Re: Walllace's drafting...

[ryan nelson <ryanmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

like i said, antoine was also talking about how great vin baker was and how
he was going to be a big contributor up until the week he was suspended.
Feel free to listen to 'toine, i make my judgements based on what i see on
the court.  Based on what I have seen (and I've seen 95% of the games over
the last two years), kedrick brown is at best going to be an average nba
player and likely will not get a second contract.  That has nothing to do
with what the media says or toine or pierce.  Star players have been known
to talk to the media to hype up players that have no confidence, it sounds
to me that is what pierce and walker were doing with kedrick because it is
certainly what they were doing with baker.  I hope i'm wrong but just like
vinny baker, you can't necessarily trust what teammates have to say.  The
facts all point to wallace being horrible, i hope when he is fired the
lakers hire him.


At 05:36 PM 5/1/03 EDT, you wrote:
>> First of all, kedrick can not play.  Walker was talking up vinny baker all
>> year just as he was kedrick.  that scares me.  seems like kedrick has no
>> confidence and no killer instinct.
>
>Hmm we shall see..
>
>But somehow I don't expect apologies out of you folks when Kedrick is
scoring 
>15+ a night with 8+ rebounds for the Denver Nuggets in 2005. Its interesting 
>that folks like you think you have more insight then both Paul Pierce (who 
>rated Kedrick #3 best defender against him) and Walker. These guys play with 
>him every day..in practice. I will take the word of Paul Pierce. If he says 
>he is tremendously talented and wants him to play, I believe him. Sorry if I 
>don't favour the opinion of the Boston Globe hacks..who clamor for bad news 
>and love to pin blame.
>
>I don't live in the Boston area..and accordingly I am regularly amazed by
the 
>nonsense the local media prints up around here... Like the bashing that
Nomar 
>endured last year. <g> They knew they were twisting his words but indulged
in 
>nasty speculation because it was a good story. Sportswriters are a dishonest 
>bunch.. It's folly to believe them.
>
>Actually I don't blame you 100% I thought the same thing of McCarty for 
>years..
>A great athlete who can't "play". But it turns out he can play...pretty well 
>in fact.
>Tommy was right.
>
>Its common in the NBA for young players to develop in a few years.
>
>You don't have to look far to see examples of players written off doing
well. 
> El Busto  is now a valued member of our team. He turns a so so defensive 
>team into a seriously underrated defensive force. Outside of your star 
>players the league is actually chock full of players who were pretty
mediocre 
>at first and then later blossomed. 
>
>The thing about is this:
>1) Confidence is EARNED at the NBA level. J.R. Bremer just looked awful 
>during his mini preview.. But the coaches were raving about how he could 
>start at the point. With more playing time he got comfortable and now is
very 
>good for an undrafted guy. 
>
>2) Players develop their game - even at the NBA level.
>Kedrick is a two year junior college player with some holes in his game..
>I.E. he can't hit the spot up jumper yet.. He needs to improve his outside 
>shooting. 
>Like Bruce Bowen he is a "jumpshot" away from being a good NBA contributor. 
>Since scores of other athletic players have improved their shooting Kedrick 
>stands a good chance as well.
>
>It's easy to second guess Wallace..but when you see an athlete like Kedrick 
>with some basketball skills its hard to fault his decision to take him. I 
>would have done the same thing. Thats why I defend him. 
>
>He has more upside then most of the players who are currently "better" then 
>him. There hasn't been an NBA superstar that's a mediocre athlete since
Larry 
>Bird. Wallace drafted what he thought was one 'safe' player and took a flyer 
>on a risky player like Kedrick. When O'Neal, Garnett, and Kobe were drafted 
>other GM's did exactly the same thing. They took unproved athletic players 
>over 'safe' college stars.
>
>That is the kind of risk taking we need out of a GM. Troy Murphy wouldn't 
>have made this a great team..he would have gotten 5 minutes a game backing
up 
>Walker. <g>
>
>We have two picks this year..
>I suspect Wallace will do the same kind of thing. He will pick some safe fan 
>favorite college star point guard like Hinrich, and take a flyer on some 
>unknown foreign kid/junior college guy/High Schooler with some upside...
>
>Pete