Re: thoughts on this list and the Celtics

[Cecil <cecil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Now this post should reap some responses!!!!

Cecil


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ryan W <ubiquitous_am_i@yahoo.com>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2003 2:32 PM
Subject: thoughts on this list and the Celtics


> The most distressing aspect of this season has been
> the loss of sanity it has produced among both players
> and fans.  Per this list, previously fine posters like
> Kestus and Mark Berry have taken their heretofore
> objective slants and made it personal.  Longtime
> thoughtful and sincere posters have left, such as Joe
> H. and Bill Bird, leaving this list with still fewer
> writers of quality.  What are posts of quality? 
> That's a tough question.  I'll tell you what is
> not....anything by Dan Forant (Dan, as a side note,
> try writing more than 2 sentences per post; and
> furthermore try making what you write intelligent). 
> In the absence of thoughtful posting (and in the
> malaise that is this season) others have filled the
> void miserably.  Posts by Eggy, though well-written,
> are sarcastic and pure mental masturbation (as if this
> list is some substitute for a creative writing class).
>  Only Way has been consistent (that is, consistent to
> what he normally offers); consistent in occasionally
> offering tidbits of information and of offering
> semi-intelligent opinions (and Way, thanks for the
> postings from other places and locales, it is an
> important contribution to the list).  In short, as
> disappointing as this season has been, this list
> itself has been more so. 
> 
> But enough about how poor this list has become, let's
> talk of the team.  I love the Celtics.  I've watched
> every game (except the Minnesota games, which were
> blacked out in my area) and thus have a reasonable
> ability to comment on their play.  Let's break it down
> by player.
> 
> Paul Pierce--best player on the team and the only
> player actually raising his play as the season ends
> (the last five games or so rival what Paul did last
> year for a majority of the year).  This year has been
> a monumental struggle for Paul.  Starting probably
> last year during the Nets' series, Paul just hasn't
> had the breaks.  The breaks from officials, from the
> rim, from USA basketball, from anyone.  In short, his
> rep has taken a killing.  Furthermore he has been
> injured.  The teeth to the back to the knee to almost
> everything.  This is not surprising given the amount
> of punishment that he recieves on a nightly basis. 
> This is not to mention that of every superstar in the
> NBA (and I would put Paul in that category) Paul gets
> the least amount of superstar calls, not to mention
> any other call that most any other player would get. 
> Some will retort that he leads the league in free
> throw makes and attempts and that, as such, there is
> no great disparity.  That argument is shit.  Watch the
> games.  See how many times Paul drives and is, as
> Tommy likes to put it, knocked off the shot.  It
> happens continually in the fourth quarter.  Meanwhile
> players like Jordan and Iverson get the calls.  Apart
> from any official misconduct, Paul has also been
> leading to his own demise.  Rarely is he loose and
> smiling.  Sometimes, I must admit, he just gives
> up---not because he is a quitter, but because, in my
> opinion, he just becomes so frustrated that he has to
> shut it down.  Nonetheless, I suspect he'll have a
> fine playoff run; his shot is finally looking
> mechanically correct and he appears to be as healthy
> as he has been all season.  I'm expecting a Paul
> Pierce explosion sometime during the Playoffs.
> 
> Antoine Walker--the most misunderstood player in the
> world.  People think they know what he can do and what
> is happening in his head and how he should play and
> who he is...  You guys don't know shit.  What makes
> Antione a special player is his ability to rebound
> (Tommy is not having a senior moment when he says that
> Antione is best offensive rebounder in Celtics'
> history).  Beyond that, his skill set is merely above
> average.  The Celtics need to maximize Toine's
> ability.  He needs to get into the post.  He needs to
> be in position to rebound.  And the fact that he
> isn't, isn't some indictment on his character; it is a
> statement to coaching and management.  They must think
> that he can't fight down low (or that he wouldn't be
> successful).  And that is a glaring misrepresentation
> of the situation.  Toine is a banger.  
> 
> Tony Battie--the most important player on the team. 
> Battie needs to get healthy.   When he is healthy, he
> is beyond serviceable; he becomes a force and, in my
> opinion, the best defensive player the Celtic's
> have....  That said, he needs to be used in better
> manner than he is currently (but I'll get to that at
> the end).
