nightmare / ray-itis

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@nyc.rr.com>]

OK,

I'll stop rending my garments and wailing.  But before I do
so, I would like to respond to Kestas and Mike.  The way
I look at it, players bloom on other teams because they
are good players and in good situations.  If they're not
blooming, you are doing something wrong.  Acquiring young
talent is the single most important thing in building a team.
Only rarely does any squad pick up a veteran all-star, if you
will excuse the term, as a free agent.  Every great player in
Celtics history was drafted by the team, and many didn't
blossom right away.  (And remember, nearly all of them were
four-year seniors.)  You don't trade away young talent; you just
don't do it.  If you are absolutely forced to, then you get young
talent back.  It's really as simple as that.  The Celtics just lost
one of the three most talented players on the team, before he
even had a chance to get his head together.  Was he going to
keep shooting four shots a game for the rest of his life?  Vescey
wrote that it was a good trade because "Johnson had hit the rookie
wall."  I could hardly believe my eyes when I read that....

bottom line:  Johnson is a major talent, and not just another jumping
jack, either.  He was selfless, smart, and a five-tool player.  He has
the potential to be great.  You don't trade that for short-term help.  Ever.
You have to make it happen on your own team.  You just have to.
I can't think of any other way to say it.

OK, I'm done with this subject for ever. Or at least until the next Suns
game.

Josh

p.s. I'm not like Ray, who loves to berate the Celtics.  This absolutely kills
me.