the best defenders in the NBA,
and that he doesn't make up for it in the other facets of the game when
he's not scoring...Well, last night he did: 14 pts, 12 reb, 4 asst, 2 stls,
1 blk.  

- Pot: when did this guy turn into a monster offensive rebounder? His
transformation since Ricky left has been nothing short of amazing. I think,
since he's a backup in his mind, he can't have his confidence destroyed by
the coach's yelling at him, or yanking him, for making
mistakes...Occasional stupid pass notwithstanding, he's playing pretty
smart basketball, something I would've never accused him of before...

- Speaking of smart basketball, Blount needs a lot of seasoning... His
basketball decision-making , both explicit, and implicit, has ways to go
before he's even a solid NBA backup. That Pot  - a shorter, less athletic
player -  has been routinely outrebounding him, speaks volumes....Still, he
has quite a bit going for him - he can block shots, has a decent touch
(except on layups and dunks), is about 6-10, 6-11 (never mind the b.s.
about him being 7-1), and he's cheap. 
 
- Palacio: is de facto the #1 PG on the Celtics, which says a lot about
both our PG situation , and how far he's come... I think he has a chance of
becoming one of those feel-good CBA success stories, like Wesley or
Armstrong, with his size, quickness, defense, north-south game, decent
shooting touch, coolness under pressure, and miracle-making ability...
Needs to polish his "PG skills"...

- Brown: his propensity to miss crucial layups and FTs is indicative of a
true backup's mentality. Tenacious defense (not that he could stop Van
Exel, though), will make the obvious pass, can't sneeze without hurting
himself...

- Stith: did anyone catch the evil smile on Issel's face when Stith got his
pocket picked and then scored on by Van Exel. But Bryant wiped it off his
face with some timely threes. 

- E.Williams: my hope that he will ever return to his low-post herky-jerky
scoring ways of his youth is dissipating. I don't know what's up with that
- has he been figured out, lost a step, been asked to shoot threes
exclusively? 

- AG: many listers are down on him, but I believe in "Old School", he will
come back if given a chance. One should never dump smart players, even if
they're not, as Way says, "workout tigers". I'd sign him to a cheap 2-3
year contract, and tell him to hang out with Toine more...  

- Herren: gone after the season. Doesn't offer nearly as much as Palacio,
and we only need so many backup PGs. 

- Moiso: a testosterone-replacement therapy and some PT away from being an
All-Star... 

- McCarty: could be a utility player, if he learned how to shoot, rebound,
and dribble, avoided  making boneheaded decisions, and took his profession
seriously... 

- Kenny: given a  personality change and good health could again be a legit
NBA starter...

- O'Brien: I'm not sure I want him to be our coach next season, because of
the concerns others have expressed  - lack of imagination in offensive
sets, the M.L.Carr approach towards Toine, vestiges of Pitino ball...  But
I do like a lot of his qualities, so if he could get Toine to do what we
need him to do without alienating him, then perhaps extend him. 
Kestas