> 
> Eric Williams--no left eye vision, huh?  The sad part
> about that is that I wasn't surprised to hear it. 
> Williams has been described as the best defensive
> player on the Celtics.  Hardly.  That is not to say
> that Eric isn't important.  He can score on the box. 
> But we hardly go to him.  He can hit the three
> pointer, though we wouldn't ever draw up a play for
> him.  Basically, he is a garbage player, picking up
> baskets where available.  And his defense...well, he
> is great as a system guy.  He is usually in the right
> place at the right time.  But as a one-on-one
> defender?  Nope, he can't do it anymore.  I'm tired of
> seeing Stackhouse, Jordan, Iverson, and anyone else
> drive around him.  It happens so much, that he has
> "perfected" the slap around move to poke to ball loose
> (after he is beaten, that is).  That is not a good
> thing.
> 
> Tony Delk--Tony is a good guy.  But as a point guard
> and a starter, he has left many parts lacking.  Early
> in the season, when he was averaging double figures,
> it seemed that O'Brien's wet-dream of an offense was
> working; Delk could just sit around and shoot.  Aye,
> but that only works when Delk is making his shot. 
> However, get him a little injured and he can't make a
> thing (he said as much in the papers earlier this
> week).  He is simply one of those player who, when he
> is making his shot is great, but when he isn't, is a
> liability.  These kinds of players should never be
> courted; get a team full of them and you have trouble
> (and/or this year's Celtics team)
> 
> Mark Blount--Wow, he has been good...good for Mark
> Blount.  Finally, he is somewhat able to control his
> body to make it do good.  He rebounds and blocks
> shots, he is strong, occasionally he'll get some
> points.  In short, the perfect back up center.  
> 
> Walter--Up and down year for Walt.  That is not to say
> it hasn't been Walt's best year ever.  It has.  What
> is distressing is that just like Walker, Walter is
> being misused.  He should be back up center and
> nothing else.  But I'll get to that later as well.
> 
> Grant Long--would somebody please tell me why this guy
> ever got so many minutes this year?  Plain and simple,
> he sucks.  Other than playing the five minutes that
> Antione sits out, he should never play (and I don't
> even think he should be playing those minutes, Walter,
> Williams, Blount, or Battie would all be better).  He
> rebounds alright and he'll make defensive plays
> (offensive fouls, steals, etc...), but on offense he
> sucks.  And on offense, this teams sucks.  So it is
> not a good combo.  Plus he is slow.  The less of
> Grant, the better; although I bet that he makes a
> couple of important plays down the stretch and in the
> playoffs.  The only thing that makes him somewhat
> valuable is that he is a veteran and can sometimes use
> that to sucker other players into something stupid.
> 
> Kedrick Brown--his non-role on this team will spell
> its ultimate doom.  Would somebody free Kedrick Brown?
>  What does a nigger have to do to get some PT up in
> this motherfucker?  The reasons to play Brown are
> numerous; he's a great individual defender (Pierce has
> said it, Walker too; O'Brien admitted it last week and
> then immediately quit giving him playing time--classic
> Obie), he rebounds (the single greatest weakness on
> this team) and he runs.  Furthermore, give the guy a
> chance on offense.  Try running a play for the guy. 
> The amount of times I've seen Kedrick being
> "froze-out" is ridiculous.  Even in garbage time, the
> guy doesn't get the ball.  This is the fault of both
> the players and the coaching staff.  Furthermore,
> Kedrick is exciting and, as Ainge pointed out last
> night, the fans need to see that so they can find a
> reason to cheer (it certainly won't come from how the
> Celtics play offense).  
> 
> J.R. Bremer--in the beginning, J.R. sucked.  Then he
> started getting playing time, started to get confident
> and then started to hit his shot.  And then, he kept
> shooting so much and became the left-handed version of
> Antione--all three pointers, all the time...  And so,
> once again, we have a Delk situation---if he's not
> hitting his shot, he sucks.  Both are point guards are
> like that---and that is bad.  
> 
> Ok, enough with the player profiles.  This is what the
> Celtics need to do to go far in the playoffs.  
> 
> Number one--start Blount.  Blount has been playing
> good and he plays better when he starts.  But this
> move is more predicated on two other factors; Walter
> and Battie.  For Battie, this season is almost lost. 
