RE: Stay patient with Kedrick

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

Look guys, I don't enjoy the thought that Kedrick is a bust anymore than you
do. But you have to admit he's on a Moiso-like development curve. Jerome's
starting to play some meaningful minutes and provide some defense and
rebounding for the Hornets. Moiso was fair game from the moment he set foot
in Boston. Is it because he was a Pitino pick? How is Kedrick that
different? Both are incredible athletes that just don't seem like natural
basketball players. Both probably will stick around the league and
eventually become serviceable bench players. Both were bad picks where they
were selected. Moiso was chosen because we needed an athletic McDyess-like
power forward. That was the thinking. Of course, Moiso will never be that
kind of player. Kedrick was selected because we needed an athletic,
Kobe/T-Mac/Vince-like swingman. Remember those quotes from the "braintrust"?
How the league was dominated by those guys? Well, Kedrick will never be that
kind of player either.
 
I think characterizing Kedrick's "flashes" as anything significant is
showing some real green-tinted observation skills. He makes a few defensive
plays, but he still hasn't really progressed at all. I wish it was
different, but it's not. I mean, there are minutes there for Kedrick if he
would show anything at all consistently. Eric Williams and Walter McCarty
have to be among the worst regular rotation teams in the league-especially
among playoff teams. The opportunity has been there for Kedrick, the Celtics
have begged him to take it, and he hasn't.
 
Frankly, I wouldn't talk about him so much if there didn't seem to be some
irrational belief among some list members that he's suddenly going to
explode. Right now, he's averaging 1.7 ppg and shooting under 30 percent. He
hasn't made a 3-pointer all season, and we're halfway in. And he's a
shooting guard. I'm sorry, but I have some serious questions about whether
or not he's ever going to be anything more than a situational athlete.
 
And Joe, as for picks 8-18, I'd argue that White, Radmanovich, Murphy,
Collins and Haywood all have fared pretty darn well compared to Kedrick. And
Richard Jefferson's play speaks for itself. Diop probably was a bad pick by
Cleveland, but injuries have played a part in that. Rodney White certainly
is showing more than Kedrick. I'll give you Hunter, Haston and Bradley, but
even those guys have made more of a mark than Kedrick. Look at that draft
and tell me the Celtics didn't butcher it. And put aside the mock
drafts-remember, those things evolve based on indications of what team is
picking what player. Kedrick was considered a late first-rounder, until the
deal with the Celts was discovered. All it takes is one team to fall in love
with a player and suddenly that guy is "projected" to that spot. Wallace's
job isn't to pick the guy who falls to him in the last mock draft. His job
is to identify the best player. If he had locked onto Tony Parker, for
instance, with the 11th pick, word probably would have leaked out and Parker
would have been "projected" at that spot in the mock drafts. You see what
I'm saying? You like to say the Celts took the guys who should have gone in
those spots-according to who? Those mock drafts are self-fulfilling
forecasts. If Michael Smith is projected to be the 13th pick and Shawn Kemp
the 20th (or whatever) does the team that takes Michael Smith get a free
pass? I wouldn't think so.
 
That's my long-winded way of saying two things: First, to lump Kedrick in
with other "unproductive" players from the late lottery to mid-first-round
of that draft, is unfair to the other players. Kedrick has far surpassed
them in his level of non-productivity. Secondly, there is no such thing as
picking a player where he's "supposed" to be picked. Wallace gets paid to
find the best player at whatever spot he's drafting. And he did a lousy job.
But you're right, Joe, that there are other reasons Wallace deserves to be
on the hot seat. But Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown and Joe Forte are pretty
good reasons as well.
 
Mark
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Celtic4Hire@aol.com [mailto:Celtic4Hire@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 11:37 PM
To: berrym@BATTELLE.ORG; celtics@igtc.com
Subject: Re: Stay patient with Kedrick
 
In a message dated 1/16/2003 2:54:45 PM Central Standard Time,
berrym@BATTELLE.ORG writes: 




<The argument for the longest time was that Kedrick just needs minutes.
Well, 
he's getting them. You know what they say about it being better to remain 
silent and be assumed a fool than to speak and remove all doubt... well, 
Kedrick is doing his best to remove all doubt.>



Some of you are just like a pack of coyotes, moving to chew on carcass to
carcass. What happened to previous carcass Bremer? 

Why does Kedrick have to score 20 points to make you happy? Look at Ron
Artest. He fits a role as a defensive stopper. Why can't Kedrick fill that
role? God knows this team needs one but unfortunately, having three point
shooting ability is more important to some....What a bunch of loser whiners.


Getting more minutes. What a joke. Does two games (of primetime) make a
career for you? Then Obie comes back and doesn't even put Kedrick in in the
first half in the first half, saving him garbage time. You got to get
consistent minutes to get a rhythm. Another coaching gem.... 

Why don't you have at Baker? Have at me for that matter because I thought he
was going to be better (it is pretty hard not to be). Baker is in full
season in my book. I just don't put up with a lack of hustle or
concentration. But dumping on Kedrick just fulfulls your own words.... 

DJessen33