Re: losing LaFrentz

[Kestas <kkv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

gene kirkpatrick wrote:

> I'm glad to see that the brass have listened to the list and opted for surgery and the future.  

Indeed. The only thing worse than surgery is watching Raef try to play 
in pain and, for the team, not knowing how much he'll be able to 
contribute. This is a restructuring year anyway, and perhaps it will 
give Kendrick a chance. Although, knowing Obie, Battie, Blount AND 
McCarty would have to go down first, and Grant Long would have to stay 
retired.

Notes on the game:

1. Heck, maybe Mike James (can I call him MJ?) can sustain this 
offensive production after all? As Obie-style "point guards" go, he 
seems one of the better exemplars, and comes cheaply, too. Of course, 
you have to consider the field: Milt Palacio, JR Bremer, Shammond 
Williams, Tony Delk, Erick Strickland - did I forget anyone? He has this 
unconventional-looking shot that's nonetheless very high-arcing and 
therefore goes in more than it probably should, given his shooting 
mechanics. And he certainly is thriving with another guy there to help 
with the point guard duties. It's almost a poor man's Iverson-Snow setup.

2. Speaking of the Celtics' own 'Eric Snow', his main problem seems to 
be that his shot is a bit flat, especially when he's tired. He needs to 
work on that. Though it thankfully had enough arc on that last 3!
Btw, I love his interviews. He is thoughtful - a sharp departure from 
the typically vapid, formulaic NBA post-game fare (Pierce is a good 
example of this).

3. I think Kedrick is coming alive again. His biggest problem is not 
lack of intelligence (though he's no Jiri Welsch in that regard), but 
an astounding (given his physical gifts) lack of confidence. Watch how 
he  hangs his head after every miss - his body just collapses like a 
puppet's with the strings cut off. I think 90% of his misses are 
attributable to lack of confidence. It's certainly not his shooting 
mechanics. When he misses, he doesn't miss off to one side (indicative 
of incorrect form) or all around the rim (a sign of high level of error 
in the motor command, another way of saying that his technique is not 
set). It's nearly always on the right trajectory but way short, as if 
his muscles just shut down midway through the shot, which they probably 
do as he's thinking "Oh my God, what if I miss this shot?!". When he's 
NOT thinking that, the shot's as clean and perfect as it could be, pure 
string music. They need to work on his head. I would spare no expense on 
a good sports shrink, if I were Danny Ainge, and I don't mean "Dr." 
Niednagel. He has too much to contribute, potentially, not to try to fix 
it.

4. What's up with Baker? Flu? I hope it's the flu.

5. Will Banks get any serious PT again, now that the MJ-Jiri duo is 
clicking so well?

Looking forward to tonight's epic clash of the Jameses...
Kestas