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RE: The Celts lineup
If this potential other deal does go down, in no way would I start Griffin at the PF spot. I would make him earn a starting spot over a player who the coach says has been the hardest working guy in preseason. No?
Cecil
-----Original Message-----
From: John [mailto:fozzyrocks@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: October 24, 2003 7:24 AM
To: celtics@xxxxxxxx
Subject: The Celts lineup
Wow!!!
Gone: Tony Battie (C) - Antoine Walker (F) - Eric Williams (F) - Tony
Delk (G) -
In: Raef LaFrentz (C/PF) - Eddie Griffin (F) - Cuttino Mobley (G) - Jiri
Welsch (G/SF) - Chris Mills (SF) - John Amaechi (C/PF) - 1st Round Pick
Tony Battie - Hard working and very likeable player who in my opinion
always (when healthy) gave it his all, but often-injured and never
capable of playing to the level that a starting center of a championship
calibre team requires.
Personally, Batman was my favorite player on the team aside from the two
stars.
Antoine Walker - What can be said that hasn't already been said and
repeated a few million times previously by any fan who seriously follows
the Celtics and watches them.
Occasionally borderline superstar, some days mid-bench caliber, but
unfortunately for him too often moving from one end to the other. His
inconsistencies in every area of his game really limited his value for a
team looking to make the necessary rebuilding to become a championship
quality team and Danny Ainge realised this from day one. Had he not had
previous bad coaching which allowed him to have bad habits from an early
stage in his professional career which he was never able to overcome.
The past three off-seasons he spent under the guidance of Michael
Jordan's personal trainer, Tim Grover, but as good a condition he came
into camp at, his limitations both as a player and as a person (unable
to overcome the coaching he had under Pitino - one of Rick's real
failures - Toine had (and has) so much "god given" natural ability)
always made him the target for the fans.
Eric Williams - One of Jim O'Brien's favorite players. We'll never know
what he may have become in a modern Boston team without Antoine Walker,
however at his age (31) was never going to be a part of Danny Ainge's
long-term picture in Boston. We'll sorely miss his toughness and
leadership (in my opinion his leadership was as rock solid as either
captain), but in real terms his loss will not truly fit as it allows
Kedrick Brown (22) and Jumaine Jones (24) both an opportunity to emerge
as Boston's starting small forward if not for the short term but for the
long-term depending upon their success, depending on what they plan to
do with Paul Pierce, Cuttino Mobley, Kedrick Brown, Jumaine Jones.
Tony Delk - The final piece of the short-sighted trade made with the
Phoenix Suns prior to the 2002 trade deadline. While it was Rodney
Rogers who made the most impact on that Boston team (Delk was playing
through an injury and Erick Strickland was more effective) Delk gave the
Celtics some experience in the guard spot last season. He'll not be
missed as much as the others but he played his heart out.
Raef LaFrentz - A multi-skilled center who provides the Celtics with
options at the center, power forward position that the team has lacked
since at least Dino Radja left the Celtics and quite probably longer.
His shot blocking ability will be a welcome addition to long suffering
Celtics supporters. His inside-outside offensive touch will also keep
opponents guessing. He may play a better inside-outside game than
Antoine Walker.
Eddie Griffin - Heavily criticized but supremely talented. May in fact
possess more talent than Antoine Walker. He needs the right situation to
bring it out of him and Boston may be it. Is still extremely young (21 -
would be second youngest on the team next either side of Kendrick
Perkins and Kedrick Brown). He also is a shot blocker. Has all-round
ability. His talent was considered so special that Houston gave up three
first round draft picks in 2001(NJ turned the picks into Richard
Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong) to get him.
Cuttino Mobley - A creative gunner who enjoys playing the mid-range
game. His shot extends to the three-point line (.366 career 508/1387)
but makes his living mid-range. You may consider this guy to be the
Deluxe Version of Tony Delk. Will become the immediate starter at the
shooting guard position and has the ball handling ability to help out
the Celtics point guards, inparticular the rookie, Marcus Banks.
Jiri Welsch - A very multi-skilled player who possesses great ball
handling ability and court smarts. I was pissed off when the Warriors
traded him, essentially as a throw-in to the Mavericks in the original
Antawn Jamison trade. Never did I know that we would soon acquire him as
a throw-in in the Antoine Walker trade.
I keenly read several reviews from heavily involved Golden State Warrior
people who had very nice things to say of him- often commenting that he
was one of the best practice players and often beat Gilbert Arenas and
Jason Richardson but due to Musselman preferring to play those two as
well as super sub Earl Boykins, Jiri's opportunities were sparse.
The Warriors deemed Welsch's problems to be a lack of athleticism and
drafted highly regarded swingman Mickael Pietrus which made Welsch
expendable.
I believe this guy will be a steal and has the ability to become a
player somewhere from 6 to 8 in a very good team. If he doesn't emerge
as that we cannot be disappointed as he has to be considered a throw-in
regardless of Ainge stating that he wouldn't have pulled the trigger on
the Toine trade without him.
Chris Mills - He won't play a game for the Celtics and if he does then
he's not going to be considered an integral part at all. What he brings
to the team - its already been addressed - is the ability for the team
at the end of the season to spend their mid-level exception for the
first time in three (?) years.
John Amaechi - a cap-filler added in purely to make the salaries work in
the Eric Williams + Tony Battie for Eddie Griffin + Cuttino Mobley
trade. I would expect the team to waive him as soon as the deal was
completed as he doesn't add anything to the team and in my opinion is
inferior to even Mark Blount.
1st Round Pick (Dallas Mavericks) - While the pick will be low (possibly
as low as the 29th pick in the NBA Draft) it will allow the Celtics to
draft another talent, most probably a European player who we can stash
away until they've developed.
The team
Starting Five
C - Raef LaFrentz - Mark Blount - Kendrick Perkins
PF - Eddie Griffin - Vin Baker - Brandon Hunter
SF - Paul Pierce - Jumaine Jones - Walter McCarty
SG - Cuttino Mobley - Kedrick Brown - Jiri Welsch
PG - Marcus Banks - Mike James
What are your thoughts?