Re: discouraging news

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Josh wrote:

I feel like Ray this morning, with a double dose
of negative news from the globe and herald.  The
globe has a big story on Kedrick Brown, which
sounds as if they will take this live wire and stick
him on the three point line as a statue, rather than
talking about how his speed and athleticism will
make him a great finisher, or one-on-one scorer.

Then I read in the Herald that we offered Rodney
Rogers a one-year minimum deal for a million
dollars.  Great.

--- end ---

I'm with Josh. The Rogers thing really stinks. You don't want to bid against
yourself, but you don't want to offer the minimum so that any other offer is
at least as good and most likely better. Sounds like he's  gone.

As for Kedrick... today's story kind of fed my secret fear about the guy. I
know he can jump. He can run. He's a physical specimen. And I'm sure he can
shoot. But that's all I know, and I'm beginning to think that's all the
Celtics know. They went to Florida to see him practice and play for some JC
team, saw all the physical ability, saw that he could hit a jump shot, and
decided that was all they needed to see.

He sits the bench throughout his rookie season, supposedly learning during
practice, and yet today, more than a year after he was drafted, we read a
story about coaches being "disappointed" with his understanding of what they
want him to do. That's my worst fear. That Kedrick is an athletic
specimen-and one with some good skills (like shooting)-but with zero
understanding of how to play.

Kedrick has never played at a level that he couldn't dominate with sheer
physical ability. I tried to be understanding when on the few occasions he
got in the game last season, he always seemed to drift out to the 3-point
line and stand there. Talk about a waste of ability. It was reminiscent of
Moiso-a physical freak who just didn't know how to play. Moiso didn't know
how to put that physical ability to use. And Kedrick doesn't seem to
understand it either. I'm not saying Kedrick is another Moiso-Jerome seems
much more passive and disinterested-but that combination of physical ability
and lack of basketball savvy is similar.

The Celtic brass compared Kedrick to guys like Kobe, McGrady and T-Mac when
he was drafted, but so far the only thing Kedrick has in common with those
guys is leaping ability. Those three stars are among the most
basketball-savvy in the league at their positions. They're great because
they can use their athleticism in the right ways-they combine a Steve
Smith-like court savvy with off-the-charts athleticism. Kedrick lacks the
court savvy.

I happen to believe that one reason we're seeing the increased turn to
foreign players is because those players simply understand how to play,
where so many young American players don't. They don't understand moving
without the ball, or setting picks, or coming off picks, or passing, etc.
Thankfully, I think NBA execs are starting to put more of a premium on
understanding how to play the game (in the concept of a team-not a draft
workout).

Hopefully, Kedrick can learn. But today's article certainly didn't leave me
brimming with optimism. Starting to worry about what I'll see tomorrow
night.

So, no Rogers, Kedrick is disappointing... but, hey! We're probably signing
Bruno Sundov.

Mark