re: Ye olde dark cloud.

[bird <birdwl@earthlink.net>]

> From: JB <JBMetzEA@AOL.com>

>    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.

I'm not buying that "Antoine takes himself out of the offense" as you 
state later.  I think it would be worse to force Antoine to play a 
traditional power forward role -- when he clearly is not and has no desire 
to be -- than to allow him to play on the perimeter at times and down low 
at times -- which is what he's doing.  It's clearly not a panacea to say 
"Antoine should be down on the block" because it's just as true to say 
that he gets blocked or throws up wild shots when he in playing close to 
the basket as to say that he misses the three or throws up that 
weird-looking jumper/set shot that he has.  Walker can out-quick many 
defenders down low, but he's also as likely to get swallowed up, too.  It'
s true that he needs to look for the rebound (as does the whole team, if 
there's any chance of winning), but it's also true that a major part of 
his game is facing the basket on the wing and driving and (hopefully) 
slower defenders, and (like it or not) taking the long jumper (even -- 
gosh -- beyond the arc).  He's going to miss a lot of the latter, but he's 
also get a key one (or two, or three) down the stretch, too.

> 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.

First, let's try to get off the El-Amin thing already.  He's not going to 
be playing for us, and frankly, if we're all that concerned about the 
third-string point guard then we've got real problems.  Everyone keeps 
saying he's got great point guard instincts and skills, but completely 
dismissing his 5'10" frame -- and the fact that good NBA point guards will 
probably eat him alive.  I knew a guy once who had great point guard 
skills and instincts: he was about 5'8" and must have topped 250 or so.  
Great distributor on offense.  Was basically a matador on D.  I could be 
wrong about El-Amin's eventual success in the league but all this 
hand-wringing about the team missing out on him is giving me the weeps.

Secondly, this was the second Charlotte game?  The one played on 16 
October?  I didn't see Kenny "whizzing passes" at all or controlling the 
ball (except in his usual way of dribbling more than necessary), though I 
did see Walker have a good second half before Obie conceeded the game by 
taking him out with three minutes and change left.  Anderson did hustle 
throughout the game, that much I did see, but I saw no great passing, just 
the usual good dribbling exhibition, missing jumpers, and driving into 
traffic with mixed results.  Kenny did play, at times, some good defense, 
though (what this means for Kenny is that he actually tried to D up his 
man every now and then), and was often in the right place at the right 
time as far as getting steals.  I'll take Mega Milt over KA right now, and 
probably over the rest of the season, too.  What I wouldn't give for Milt 
to have Kenny's handle and _ability_ to pass, though.  Boy, when Kenny 
comes off the books, I'm throwing a big ol' Bar-B-Que and getting a keg of 
good beer to celebrate.

>    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.

Um, because Herren is the fourth-string pg, the 12th man, and a likely 
candidate for being stashed on the IR during the regular season?  I like 
what Herren brings to the table, too, but the C's clearly see him as 
insurance, not so much as a viable backup.  I really don't think Chris 
Wallace is sitting back somewhere hoping a player of his doesn't play well 
because then he'd have to pay him 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.

Show me a patch of time where Antoine _doesn't_ meet the guy bringing up 
the ball at the arc and get the pass.  OK, when the team in running (a lot 
less in the last two games), or when they drop it off to the guy who's 
playing the pivot (if you want to call making the entry pass to the post 
or the wing "playing the pivot").    Kenny sure does it on almost every 
play.  How is that different from Milt or Forte?

By the way, I saw Mark Blount at the top of the key dribbling the ball, 
looking for someone to pass to in the last game.  I don't ever want to see 
that again.  _I_ could have stolen the ball if I were close enough to him.
   You could almost see the saliva dripping off the Charlotte players when 
this happened.  Geez, it just gives me a cold chill even thinking about it.

> Vitaly fights tooth and nail and of our centers has the best chance of
> getting some early baskets.

Hopefully during the season at some point this will be the case.  As for 
right now, he's the most likely to make a *clang* sound with the 
basketball.  When he takes the shot, I'm looking around for offensive 
rebounders.  It's positively Pavlovian.  Of course, he always has a tough 
early season (I think Joe H. could be right about his off-season regimen), 
and that tape on his hand can't be helping any.

>    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.

I don't know about starting the O away from the two primary scorers on the 
team -- I think most basketball minds would want either of them to dictate 
the play, having the other guys spotting up for the open shot or cutting 
to the hoop on the drive, rather than Walker or Pierce playing that role, 
but you're right about Blount taking the long jumper.  You already know 
how I feel about EW so I won't bother saying it again.

(The Celtic "Tird")