Some great stuff from Antoine today...

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Some things are so predictable. Who among us was surprised that:

1.	It took Obie all of three preseason games to park two of his rookies
on the bench for the whole game? Nice developmental skills. No one expects
Perkins and Hunter to play much during the regular season, but the third
preseason game? Are you kidding me?

2.	Obie would pull out the old "we haven't put in a halfcourt offense
yet" excuse? Forget three preseason games. We're going on three years and I
still haven't seen a halfcourt offense.

3.	And then there's the capper today from Antoine. Check out the quotes
below from today's Globe and Herald. Some of us have been saying all along
that nothing would change unless Antoine and Obie were gone. Well, are any
of the doubters starting to see why we said that? Do you think Ainge is
happy with the way things are going? 


"You can't just throw him into the fire and a lot of people can't be
expecting a lot from him. It's very difficult for a rookie to come in and
play on a team where the ball is dominated by two players. He has to find a
way he's going to be effective in the system. What a lot of people have got
to understand is guys are brought in to fit into me and Paul."

--- ---

And here's this on whether Banks' presence would allow Antoine to play a
more traditional power forward's role:

 ``That will never happen - it's impossible,'' Walker said after yesterday's
practice. ``What people have to understand is that guys have to fit into me
and Paul. 
	
     ``Marcus is a great talent, and he'll come along fine,'' said Walker,
who added that to this point his conversations with coach Jim O'Brien have
focused on improving the fast break - not a personal style change. 
	
     ``We've talked about playing up-tempo, but that's about it,'' Walker
said. ``To be honest, when all is said and done, it's back to the grind, as
always. I've been playing too long to even worry about it.''

--- --- ---

We read so much crap from the PR firm that we start to believe it. It worked
with Marcus Banks. The Celtics kept telling us he was the best, most
NBA-ready point guard in the draft, and gradually we just believed it. We
went from being disbelieving that they would promise to draft him at No. 20,
to being convinced that they got a steal by trading up to take him in the
lottery. I'm not down on Banks. I still think he'll be a good player and it
will happen this season. (But he's still no T.J. Ford. I watched Ford last
night, and he's a POINT GUARD-and not just in name only.) My point is just
that the PR firm regurgitates whatever the Celtics feed them so constantly
that eventually we all buy into it. Marcus Banks is the best point guard in
the draft... Marcus Banks is the best point guard in the draft... best point
guard in the draft... OK. Antoine is in great shape and everything will be
different... Antoine is in great shape and everything will be different...
everything will be different... Riiigghht. Obie just needed different
players. He's a fast-breaking, motion offense guy after all... Obie just
needed different players... He's a fast-breaking, motion offense guy after
all... Uh huh. 

I guess advertising does work.

Mark