Re: Pierce & Walker's stats

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

Kestas wrote:

I was looking at the season stats of our "foundation players" today.
Walker's
stats are down across the board, except for TOs. Some are career lows, such
as
shooting % and rebounding. Pierce's stats are mostly down, except for
rebounding, assists, FTA, and TOs. 
So much for the Walker-as-our-de facto-PG experiment. I'm sure there are
other
factors to blame, but that's what I get out of it. 

--- --- ---

Here's the best comparison I have to Antoine: Steve Belisari. 

Belisari was a three-year starter at Ohio State as a quarterback. He could
throw the ball a mile, run like a running back was a vocal team leader.
Unfortunately, he didn't know where the ball was going when he threw it, he
put himself and his team in some terrible situations by trying to run his
way out of trouble (turning bad plays into disasters), and he completed less
than 50 percent of his passes while throwing more interceptions than
touchdowns.

But he was a three-year starter. And he absolutely TORTURED Buckeye fans.
Every year was the year Belisari was going to "put it all together"
following the previous season of excuses. The first year, the offense wasn't
right. The next year, the receivers weren't right. The final year, it was a
new coach and offensive coordinator. There was always an excuse. They kept
saying THIS is the year he turns into Steve Young (just like every year is
the year Antoine turns into Magic). But he never put it together. He was a
disaster, and the football team struggled around .500 with him as the
starter.

Then, last year, Craig Krenzel took over for the graduated Belisari. Krenzel
can't throw the ball as far as Belisari. He can't run as fast. He's not as
strong. He's not as vocal. But he doesn't try to make plays he isn't capable
of making. He trusts his teammates. He follows the gameplan and sticks with
it to the end. And the Buckeyes were 14-0 and national champions with him at
quarterback.

There always are excuses for Antoine, but sometimes you just have to admit
that all the raw talent in the world isn't enough. Antoine can out-shoot,
out-dribble and out-pass Tim Duncan, but he's a shadow of the player Duncan
is. Why? Is it because he's smaller? Nope. Duncan plays the game with a
discipline and understanding that Antoine never will. He doesn't need to
shoot three-pointers to prove his "versatility." He doesn't need to bring
the ball up the floor. He gets it. Antoine doesn't, and we've been waiting
long enough. He's actually regressing, as frightening as that is.

This is the time to clean house. Wallace and Obie first, and then Antoine.

Mark

P.S. The key, though, is making sure you address the holes this will create.
You MUST add quality players at point guard and power forward for it to
work. You can't expect any of the current point guards to suddenly become
full-fledged point guards. They get by because Antoine handles the ball so
much. And there isn't another power forward on the roster (unless you count
Long and Bryant-and I don't). So it's not necessarily going to be easy. If
you could get to the top of the draft and pick up Milicic (PF) or Ford (PG),
and land the other piece as part of that deal, then you're set. But trading
Antoine for Carmelo Anthony, for instance, leaves you short-handed at PG and
PF and without means to address those holes. The Bulls remain the obvious
target. They have a young PG and PF (Jay Williams/Jamaal Crawford and Tyson
Chandler), Antoine is a Chicago guy, they have a new GM who may be more
inclined to trade recent draft picks. It just feels like a fit. The other
team, as I've posted before, is Washington. Jordan is ready to cut bait with
Kwame Brown, who looks like a prime candidate to explode in an environment
where he isn't being devoured by Jordan. If you could land Brown and their
lottery pick (T.J. Ford) for Antoine, that would be a great deal. Anyway,
those are the kinds of scenarios to look for.