Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V8 #345

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

We don't know for sure what trades were there, but it was common knowledge
that virtually every team in the top seven was willing to talk about trading
picks. Jordan wanted a veteran, same with the Clippers (they traded Chandler
for Brand) and Atlanta (Gasol for Abdur-Rahim). The Nets traded their pick,
Eddie Griffin (who many teams had as the best player on the board) for three
mid-round Houston picks. There were deals out there.

As far as "big-man-it is" look back at NBA history. Look at the best teams
in the league now. It's a big man's league. If your only example is Michael
Jordan over Sam Bowie, that's pretty thin. Houston took Hakeem first in that
draft, and no one criticizes that pick-even though they passed on one of the
five greatest players in history. I'm not saying Diop will be better than
Joe Johnson, but if both Diop and Johnson reach their potential, who has the
greater impact? Diop, hands down. Look at it this way, as good as Pierce is,
do you think the Cavs are a playoff team if you add him to their roster?
Probably not. But they're in the mix with a healthy Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
That's how important a good center is. Their impact dwarfs that of other
players on the floor. It's not easy to find a good one, but when you do,
everything else is easier.

I said all along that the Celts should draft the best player available at
10, 11 and 21, and they tried to do that (time will tell if they were
right). But at some point teams need muscle. The NBA landscape is littered
with teams with good perimeter players who never won a thing. Even Jordan
needed Horace Grant and later Dennis Rodman. The Celtics can collect all the
swingmen in the world, but they're going nowhere with what has to be
considered the weakest frontcourt in the NBA.

But there's time. The key point is these rookies absolutely must pan out.
That's the only way the team will have the ammunition needed to move for a
quality big man. If these guys bust, or are just average, the Celts are in
big trouble.

Mark

--- GuyClinch wrote:---

Hmm this is more then a little unfair...
What trades do we know were available for the Celts to trade up with?

One just can't assume that with the 10th and 11th pick some team would be 
willing
to trade down. <shrug>

Personally it sounds like you have a case of "Big man-itis"
This is the consistent overating of big players by NBA scouts, GMs 
This goes back a LONG LONG way. It happens nearly every year and flat
out ruins franchise after franchise. I am glad the Celtics brain trust 
avoided this.

Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan?
Thats the most famous mistake but there have been dozens over the best
couple of years. Paul Pierce went far too low, so did Vince Carter, and so
on.

Soon we will see how Diop over Joe Johnson was a big mistake...

Forte might be better then any of those drafted from 11-21.
Though I would have chosen Zach Randolph if he was available..I will admit.
Even so Forte could turn out better then him.

GM's will pick tall players merely because they are tall rather then picking

the
best player available. Now I will agree that the Celts need a good big man,
but I don't agree that there were really that many in the draft. 

I am not sure that there were any available past the first three or four 
picks, and
time will tell if these guys were really that good.

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