bskball column w/many quotes

["Josh O." <igtcjosh@yahoo.com>]

Bskball forgot to post this for four days, but here it
is.  

I will say I have not seen the Celtics first few games
of the season.  This column is based on an open
practice observed at Lowell a few days earlier.

In last weeks column, your Celtics columnist found
himself immobile in a war zone, beset by concerns not
about  bioterrorism, nor for the families of the slain
thousands downtown, but rather by doubts and questions
about the Celtics as they go into training camp.  This
may be pathological, but is at least sincere.  The
Celtics seem on the precipice of finally getting off
to a good start, and making the playoff run we have
all dreamed of for a decade.   The main questions I
had were mostly answered by a visit to Lowells
Tsongas Arena, where the Celtics had an open practice.
 

Sitting at the media table, watching the open
scrimmage, I had the extreme good fortune of sitting
next to Jo Jo White, the graceful point guard of two
Celtics title teams in the 1970s.  Younger fans can be
forgiven for not knowing much about Jo Jo, whose
understated, highly cerebral brand of basketball
eschewed pizazz almost to a fault, and whose title
teams came in an interregnum period between the
Russell dynasty of the 60s and the Bird / Magic
rivalry of the 1980s.  White is an emeritus figure
around the Celtics organization these days, and serves
to reconnect the players with the tradition to which
they belong  a necessary step after the insularity of
the Pitino period.

Anyway, I sat there at the media table, listening
intently as Jo Jo spoke about this Celtics teams, and
answered highly specific questions about the offense
and defense.  His long violinists hands gesturing
expressively, their authority underscored by the
presence on each each of a bulky championship ring. 
This conversation will be posted in its entirely
within a few weeks; but in the meantime, I will quote
him as I go through last weeks four questions.

I should say up front that the intra-squad scrimmage
represents, to my weak mind, the best that this world
can offer of Celtic basketball.  There is no capacity
for loss or disappointment.  Every basket is made by a
Celtic; every missed basket is the result of Celtic
defense.  Neither score nor standings matter.  If only
it counted as a W in the regular season column, it
would be the perfect game.

Question One:  Has Antoine Made the Leap?
This much is sure.  Twon is in great shape, but hes
the same basic athlete.  He doesnt have any
explosiveness around the rim at all.  And he still
dominates facing the basket.  Chris Wallace
understands this:  Antoine is always going to be an
unorthodox forward, who dominates other forwards by
taking them off the dribble facing the basket. 
Exactly!  Hes also very dangerous with his quick
hands; and he still finds it altogether too tempting
to put up three pointers, although there is no sense
trying to change that; its one way he motivates
himself, and he more than makes up for it when he does
some dirty work down low.   Jo Jo says purging himself
of bad habits and putting on the new man, and thats
good enough for me.  (On the play, much commented on,
in which Kedrick blocked his shot, Jo Jo called
Antoine's attention to his mistake on the way back
downcourt. "Twon! Drop it down. Drop it down." Twon
looked back, and said  "it was a foul." But he seems
to be learning. )


How Good is Joe Johnson?

Heres what you have to know about Joe Johnson, I
think:  he can score on just about anybody, but he
absolutely, positively, wont take a shot thats not
there, and wont force the issue.  He is a born
complementary superstar, like Danny Manning or Robert
Parish.  He is a perfect fit.  At the Lowell practice,
Johnson played very well in what was essentially a
pick-up game.  (Theres a lot of things you dont see
out here, said White to me.  Guys are trying to show
the coaches and the fans what they can do.  So
youre saying this is an all-star type game? 
Exactly, White replied, pointing a long finger.)
Johnson made some beautiful plays, including a no-look
pass in heavy traffic down low, and a driving lefty
jump hook.  His shot isnt falling yet, and he cant
stop anybody, but he looks good.  A bigger version of
me, Joe Forte called him.  Mid range, real smooth, 
real great handleoff the court, real soft-spoken.
(The last added, as an afterthought.)
I wouldnt compare him to Tracy McGrady, who is like a
young Dr. J at this stage; but it wouldnt be unfair
to put him next to Lamar Odom.  I would expect him to
cross ability trajectories with Penny Hardway in the
next year or two.

Paralyzed on the perimeter?

