Re: Reverse psychology.

[JB <JBMetzEA@yahoo.com>]

on 2/1/02 7:04 AM, Dan Forant at dforant1@nycap.rr.com wrote:

> Trade our Captain. Are you serious??  JJ has to learn to fit the team, not
> the team fit him. He certainly is in a slump and we can't afford to give him
> the time doing *what he may do best* by sacrificing scoring of others. He
> needs to do just what he's doing, sitting and learning, I hope.
> 
> DanF
       **********
   No, on the surface, I wasn't really serious (see the title of the post.)
I had been overly optimistic before the Milwaukee game and was trying some
voodoo. 
   On the other hand, I am frustrated by the lack of ball movement and
assists, when Walker plays on the perimeter (pass in to Pierce, or heave a
three, is the limit) and have seen a real stagnation in his inside game.
   While I am not yet ready to consider something so drastic; (trading a
greater talent for a lessor one, but one with with more traditional skills)
but as they say, sometimes you have to strike; "while the iron is hot."
   As long as the direction is towards unselfish, team play, which O'Brien
has been able to make the team focus on, after tough losses, I want Walker
as the cornerstone, but as soon as the direction changes (and I'm afraid of
a long losing streak), I would pull the trigger fast. One player shooting
5-25, on each team, is enough.
   Walker as point guard/offense initiator may have cost us Khalid El-Amin,
Jaques Vaughn, or some other free agent point guard ("Palacio is fine, we
have Walker to run the offense"). It may even have cost us Tinsley/Parker (
"we don't need to draft a traditional point guard, we have Walker to run the
offense"). 
               
        JB



                  Unchain My Heart !






> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "JB" <JBMetzEA@yahoo.com>
> To: "Celtics Stuff" <Celticsstuffgroup@Yahoogroups.com>; "Celtics@igtc"
> <celtics@igtc.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 7:38 AM
> Subject: Reverse psychology.
> 
> 
>> Why is it such a puzzle to figure out what happened to Joe Johnson's
> game
>> and why Joe Forte can't get on the floor? I was scratching my head over
> this
>> and traced back to Shaw's, when JJ was pretty much the best player on the
>> floor and getting rave reviews, while earning the starting spot that he
>> opened the season with.
>> What do I remember most from Shaw's? I remember a moribund team, led by
>> Milt Palacio, having trouble scoring 60 points per game and all the
> players
>> standing on the perimeter, waiting for Milt to get the ball over mid-court
>> and find one of them for their designated heave. Next, I remember the C's
>> bringing in Khalid El-Amin and the offense starting to fire on all
> cylinders
>> and scoring in bunches and winning three of the last four games after
> having
>> lost the first two. Joe Johnson was running the wings, forwarding the ball
>> to the open man and having a ball in the open court. Forte was likewise,
>> moving without the ball and filling spaces, to either take the mid-range
>> jumper, or find a man closer to the basket. Even when Khalid was on the
>> bench, Joe Johnson ran the offense. Palacio became a spot up shooter, on
> the
>> wing and actually was pretty good there.
>> The team was rejuvenated with a push it up, distributing point guard,
> who
>> allowed them to use their talents.
>> Joe Johnson is not best utilized as a shooter from the corner. Get him
> on
>> the floor, out at the top of the key and running in transition and you
> will
>> see all of his marvelous talents on display again. Put him in the corner,
>> waiting for a bailout pass and you might as well put a dunce cap on him.
>> Why won't they utilize a style of offense that showcases Forte's and
>> Johnson's skills (let alone Kedrick Brown)? I believe his name is Walker.
>> Antoine wants that spot on the outside of the offense. With Anderson and
>> Pierce already working from the middle of the floor there is just no room.
>> When you have your power forward taking up this space and firing threes,
> not
>> only don't you have the rebounding you need, but no post game and no wings
>> slashing to the hoop.
>> There are so many things to like about Walker, don't get me wrong.  I
>> have no venom, when I say this: If you want to see the athleticism and
> open
>> court saavy of our rookies, it's time to trade our captain.  I'm not sure
> if
>> this will make us a better team or not, but I want to see a team that runs
>> in transition and passes the ball as a first option, not as a last resort.
>> Walker can do this, but he  won't do it consistently and again, he wants
>> that spot outside that should be reserved for a speedy slashing type
> player,
>> that Walker will never be, no matter how much he pines for it.
>> Now may be the best time ever to do this. Walker is an All-Star, the
> C's
>> are in third place 9 games over .500. Grant from Miami. Wallace from
>> Portland. Brand from the Clippers.
>> Do any of you really think we will win tonight, or finish the season,
>> even a few games over .500? I hope I eat my words tonight, but I see a
>> sinking ship. Don't blame the messenger, please. I'm no fair weather fan.
> If
>> The ship goes down, I'll be on it, but I've finally seen enough of Walker.
>> He's in shape, he has the game going his way and all he can do is hit
>> threes.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> JB
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Unchain My Heart !