RE: [Celtic_Pride] Gasol etc.

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

I guess I don't understand the fixation on Nowitzki when talking about
European players. What about Stojakovic and Turkoglu in Sacramento? Kukoc?
Ilgauskas? Sabonis? Petrovic? Radja? These guys aren't rarities anymore.
There have been hits and misses, but the most hyped guys have panned out, if
not exceeded expectations. If Gasol is in the class of any of the players I
mentioned above, then he's a good pick at 10 or 11. As for having your fill
of 7-foot, quick forwards on this team... Moiso and McCarty and suddenly
every skilled 7-footer is persona non grata? Seems to me the forwards on
this team have been Toine, Pierce and Eric Williams, and we've been
undersized forever. Look, I don't know if Pau Gasol can play at all, but if
the reports we're hearing on the guy are true, then he's a no-brainer pick
at 10. One area where Wallace seems to have been strong in the past is
Europe, so I'm willing to trust his judgment. Of course, it's sounding more
and more like Gasol might not even be there. But I'll say this... if it
comes down to drafting a 7-1 SF/PF or the 6-8 SF/PF Rodney White, then White
better clearly be better. Size matters, and the Celtics need size at just
about every position.

Mark 

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	j.hironaka [mailto:j.hironaka@unesco.org] 
Sent:	Thursday, May 31, 2001 4:37 AM
To:	Celtic_Pride@yahoogroups.com; bostonceltics@yahoogroups.com;
Celtic_Pride@yahoogroups.com; celtics@igtc.com
Subject:	[Celtic_Pride] Gasol etc.

At 13:33 31/05/01 +0800, kevin from singapore wrote:
> > Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 12:57:36 -0400
> > From: OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>
> > Subject: RE: latest internet rumor...and it's a doozy
> >
>
> > I am so not sold on this guy.  There's a million skinny, seven-foot
small
> > forwards around now.  What set Nowitski apart was his amazing, Bird-like
> > shooting skills.  Otherwise, what separates these guys from the headless
> > chickens?  Give me a real basketball player, even if he's only 6'8".
I've
> > had my fill of 7 foot quick forwards on this team.
>
>I am with you Josh. Nowitski is a rarity. Seldom do you find
>perimeter-euro-basketball players play defense (or having the desire for
that
>matter). And Nowitski is adequate on defense, not great, but ok, with the
>occasional steal as he got quick hands.


Yeah, for me Gasol's exactly the type you might hope will go to someone 
else in the top-ten and deepen the draft, sort of like a Tractor Traylor 
pushing Paul Pierce down to us kind of thing. But you never know.

Yesterday I was reading in the Boston Globe about how Denver drafted 
Dikimbe Mutombo fourth after Larry Johnson, Kenny Anderson and Billy Owens 
all went in the top-three. I don't specifically recall, but I bet the draft 
day consensus back then was that there was a huge dropoff in talent after 
the "big three" no brainer picks.

You just never know. For example the Chicago Bulls this year, who got 
lottoed out of a top-three pick, might end up drafting Sagana Diop, the 7-1 
"defensive specialist" with an NBA ready body. Who knows, he might end up 
outshining the "big three" teenagers Kwame, Eddy Curry and Eddie Griffin 
over his NBA career. I certainly hope he doesn't, but I'm just saying you 
never know...

Another guy I kind of hope goes ahead of our pick is future small forward 
Tyson Chandler. Sure in a few years he'll probably be a shot-blocking asset 
and run the floor well, but I'm just a bit ambivalent about having another 
seemingly "low basketball IQ" player in the Moiso mold on the Boston 
Celtics. It seems like it will take many patient years for him to grow into 
a power forward's body, and he reportedly shows no interest in playing with 
his back to the basket yet lacks small forward skills in a halfcourt set. I 
don't know. I guess he's worth the risk if he's there, but there are a lot 
of other players I like more at 10-11 who also haven't plateaued in terms 
of upside. He does sound like a great shot blocker, and is very quick. I 
heard Sagana Diop this year held him without a field goal in a high school 
game. The guy's body doesn't sound like it is NBA ready, and he also sounds 
kind of shallow in the sound bites from him that I've read.

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