Re: The Kedick school comment and Walker

[Kim Malo <kimmalo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 04:19 AM 2/1/03 -0500, Pete wrote:
> Hey I like Walker..
> But he just killed us tonight. Seems to me that Walker can do that.
> Pierce will adjust more then Walker IMHO. Walker just keeps hoisting up
> threes.
As the saying goes, methink the lady doth protest overmuch. Because no, it 
doesn't sound like you like him at all. Walker missed more 2s than he even 
attempted for 3s. While the only shot he did make was a 3,
FGM 1  FGA 15
3PM   1 3PA 6
which may be a sign that was the only range that felt right or may have 
mislead him into thinking that was the only range working. And Pierce 
'heaved up' as many 3s, despite missing almost as many. I suspect the knee 
itself and/or the brace was messing with Walker's balance and feel for the 
shot more than he realized or would admit. Particularly inside, where he 
jumps at least a little. His 3 pointer is a Bird-style set shot that might 
have felt less affected that way.

So 'Walker just keeps hoisting up 3s' was not the issue here and sounds 
like standard knee jerk Walker bashing or pre-conceptions interfering with 
reality. Yeah, I wish he'd take less of them. I wish everyone would. Walker 
didn't help much with in this game, but his 3s are hardly what killed us. 
They rarely are any more. Might was well say Pierce's defense did. Or his 
taking time off from playing to whine at the refs. *shrug* It was very much 
a co-operative effort.

> Secondly..I have to comment on this crap:
Most of your comments were dead on IMO although...

> Besides, Kedrick problem isn't that he is clueless..its that he can't hit a
> damn jumpshot. That has nothing to do with book smarts, and luckily for Celts
> fans that a problem that can generally be corrected.
...I would tone some of the above down, because yeah to a certain degree 
part of Kedrick's problem IS that he's relatively clueless. But clueless 
doesn't equate to stupid. Clueless is correctable. And it's expected 
cluelessness about the pro game vs schoolyard,  through being too young, 
underdeveloped and inexperienced (including where the injuries have held 
him back). That's the bane of almost the entire NBA these days. In a lot of 
ways Kedrick's a rookie, and a rookie who should really still be in 
college, learning to play fundamentally solid basketball. People don't make 
enough of the difference those 4 years with good coaching made in JR's 
entering the lineup as a much more mature player. Doesn't undercut your 
main point that basketball IQ isn't the same as book IQ though.

> As a side note
> Its a shame OB didnt stick Walter and Kedrick on those hot perimiter players
> early in the game. The little troika of Shammond, Delk, and Bremer just can't
> stop them..
Yup. That was one of my thoughts watching the game - put Kedrick on 
Hamilton to slow him down a bit because Paul sure wasn't doing it.

> Oh yeah ...Sundov is such a bricklaying ball hog in garbage time.
> I hate that.
Yeah he is. And doesn't contribute any other way. You could make some 
excuse for Vinnie based upon age and wear and tear on his body for not 
getting rebounds where all he had to do was MOVE a bit more. Bruno has no 
such excuse and is taller than almost everyone else out there in garbage 
time reaching for the ball. Want to bet that he still doesn't understand 
why he's not seeing more PT too?

Kim