Re: Questions about the Summer League for Josh

[Ryan W <ubiquitous_am_i@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- "James A. Hill" <jahill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Ryan asked the question harmlessly:
> 
> >Josh,
> 
> Snip....
> 
> >Also, per your scuttlebut, you mentioned that
> Vinnie
> isn't the biggest drinker on the team.  Who do you
> reckon it is?  My first guess was O'Brien (His
> Heathcliffian--props to WayRay for such an apt
> comparision--mannerisms and mood swings always
> raised
> a red flag in my mind--).  Later it switched to
> Antoine (there's gotta be some reason he hasn't
> reached his full potential).  But, in the end, I
> figured perhaps the scuttlebut wasn't referring to
> drinking problem per se (I'm reminded of the bit
> from
> Airplane regarding the pilot with the drinking
> problem), but instead to someone who can really put
> back the liquor without paying the price....someone
> with a high tolerance.  IF that's the case, we'd
> probably be looking for a tough guy...and there's no
> tougher guy than E. Williams, or Walter....of course
> it's stupid to speculate on something this
> impossible
> to speculate on....so I'll quit now ;)
> 
> **My understanding is that Walker does not drink. 
> So it isn't him.  I may
> not be his biggest (basketball) fan but I wouldn't
> want someone to
> misunderstand your comment as he seems to be a
> pretty decent guy, aside for
> the hit man posse he sent into the stands that one
> time.
> 

And I am the biggest Walker fan, who apparently can't
show sarcasm when he wants to... 

Antoine is a pretty decent guy (actually, I think he
is a great guy and a great player)....furthermore this
notion that he sent a hit man posse into the stands
seems off base to say the least (not picking on you,
Jim, directly, as I've heard this repeated by others
on the list).  We need to remember that even if we
repeat something on this list AS IF it is fact, it
doesn't mean that it is fact.  It has been rumored (by
those, I would submit, that don't like Antoine to
begin with) that Antoine sent his boys after that
fan....well, beyond that rumor, it has never been
verified factually, either by the press or the
police....so let's stop spreading that lie.  More than
likely, Antoine's friends acted as any friends
would...that is, by coming to his aid without any
prompting from him.  

 
> >Finally, this whole Cooke situation needs to be
> addressed.  Josh, did you ever discuss with any
> Celtic
> brass the role that Cooke was supposed to fulfill
> during the summer league.  Over the years, the
> Celtic's have made of a habit of finding these
> former
> phenoms for their summer league teams and then not
> playing them when the games start (specifically I'm
> thinking Jaron Rush (Kareem's older brother, played
> at
> UCLA), Omar Cook (last year's phenom, apparently
> outplayed by Bremer, and benched after 2 games and
> subsequently cut) and Lenny).  What is the point of
> getting these guys and then not playing them?  It
> just
> doesn't make sense....there are only two kinds of
> players that you take on the summer league
> squad...those that you want to see play (so they can
> be evaluated) and those that are purely practice
> players (so you can practice).  Lenny Cooke, and all
> the former phenoms, were clearly only there as those
> you want to see playing, yet they all were used
> solely, for the most part, as practice players. 
> This
> signals some kind of lack of vision....
> 
> Ryan
> 
> **My guess is that the summer league "games" are for
> the fan. The vision
> thing happens in their own practice situation. The
> coaches evaluate guys in
> practice/drills where they can control the task. 
> There is a reason that
> these phenoms are bagging groceries that is beyond
> one-on-one skill. That
> said, John Starks made it the hard way, Bremer made
> it last year and now
> maybe Hunter will too.  Better some chance then none
> I guess.
> 
> <Jim
> 

Unfortunately, Jim, you can't tell shit (i.e., the
REALLY important things) in practice.  Every coach
knows that...practice tells you about certain traits a
player has (how they respond to high energy
expediture, how willing they are to work hard even
when they are dead tired, what specific skill set they
possess--free throw shooting, good hands,
ball-handling), but ultimately, a player plays...and
can only be truly evaluated in a playing
situation....thus the need for game action.  True, the
summer league is a treat for the fan, but every GM in
the league looks at these games as something more...as
I said in the first post, these games don't mean much
towards POSITIVELY determining whether a player has
"it", but they definately NEGATIVELY determine whether
a player doesn't have "it".  That being the case,
every player, ideally, should be given some game
experience, if only to verify the impressions
(negative or positive) made in practice.

Ryan

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