Re: in response to Egg

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> I understand what you are saying, Josh.  But to modify an Aingeism, 
> are we on the same page?

pretty much, I think.

> 
> I agree that l'il Mr. Powerpuff (Banks) is quick as a cat and can get to 
> the lane.  But how sure are we that his athleticism will eventually 
> translate into good court decisions, court vision, and court leadership? 
> Have we seen any of these qualities yet?

we've seen it in flashes.  

> 
> As for Bank's defense, he has the distinct disadvantage of being shorter 
> than almost every player he attempts to guard.  So again, will quick
> automatically lead to crafty effective?

Not automatically.  But there have been some very effective
defenders under six feet in NBA history, aggressive, ball-hawking
guards.  I wouldn't want him to cover the Zoran Planics and
LeBron Jameses of the world, but I feel comfortable even now
with Marcus covering normal-sized points.  Everyone who 
praised Banks on defense knew he was short;  defense is the
last part of his game that I'm worried about.

I'm not saying Banks is a lock to become a great player.  He
might wash out of the league like a lot of other undersized players,
Shawn Respert and Pearl Washington and all the rest.  But he
might not.  We can only go by what we see, which is a mix of
success and failure, encouraging and discouraging signs.

Josh
> 
> Egg