Re: The Golden State win

[Kim Malo <kimmalo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:07 PM 12/30/2003, Berry, Mark  S wrote:
> Thank goodness. I was beginning to think I was missing something obvious 
> that Obie and everyone else was seeing. I'm glad I'm not the only one 
> baffled by what's going on.
>
> The frustrating thing on Mihm is I don't think there's a single team in 
> the NBA that would have that guy on the roster and yet give him a DNP-CD. 
> Not one. He'd be in anyone's rotation. Yet the Celtics, with their stellar 
> big man corps of Blount, Baker, McCarty and Jones (combined 15 rebounds in 
> 95 minutes-and that's with a career night of 7 for Walter), have no room 
> for him. He's only sixth in the league in rebounds per minute. Meanwhile, 
> Welsch, Pierce and Davis combine for 23 rebounds and the guards get blamed 
> for the rebounding problems. It's madness... Madness, I say!

It's also nonsense. Since he's been here he HAS been in the rotation, 
playing 10-20 min per night. I just checked box scores. Last night was one 
night, ONE NIGHT that he got a DNP. Hardly a case of a general problem that 
they can't find room for him, not in the rotation, etc. etc etc. While 
you're far too smart to not realize how misleading per minute stats can be, 
especially when they are based upon limited minutes. Argue that he should 
have played last night, or that he should get more minutes in general, but 
that's something different than the above hysterical nonsense.

Look, I hate Walter's game and would keep him at the foot of the bench most 
of the time and happily give Mihm his minutes if it was up to me. Baker 
positives are almost strictly as an offensive player, and so he should 
actually fit well playing complimentary WITH Mihm, since Mihm offers the 
tough physicality and rebounding Baker doesn't and Baker is a smoother, 
more reliable offensive force when right. Blount I think from prior posts 
you've just got a preset image of and refuse to see that he's not the same 
slug we had a couple of years ago. I'm not saying he's the second coming of 
any top line center from the past you want to name, but he's no longer the 
chopped liver you continue to make him out to be either. Like it or not, 
he's shooting a hair under 60%. But he's also not a big rebounder. So yes, 
I can see situational places to give some of his minutes to Mihm too, 
although I also see value to having him on the court. All of which being 
said, let's not make last night out to be more than it was. My god, to read 
some of the hysteria here from various people, you'd think that Mihm hadn't 
played enough since he got here to need to have a uniform cleaned.
Kim