Ye olde dark cloud.

[JB <JBMetzEA@AOL.com>]

 I only saw the first quarter, seven minutes of the second and the last 7.5
minutes of the fourth. From that limited perspective, I came away with some
very strong opinions.
   1. Marc Blount should only play in the event of foul trouble for Battie
and Potapenko.
   2. We made a huge mistake not signing El-Amin.
   3. Antoine is a good passer for a big man, but he is not and will never
be a point guard.
   4. Joe Johnson and Vitaly need to be in the starting lineup.
   O'Brien started Blount again. Same result. We were down by 15 and out
rebounded 12-2, before the national anthem was over. He just has no clue. He
can't pass, but he is asked to handle the ball on the perimeter. He doesn't
rebound. He has no hands. What is he doing in there?
   Antoinabee
 played hard, he really wants to win, but he needs to be down
on the block. We need his rebounding and we need his inside, post up game.
When he initiates the offense, several bad things (besides me getting
nauseous) happen.
   For starters, Antoine takes himself out of the offense, except for the
possibility of a drive into traffic, or a three point shot. The point guard
is out of the offense. Pierce gets doubled down low. What becomes of our
offensive set, is either a pass to Pierce in heavy traffic, a pass to
Blount/V./Battie for a foul line jumper, or a pass to Eric Williams in the
corner for a three. This proved disastrous tonight, as none of these options
lead to high percentage shots and we had no one to rebound.
   My summer rant, that we need a true point guard, is throbbing in my head.
During the fourth quarter 13-2 run, Kenny Anderson was controlling the ball
and Antoine was playing down low. Kenny was whizzing passes and Walker was
pulling down boards. Anderson actually was hustling and smiling. We need a
back up for him. It may not be too late to get El-Amin back. Dallas really
doesn't need him. Palacio cannot run an offense to save his life. He has no
instincts and is really not a good passer. Forte may become a point guard,
but it won't come fast enough.
   Why is Chris Herren not getting any minutes? If he can't play, replace
him with someone who can. It's almost like they are afraid he will play well
and be stuck signing him. What will happen if Anderson gets hurt? Is it
really about the money? If Palacio and Forte have to log big minutes at the
point, Antoine will be coming out to meet them at the three point line and I
will start watching the Bruins.
   Joe Johnson has all around skills. Eric Williams is very limited. Enough
said?
   Vitaly fights tooth and nail and of our centers has the best chance of
getting some early baskets.
   It's imperative that we start the offense away from Pierce and Walker to
loosen things up for them. Eric Williams shooting threes and Mark Blount
taking jumpers from 18 feet, are not the solution to the offensive
wretchedness.

                   JB




Unchain My Heart!