RE: C's face point of contention

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:32 PM 10/14/03 -0400, Kestutis Kveraga wrote:
>Yeah... it's the method we're concerned about. Sacramento's, Dallas's and NJ's
>best players also have the majority of plays and shots go through them, but
>with very different results. I also don't recall anyone making remarks like
>Antoine's, although I'm sure Jordan came pretty close. But even Jordan bought
>into the triangle system, and he had more ability to win games by himself than
>Antoine ever will. Like Hardaway and Jordan said, he's knucklehead. He 
>will not
>change without a major event like a trade or a serious injury, and maybe not
>even then.
>Kestas

And this brings up the problem with Walker.  It's not the style of play, or 
Obie, or Danny Ainge.  It's that Walker seems to be learning not only 
Jordan's style of conditioning, but his self-centered style of play as 
well.  Jordan has always displayed a "me first" style on and off the 
court.  It's one of the reasons I've always maintained that Bird is a 
better player--Bird knew from the beginning that the team won games, not 
the "superstar".  Jordan had to have it drilled into him in Chicago and 
promptly discarded the concept in Washington.  And Walker, suffering from 
hero-worship, is eagerly learning from Jordan's example.

Frankly, I'd have much preferred if Walker had spent the summer hanging 
with the likes of Cousy, Bird or even Tommy Heinsohn.  Granted, Tommy beats 
us over the head with the running game, but where Walker is concerned, he's 
dead right.

And Walker passes this on to Pierce.  As much as the style of play the past 
few seasons has stifled their ability to think more about passing than 
shooting, their influence is dominated by the likes of Jordan.  I don't 
deny that they should still take shots when needed--despite their 
occasional questionable selection, they're still generally the go-to guys 
in crunch time.  They just need to develop other options during the game, 
so that if Pierce is double or triple teamed, he has someone reasonably 
reliable to pass out to.  To give Pierce credit, I've seen him actually do 
this a few times, though he needs to display more confidence in his teammates.

If you look at some of Walker's offensive attacks, they're nearly identical 
to some of Jordan's moves.  The problems is, Jordan got away with a lot of 
it because he had more sheer physical ability than Walker.  Antoine is like 
many young players and fans, gleefully mimicking the moves of their idol.

Reminds me of a story Charles Schulz told.  In school, he used to draw a 
very good Popeye, often decorating fellow student's notebooks.  When people 
were choosing drawings for a school exhibition, his were 
overlooked--because they weren't original.  He went with original material 
and the rest is history.

Walker needs to go with some original material.  He can be a great passer 
when he chooses to be.  Cousy was and is legendary for his passing.  walker 
could end up being the wave of the future. And maybe someday, kids will 
learn from him because of it.


Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
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