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Re:George McCloud
From: "hironaka@xxxxxxxxx"<hironaka@xxxxxxxxx>
I guess you could plug him in there as an Antoine backup.
I doubt that will happen, personally. But the Celtics
have only 7 guys in their rotation until Kedrick Brown
returns.
The 8th guy is McCarty.
Uh, not by my (notoriously bad) math, Joe. Five starters plus
Shammond, Baker, Sundov and McCarty give you a nine-man rotation. At
least, that's what Obie's been using in the preseason, and unless I've
missed something in the papers this morning or something, I expect that
to carry over into the regular season until Kedrick returns. I guess I
expect Brown to take minutes from Wallah when he gets back, unless
Obie's actually going to go with a 10-man rotation, which I doubt.
It's possible, though.
Sundov faded badly in the last few exhibition games. I
think at most, he'll get Walker's backup minutes (8-10
tops). But those minutes might go to Baker or Battie, so
that each guy can get 28-30 minutes apiece at center-
forward.
While Obie's said defense and rebounding will be the keys to PT, and
Sundov is deficient at both, I'd guess the lure of a 7'2" guy who can
shoot the long ball will be too tempting and he'll get Walker's backup
minutes plus whatever's left over from Battie and Baker due to foul
trouble or what-have-you.
Once Kedrick comes back, I hope he gets Rodney Rogers
type minutes ahead of Walter and that he gets back within
the flow quickly, hitting some threes and playing
aggressively on defense and the boards.
I hope for this, too. If Brown can play well enough to deserve those
minutes, he can really help the team greatly with some off-the-bench
scoring and with his defensive energy.
What matters more is the chemistry, talent and cohesion
of the starting five. I think the Celtics coach loves how
his starters perform as a unit. They know how to beat
teams, and the I hope he's right.
Yeah, he also has the freedom to plug in Shammond for Delk if Delk's
not hot, and Baker for Battie if there's foul trouble or Baker's just
more effective. But you're right about the starters playing as a unit,
though. They are effective on the court, but also give the team a
sense of continuity. Hopefully, that'll help the newbies fit
themselves in as best they can.
Bird