Re: Is this it?

["James A. Hill" <jahill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark,

OK here are my thoughts based on what I think I saw.  Please remember it was
a first preseason game style of watching, looking for the positives of
certain players.

Baker:  He didn't start the game but it is just a matter of time or design
if he doesn't start.  When he finally got in the game, along with S.
Williams at the same time,  he went down low and had a "bounce pass, entry
pass" that bounced off his fingers of one hand and was headed out of bounds
when he extended, moved his feet and controlled it with the same hand and
kept it in bounds.  He then brought it back under the basket and snaked his
body up between two guys and laid it in.  All in a fluid, athletic motion.

He was fired up that he did it.  I was thrilled.  If he keeps this level of
enthusiasm he will be a team favorite.

I haven't seen a Celtic big man look so natural with the ball since
McHale/Parrish.  He has the best hands of any big guy since then as well.
(although that 300 lb. kid from Chicago that was with the team for awhile
had great hands, but he doesn't really count, does he?)

Then his passing.  He sees the floor around him and seems to understand that
if two guys are on you then somebody is open and actually looks for them!
He knows "how" to pass, at least inside.  He can run and dribble with his
head up and make a pass in the open floor. A considerable upgrade over
anyone else we have had for awhile.

I didn't think he rebounded the ball as aggressively as he should/I would
have liked.  I hope that picks up as he gets more comfortable playing with
these guys.

So far (one game) I like what I saw with Baker as a player.  I sort of saw a
Maxwell kind of combination of skills.  I don't know if he can be as
hard-nosed a player as Max, but very fluid like him with a good skill set.

Battie:  He made such positive strides last year I was hoping for a similar
upgrade to his game.  I didn't see it.  He still got pushed around under the
basket and he should have been able to score at will over the 6' 9" center
he was matched up with.  I will need to pay better attention to his game to
see what I'm missing based on others comments.  I have always thought he was
more of a weak side defender then a pivot defender because of his quickness
and lack of bulk.  If Walker does slide to the 3 more this year it would
open up his strengths I think.

Delk:  Looked better then last year as Kestas pointed out.  Didn't wow but
didn't scare me.  He can dribble and he isn't afraid to run.

E. Williams:  Didn't draw my attention to anything he did.

Brown:  I thought he had some great rebounds and a couple other good moves
around the hoop.  I don't think this kid will ever be the kind of player who
will take over a game, IMO.  He is still so very young but .....  We'll see
where he is at All Star break.

Walker/Pierce I only watched them to see if they were in condition and if
they would pass.  Both looked good at times and less so at other times.
Immaturity was my general impression but it was still the first game against
NBA competition.  Pierce may be taking up the mouth nonsense that Walker
seemed to have grown out of last year.

I didn't get to see much of the second half so I didn't get any real start
to an opinion on the other players.  Plus this was against a weak NY team.
Dice had his way I thought but who else did they have on the court that is a
real player at their best position to excel?

I hope that adds something for you to go with the others.  <Jim






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Come on, there have to be more listers out there who saw the game last
night. Get your noses off the grindstone and give us some details!

Based on what has been posted so far...

Encouraging first outing for Baker. If even Ray is saying good things about
him, he must have looked good. If he plays well and FITS IN (that's a huge
key), then maybe Wallace lucked into a winning lottery ticket (not the draft
lottery kind-he'd just screw that up).

Don't know what to think of Delk and Shammond. Mixed reports. Sounds about
like what we expected.

Discouraging on Kedrick. Sounding more and more like a big Oh-fer in that
draft.

Sundov and Travis Knight mentioned in the same sentence... not what I
expected from a top-seven pick...

Looking forward to hearing from more of you.

Mark