> He is very close to just finally breaking (all these
> nagging injuries he's been receiving lately--the
> ankle, the hand--are just symptoms of the bad knee--he
> is overcompensating and it has been injuring him).  To
> best use Battie, I would use him in high energy 4
> minute intervals, twice in the first half and twice in
> the second.  Make Battie a sort of secret weapon;
> bring him in to start runs and improve the defense in
> short spurts.  This conserves Battie and maximizes his
> contributions.  Plus, if this plan is carried out, he
> is always fresh and available down the stretch of the
> game--where we need him.  Furthermore, we have Walter.
>  Hasn't everyone noticed that his best games are when
> he plays center for the majority of the game?  The
> reason for this is, just like Rodney last year, Walt,
> by playing the center spot. is able to get his 3 point
> shot whenever he wants it.  This is huge.  It is very
> relevant to the confindence factor that someone know
> they can always get their shot when they want it.  It
> takes off a lot of pressure.  Plus, with the guarantee
> of open three pointers, our offense immediately gets
> better since we, like last night, usually go thru a
> couple of stretches where we can't even get open
> shots.  This needs to stop.    
> 
> Number Two--Free Kedrick.  We've already went over
> this.  Kedrick needs to play and he needs to play
> alot.  Start Kedrick, play him thirty and watch how
> much more fresh and effective both Delk and Williams
> become.  
> 
> Number Three--for Christ's Sake, substitute like you
> mean it.  Pierce is playing too much and Walker is
> about to collapse.  Use combo's of Kedrick, Williams,
> McCarty, Blount, and Bremer to rest these two....how
> about bringing back some sort of press, just to mix it
> up?  Just to fuck with the other team...how many times
> has a change in defensive scheme just fucked up our
> offensive flow?  Give them their own medicine.  That
> is one of the faults of our defense.  It's always the
> same.  Not only does that help the mentality of the
> other team (they know that if they break the defense,
> they don't have to worry about adjustments), it hurts
> the mentality of the Celtics (if the defense is
> getting beat--and sometimes it is, no matter the
> defensive effort--they know their our no other
> alternatives--and that is bad).  We need some
> motherfucking innovation.
> 
> This of course all comes back to the coach.  Like
> everyone else on this list, I too can see his
> shortcomings.  He just doesn't seem so bright.  He
> found a couple things that work and instead of looking
> for more, he seems intent of using those couple things
> forever.  This is not a sign of a good coach. 
> Adaptability is...and O'Brien hasn't shown it.  Even
> Pitino would have found a way to use Baker and
> Kedrick....O'Brien hasn't or doesn't know how.  This
> is bad.  As for Wallace.  Yeah, lets kill that guy
> (not literally of course).  The Baker trade was bad
> from the beginning.  The drafting strategy is worse. 
> Both should be fired (though I'm not hoping for a
> short playoff run like some of you; this is my team
> and I want them to win every game, no matter the
> ineptness of certain players, coaches or members of
> management).  
> 
> 
> One final note;  since the draft is coming and it soon
> may become the only thing to look forward to
> (basketball-wise), I thought I'd mention a few
> prospects.
> 
> Keith Langford--lost in all the mutual masturbation
> that was the mindless praising of the seniors of the
> Kansas team (how many times did the Packer and Nantz
> mention that Collison and Hinrich were playing their
> last game during the Championship game? It was
> infinity more times than they mentioned the same thing
> about Keuth Duany--though the same applied to him) was
> the play of Langford.  Maybe Tam can fill us in, but
> where is the praise for this guy?  He was the most
> important player on that Kansas team and would be
> great for the Celtics.  All he does is shoot layups. 
> I want this guy.
> 
> T.J. Ford--great point guard, but if he came to the
> Celtics, he would either be released or traded within
> 3 years, if O'Brien was still coach.  We seem to be
> the only team in the league that doesn't appreciate
> what a point guard can do.
> 
> Dwayne Wade--this is one guy I would like the Celtics
> to draft, if available.  He passed, rebounds, scores
> and is smart.  He did exactly what Pierce should do
> every night....use his scoring prowess to make his
> teammates better.  He would fit great on the Celtics.
> 
> That's it.  This was long.  I even appreciate more the
> long posts the rest of you write.  
> 
> Ryan
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