Re: '01 draft revisited and O'Brien's culpability

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

< The point I'm trying to make is that looking back at the 2001 draft and
blaming O'Brien for drafting Forte at #21 instead of  a PG - be it Parker
or even Tinsley - conveniently ignores the fact that Kenny had two years 
left on his contract and was still owed some $15M at that time and thus 
a rookie PG would have seen little immediate PT because of that very fact.
 
Additionally, from the POV of a GM, history tells us PGs are readily
available every draft. This year is no different. To blame O'Brien for not
drafting Parker two years ago is definitely a reach. > - CeltsSteve
 
<Steve, good points about Kenny and the draft. You're absolutely right.>
- Paul M.

While on the brink of apoplexy, I respectfully disagree with your 
logic, CeltsSteve and Paul M.  Why draft a dog (Forte) with intentions 
of converting him to a cat, when you could draft a cat (Parker) to 
begin with?  

So what if Kenny had two more years on his contract.  I still would 
have preferred to see a true PG (Parker) be slowly brought along and 
groomed as KA's heir apparent than to suffer a season of frustrating 
attempts to convert troubled SG Forte into that PG.  And who can
assume that the talented Parker would only have logged as few minutes 
as the incorrigible and useless Forte, that he wouldnbt have eventually 
replaced non-PG Erick Strickland, or that his presence would not have 
at least allowed the aging Kenny the luxury of less minutes?  

I also disagree with Steve's assertion of history telling us that point 
guards are ''readily available every draft.''  Mediocre PG's maybe, but 
certainly not pure PG's.  Surely Steve must realize that pure PG's have 
become almost as extinct as the Great Auk, since the bulk of PG 
first-rounders (including this year's hyped group) are seldom more than 
athletic shoot first- pass second SG's who have been adjudged too short 
to effectively man that position in the NBA. 

Wouldn't we all just love to see the Celts with a pure/classic PG, rather 
than a pretender created out of default?  

Parker was that guy; Forte was never that guy.  And I don't consider that 
a reach.

Eggy