Reynold's article

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

It sums up what a lot of us have been saying
about Antoine.  But I've yet to hear someone
calmly and cooly present the other side, just
for argument's sake.  Before trading Twon,
someone should consider these factors.

1)  you can't really pay someone to give you
what Antoine does in terms of leadership,
fire, and binding chemistry on what is after all
a team of contractors with guaranteed deals.

2)  Antoine was thoroughly dominated by Kenyon
Martin, and that pretty much was the series against
the Nets.  But isn't it a little bit rash to judge a player
who has carried the team on his back for eight years
on the basis of four games?  I mean, it's not like anyone
thought Twon was an explosive athlete before the
Nets series.  Bird, you may remember, looked awful
vs. the Bucks in 1983, when the Cs got swept.  (Not
to compare Twon and Larry.)

3)  I have stood right next to twon when he was wearing
only a towel, and he is not overweight.  At all.  He doesn't
have a rippled six-pack, but there's no flab on him at all.
Some guys just don't have that kind of definition.  He has
a lot of muscle mass, and that's what makes him so hard
to handle for smaller players.

4)  Antoine has shot too much from the perimeter, rebounded
too little, and so forth.  But wouldn't it be dumb not to see if
it had to be that way?  Why get guys to remake the team and
not see if they can help his game?  Why go to all the trouble
of adding key pieces only to blow up the squad without ever
seeing if it would have helped him?

5)  Antoine has flourished before in a running system.  Why
couldn't he flourish in one now?  Especially minus the punishing
press defense?  I think it would really maximize his strengths,
or at least help.

these are just a few thoughts.

josh