RE: Rooks and LaFrentz (was: Is Kedrick Brown the 'real deal' or not?)

["James A. Hill" <jahill@leasingservice.com>]

Hi David,  Thanks for your comments.  I don't necessarily disagree with your
statements about LeFrenz.  However he does have a relationship with Pierce
from being at the same school for a year or two.  Plus a change of scenery
does help "some" players.

But he was just an example I used from someone else's trade idea.  I
wouldn't mind adding him to the Celtics but I wasn't promoting a
Walker/LeFrenz trade.

I was supporting the email that Walker is not an efficient player. I'd trade
him for any number of players tomorrow to move his salary.  I don't think
the Celtics will ever win a championship with Walker as a "go to guy".  I
appreciate that he is a good player but he is not a leader.  He wants to be
a little of everything (or just be everything, IMO) instead of trying to be
excellent at one thing.

Getting thrown out of a preseason game for cussing out a ref over a three
second violation call is unfathomable to me for a Captain.  His attitude
puts the team at a disadvantage before they even step out onto the court.
It is always about him, not about the team.  We've seen him year after year
argue a call with an official on the offensive end while his team has to
play 4-on-5 defense at the other end of the court.  I've just seen enough of
it I guess.

When will Walker realize that the ref is not going to take back the call?
You see Pierce argue without upstaging the ref and he almost always gets the
benefit of the doubt on one of the next infractions.  Which part of this is
difficult to understand for Walker?  How many on this list recognize that?
How many on this list make their living from basketball?  Why can the list
members see it but not Walker?  Or does he just not care how it effects the
TEAM?

It's too bad though, I really do think that Walker has a good character and
appears to be a decent individual.  At half the salary and a defined role,
he would be a great "addition" on any team.  But you need to build around
leaders.

<Jim

P.S.

It isn't that the team needs him to be so versatile as it has been suggested
by some and be out on the perimeter shooting 3's(a SF), or being the PG
etc...  It's that he refuses to play any position.  He refused to get into
the kind of shape to be a SF, so the team had to play him at the PF.  Yet he
refuses to play that position.  Walker needs to pick a position and just
play it.  Then the other players can play "their" position.

Doing what he does takes away from what his teammates can contribute instead
of making them better.  He makes them worse (which they can't afford).  He
(or most anybody) doesn't have the skill to make up for that loss.  That is
the main problem.

P.P.S.

I am not "attacking" Walker, nor am I a Walker "hater".  I just don't see
him as someone who can lead this team and would rather dump the salary and
try someone else.  It's not like the team is anywhere with him.  We're only
going to get two/three max players on a team.  He shouldn't be one of them,
IMO.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jim Hill
mailto:jahill@leasingservice.com

-----Original Message-----
From: David A Wickerham [mailto:aw623@bfn.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 7:47 AM
To: James A. Hill
Cc: Celtics (E-mail)
Subject: Re: Rooks and LaFrentz (was: Is Kedrick Brown the 'real deal'
or not?)



It is questionable whether Antoine makes those around him better players,
but none of the ex-Celtics of the past 4 years have suddenly blossomed on
new teams.  On the other hand, it is clear that LaFrenz is nothing more
than a complementary player and doesn't make anyone else better.  The
proposed trade would be a disaster for the Celtics.  If Antoine is to be
moved, we have to get back someone who is a potential franchise guy.


On Tue, 23 Oct 2001, James A. Hill wrote:

> The question though is would LeFrantz make the Celtics a better TEAM.
(This
> is a question not a statement)
>
> effort above and beyond anyone else on the floor, Parish, JoJo, etc...
All
> these players made the effort to make the other players better as part of
a
> team then they were individually.
>
> The question is, "Would this define Walker?"
>
>

-----------------------------------------------------------------
	  Dave Wickerham
	  aw623@freenet.buffalo.edu
	  Saratoga Springs, NY