Re: Heat game, miscellaneous thoughts

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark,

The other players you mention that are doing fine since the World
Championship Games, did they play the big minutes Pierce played or carry the
burden nitely last season? I don't believe NBA players should partake in
summer games at all. After a bruising 82 game schedule, the body needs rest.
The ra ra stuff of Olympics and World Championships is over.

The Herald is a waste of trees.

Our bench, better talent in college benches.

Yao-Ming, fantastic. I have a feeling they have a ton of these talents in
Asia soon to be discovered.

DanF

----- Original Message -----
From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 10:21 AM
Subject: Heat game, miscellaneous thoughts


> The list appears to be down again, but I'm going to write this while I'm
> thinking about it... Lots of miscellaneous thoughts:
>
> 1. Tommy is right in saying Pierce looks tired. His shot has looked
> strange all season. Occasionally we see flashes of last year's Pierce, but
> for the most part he has been sub-par. I never thought the World
> Championships would take so much out of him. But other players from that
> team have handled it. It's strange. He was truly awful last night.
>
> 2. Is it possible that the Celtics actually are regressing in terms of
> player and ball movement in their offense. Those areas haven't been
> strengths, but they looked awfully easy to defend last night. A lot of
> standing around. Not a lot of passing. Really ugly basketball.
>
> 3. The defense wasn't much better last night. Miami is a terrible
> offensive team. When Eddie Jones isn't shooting, you wonder if anyone on
the
> floor can make a shot. But they still cracked the 90-point barrier. No way
> that should happen against Boston's defense. For what it's worth, however,
I
> was impressed with Miami's execution. They swing the ball as well as
> anyone-they just don't have anyone to swing it to.
>
> 4. Vin Baker was supposed to feast on the smaller centers in the East,
> right? Like Brian Grant? Oops. When the Celtics were fishing for bad
> contracts in the offseason, do you really think they had their choice of
> Baker or Grant? And if so, how could they possibly have chosen Baker? As
for
> Vin, get ready... I think the sulking, moping chemistry problem is about
to
> show itself. I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed him moping on the
> bench last night and sitting while the rest of the scrubs were on their
feet
> cheering during the comeback. This is the whole Vin Baker experience...
>
> 5. Both papers report this morning that the new owners have no interest
> in Bird. The Herald even says Wallace has done a good job digging out of
the
> Pitino mess... unless you count the Vin Baker trade, the 2001 draft, the
> Rodney Rogers fiasco and the fact that his hand-picked bench is Sundov,
> Wolkowyski, Bremer and McCarty. Talk about your shoddy analysis.
>
> 6. That bench is going to be the death of this team this year. Walker,
> Pierce, Battie, Delk and Williams will carry the team to the playoffs, but
> they just aren't going to have enough in the tank. It's hard to blame
Obie.
> He needs those guys on the floor to win, but it's just December and they
> already look tired.
>
> 7. Starting the miscellaneous NBA section of this long post...
> Interesting NBA trade yesterday. Houston gets a young, defensive-minded
> SF/SG to address the one weakness on that up-and-coming team. James Posey
> seems like a great fit. He can allow them to go bigger in the backcourt in
> place of Mobley at times, or add more defensive toughness and rebounding
in
> place of Glen Rice at small forward. Put him in there with Yao Ming, Steve
> Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Eddie Griffin and Houston looks loaded for
> years. They give up Kenny Thomas, but already have Griffin and Mo Taylor
at
> PF. Philly gets Thomas, who is a nice backup to Coleman and Van Horn. And
> Houston and Philly don't give up anything (other than another Philly draft
> pick). Denver, of course, gets rid of another decent player in its quest
for
> LeBron James.
>
> 8. If you haven't watched Yao Ming play yet, do yourself a favor. What
> a player. He can score, rebound, block shots and-best of all-he's an
> unbelievable passer who knows how to play the game. He's already my
favorite
> player in the league to watch. As he gets stronger, he's going to be
> unbelievable. He's easily the single most important player to come into
the
> league since Shaq. He's in the perfect situation, also. Rudy T is a great
> coach who understands how to use a good center who can pass, and the
> perimeter people there are great. Yao plays like a young, healthy Bill
> Walton. He's that good. I don't think Houston would trade him for any
player
> in the league-not Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, McGrady. No one. And I don't blame
> them.
>
> 9. Speaking of Shaq... should we start to wonder about the Lakers? I've
> always believed they were the team to beat once Shaq came back, but the
> whole team just looks lackluster right now. I still expect them to get
> better, but don't they look a little used up? Mitch Kupchak seems to be
> operating under the Chris Wallace school of filling in around your
> superstars. He hasn't gotten them much help. The role players are
leftovers
> from Jerry West. I'm beginning to think this is Sacramento's or Dallas'
> league for the taking.
>
> Sorry so long. I've watched A LOT of basketball lately, and felt like
> sharing some thoughts. The Celtics will be OK, but I foresee a team
dragging
> to the finish and without a lot left for the postseason. I hate to say
that,
> but that's how it looks.
>
> Mark