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RE: Larry Brown is Officially Team USA Coach
Nice post Joe. I'm with you all the way here.
Cecil
-----Original Message-----
From: hironaka@nomade.fr [mailto:hironaka@nomade.fr]
Sent: November 27, 2002 12:02 PM
To: theberrym@BATTELLE.ORG
Cc: celtics@igtc.com
Subject: Re: Larry Brown is Officially Team USA Coach
> ---------- Initial message -----------
> Antoine really is a good fit for international play. If
he would adapt his
> game to fit with all the great scorers, he'd be a great
addition.
>
> Mark
>
I think it will depend on who else backs out of a two-
year commitment. If as many as 75% of the best NBA guys
enlist, I think there may still be a strong case for
inclusion of both Antoine and Pierce in the core nine
players.
My bet is many players that have even already expressed
interest will drop out, not so much because of the two-
year commitment but because of nagging injury risks (T-
Mac's back, Shaq and Grant Hill's feet etc.)
But Walker's situation (his game and perceived
personality) might be a bit analagous to a young Charles
Barkley, who was cut by Bobby Knight from the 1984
Olympic camp despite dominating Waymon Tisdale and the
others.
As great as that team was (arguably the best amateur team
ever?) Knight went with four or five relative stiffs like
Jon Koncak (sp?) Alford, Joe Klein, Leon Wood etc. over
the "Round Mound".
As for Larry Brown's "don't act like you've never done it
before" admonition, while I don't entirely condone
Antoine and Paul's victory celebrations, the reality is
that the Celtics hadn't "done it" (won a first-round
playoff series)in a decade.
Gimmie-a-break, they should be allowed to celebrate. As
tough as it always is to lose, I'm sure Larry Brown will
take that into account eventually.
That was a pressure game (off two straight losses to the
defending conf champs). I know I was celebrating, and I'm
older and "more mature".
(Incidentally, am I the only guy that suddenly feels old
and underachieving, following yesterday's news about
Epstein getting hired as Red Sox GM? I thought I'd start
feeling my age the day that Celtics players my age
started retiring, but this takes the cake.)
Anyway back to the Walker thing, I'm sure the selection
committee may be holding their nose on this one, but when
a guy volunteers to play, its their duty to take it
seriously. He can dribble and pass and shoot like a young
Charles Barkley. I'd argue that Walker is the most
talented dribbling big forward that has ever played the
game. Give me a counter-example, if you want to debate
that. I hope he's chosen.
I wrote earlier that, in the specific context of the
World Championship in Indiana, Walker would have helped
the team just as much as Jason Kidd would have.
I felt that no one stepped up alongside Paul Pierce
against the weak defenses and candy-from-a-baby three-
point distances. Call it "selflessness" by the others,
but everyone else played like crap except Paul.
And while some of us notice that Paul has added passing
to his game this season (just as he has added something
new every year), IMO that began this Summer, not at the
start of this season.
Specifically, it was the bailout and wrap-around passes
off of broken drives that impressed me as something new
and improved.
I don't think anyone who watched the games that can
remember a turnover that came out of that context. And
the raw numbers, probably an increase at Indy by 100% in
assists per 48 minutes, reinforce this.
When Paul touched the ball in Indiana, one of three
things tended to happen: a score, a shooting foul or an
assist. He was up over 5 assists prior to the Spain game,
and led the team in the majority of game I'm pretty sure.
Given his expressed willingness to participate in the
Olympics, I think it would be a travesty if Paul gets
left off the team by some backroom committee who want to
side with their fat "homey" George Karl.
Bear in mind that Paul Pierce was the third player (not
the first) to publicly embarrass Karl by saying he
wouldn't play if he were coaching. Shaq was the first to
name Karl, Baron Davis was the second.
Ultimately, I don't expect the committee to scapegoat
Pierce. But they haven't invited him yet, and if they
don't, this would be an outrage. In my view, its already
an outrage that they've forced him to publicly beg for a
spot.
Joe H.
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