Admittedly, this seems a stupid thing to worry about,
given that Red Auerbach is again President, Dr. Jack
Ramsay is presiding over training camp like the
elderly Franklin, radiating auspicious wisdom at the
Constitutional convention.  Theres no way that
OBriens offensive sets will use Kedrick Brown, Joe
Forte, Joe Johnson, and Eric Williams as spot-up three
point shooters this year, will he?   Williams, in
particular, was a kind of tragic figure last year, a
born inside scorer who through sheer force of will had
turned himself into a defensive specialist and pure
outside shooter  as if Cedric Maxwell had willed
himself into Michael Cooper at a formative stage in
his career.   I didnt get a chance to ask Williams
about that, but Forte felt confident that both he and
twin Joe Johnson would see their mid-range game
flourish in the new regime.   I think Ill be a
spot-up shooter in the set offense.  My mid-range
game, I think Ill have to iniate that.  This
statement, pleasant though it was to hear, begged an
immediate question.  Did he actually have the green
light to do this?  Yeah, I think so.  During the
games and in training camp, it seems like hes giving
us the freedom, all of us, to make our mistakes and
play our games.  But would he succeed?  Why not?

Eric Williams, in the Charlotte game, scored often on
the break and in the second half, was many times the
only one running it.  Thats good to hear, but I would
prefer to see him getting to the line.  GM Chris
Wallace reminded me that Williams, in his pre-injury
season with the Nuggets, had been one of the top
forwards in the league at drawing fouls.  We could use
that, given our lack of an inside presence.  You have
to have something going to the rim, observed Jo Jo
White, in the manner of a Jesuit reciting the five
ways of proving God.   For now, I am taking all this
talk as a good sign.

Kenny Anderson, friend or foe?

I know Kenny is pushing the ball a little more these
days, and he seems to be in better shape.  But he just
seems so bored.  He has the look of a retiree on
vacation with his wife for their fortieth summer in
the Catskills.  Hes bored.  Show him the way to the
buffet.  I will give Kenny the benefit of the doubt,
since he alone on the team has the ability to make
plays from the one spot.  (Alone of the players who
have reached NBA maturity.)

He doesnt lean into picks; he doesnt walk the ball
up the court as if it were only cricket to let the
other fellows prepare their defense.  He has
definitely gotten his shot back.  Other that that, I
dont know what to make of him.  He still refers to
himself in the third person, and is given to odd
pronouncements, such as his claim that he could get
three assists getting out of bed in the morning, or
his accompanying claim that (not very ambitious) that
he expected to average five assists a game.  Still,
hes got talent; and hes guy some guys to push him
for minutes.  Milt is coming on strong, and can
definitely can get into the lane when he wants to. 
The main thing Kenny did to us when he played out of
shape, or with less than a burning competitive spirit,
was to suck the energy out of the offense.  He was
like a black hole that way, and it was deadly on a
team which runs on emotion.  On the other hand, White
pointed out to me that Kenny didnt iniate all the
chemistry problems:  Antoines habit of refusing Kenny
the ball at half court didnt help much.  Lets hope
they can all just get along.  The Kenny of those few
magic games after the trade will never be back; but a
Portland in 97 Kenny, who ran a team in professional,
competent way, would serve us well.  He is the key to
the up-tempo style, said White, chilling me to the
bone.  Hes the guy that will be doing most of your
handling, the guy who sets the tempo, who keeps the
guys running, who keeps the ball distributed to the
right players, and then he has to incorporate himself.
 Last year, he was trying to incorporate himself
before he did all those other things. But could Kenny
really change?  He gonna have to, said Jo Jo. 

I was skeptical, but it was not for me to backtalk
this man who quarterbacked two celtics teams to
championships  neither with a starting player bigger
than 68.  (You will note that White didnt guarantee
anything, though.)  

The Box and One?

The last question I took with me to Lowell was how the
zone would effect Paul Pierce.  But since the Celtics
didnt play any zone in this particular scrimmage, nor
even trap, there was no way to tell.  Pierce feels
much stronger.  Im not going to wear down as much
this year, he said.  Last year, thats where it
affected me, the foul line.  Pierce sat sprawled out
on a folding chair, as relaxed as a sleepy leopard
after dominating the entire scrimmage at half speed. 
Neither Dick Harter nor Pierce had much to say about
zone defenses.  But Pierce was avid on the subject on
defense  his own.  I told Coach I want to be the
best defensive player on the team, he said.  But
would he have the energy, I asked, to guard a Vince
Carter or a Tracy McGrady, and still have the energy
to carry his team on offense.  Thats where your
conditioning comes in, Pierce replied.  Michael did
it thats what you have to do to go from here  he
put out on hand to here. he put out the other, a
foot or so above it.  

He stopped short of making a guarantee; but by that
time, I didnt need anyone to make me promises.  I
believed.
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