brief observations

["Gene Kirkpatrick" <gkir@tjc.tyler.cc.tx.us>]

Maybe after seeing games regularly I can spot more detail.  Right now I can only hear the melody.  And I usually see positives.

Negatives:  same old team.  We are short, even with Battie in there.  Watch how we handle that tonight; it's scary.  We are slow, with Kenny and Williams and Walker and Vitaly in the top 5.  Yet, there seems to be improvement in Williams' offense, his rebounding and overall presence.  Walker is rebounding again.  Pierce glided; he could hit 30 a night--in three quarters.

Still on the negative:  Kenny may be useless.  For all his abilities, he is slow, weak, and if he turns the ball over he is a real negative.  For now, I prefer Palacio.  Walker and Pierce must learn to stop and pop rather than dribble into double teams.  

Positives:  Battie played well.  When his shots fall, he will add a lot.  Johnson was around the ball and ditto on his shots.  He's just fine.  Give him twenty minutes and it won't be long before he's an excellent sixth man.  Forte was ok.  This kid seems determined and I suspect he will be more like Cassell than Herren.  So, if it's the same old team to start with, the reserves add a lot more than they did last year.  If coach keeps them focused this will be a good year.

The team performed well at the two points that coach emphasized:  defense and rebounding.  And they hung in there and refused to wilt when Charlotte came out strong in the 3rd.  It was an ok start.  We'll learn a lot more tonight.  Cheers.  Gene