Knowing one's role...

[Ryan W <ubiquitous_am_i@xxxxxxxxx>]

Before we get to knowing one's role (wouldn't we all
like to know our role in this world?), a little
meta-list commentary is in order.  Snoopy, congrats on
writing the meanest post in a long time.  I never
thought I'd see you snap like that.  It's good to get
the anger out (or it'll eat you up) and I assume
you'll return to your lovable self shortly...(though
more use of expletives in the subject header is always
welcome).   As for Shawn Niles, way to shown
restraint.  Snoop just flipped the f-ck out, no need
to exacerbate the situation, especially when, on its
face, Snoop's email was bordering on insanity (for
example, Snoop wrote, "If you do not follow these
instructions EXACTLY, you are forfeiting any claim
concerning anyone's existence or lack thereof." 
Forfeiting any claim concerning anyone's existence or
lack thereof....hmmmm....interesting....sounds like a
clever insult, but I don't think it actually means
anything....but nonetheless, Good Job! Snoop, way to
show your teeth).  

Now, to the actual point of this email....I've been
following the postings the last few days and I'll have
to tell you all that most everyone is missing the big
picture regarding two players....Kedrick and Marcus. 
Follow me here.  Both are 22.  Both are attempting to
live up to immense expectations.  It was opening
night.  Both were simply monumentally nervous.  And
while, surely, if they both continue to perform as
they did on Wednesday night, measures will have to be
taken, but it is way to early, RIGHT NOW, to get on
their asses.  Kedrick, for one, was passive, but I
believe it was more a case of him simply pressing too
much....he'll definately rebound better tonight.  Give
him 20 games in the starter's spot and then get back
to me.  As for Marcus, again, this was his first game
in the NBA.  In the short time we've had Marcus, two
things are clear:  He puts alot of pressure upon
himself and he eventually settles down and contributes
(remember the preseason?  He sucked the first game,
didn't suck as much the 2nd, was decent the third game
and was going good thereafter....the same thing will
happen in the regular season).  WE don't need another
God-damned point guard....Marcus will be starting by
mid-season (yes, Mark Berry, I'm totally refuting your
claim that our point guard spot is a weakness....Mike
James is surprisingly a good player...Darryl
Armstrong-like....he's an excellent "glue player", is
a good teammate, and will become one of the new
leaders of this team....have you seen him in post-game
interviews?...this is a guy that everyone on the team
is going to love, plus he makes plays, hits threes,
had 6 assists last night--even if they weren't
highlight assists there were still positives, and he
rebounds well).

And now onto one's role...  Right now, E Williams is
in a perfect spot.  He is in a contract year (thus
being especially motivated).  The Antoine trade has
given him shot opportunities he hasn't had since prior
to his knee injury.  He's healthy and comfortable on a
team in which he's become the veteran sage (see his
"spirituality" comments in Thursday's papers).  Of
course, this leads your typically stupid fan to deduce
that he should be starting.  NO!  He's the perfect 6th
man....coming in, as he said in the paper on Thursday,
as the most rested and energetic player on the court,
he's on another level and really gives the C's an
advantage with the second unit.  Few players are
actually "good" at being sixth men.  E has a chance to
be one of those players....the only thing he needs is
O'Brien coming out and praising him along the lines of
"E is our 6th man....we want him out there destroying
the other teams tiring first teamers..."  This public
recognition of E's worth, this defining of E's role,
will further help him perform as a 6th Man....because
once someone knows what's expected of them and what
they can expect from that expectation (i.e., that E
will be the first off the bench and that he's expected
to be an offensive performer out there and not just a
defender), then they become more comfortable and
productive.  This said, I haven't even gotten to the
most exciting thing:  E is great on offense.  I
remember back to his first two years with the C's.  He
was a great freakin offensive weapon.  I had thought
that he'd lost that edge since the knee surgery....but
apparently he just shelved it when he came back to the
C's, since we already had two players taking the
majority of the shots.  Bill Simmons was correct in
his Ewing Theory discussion the C's--which appears on
Espn.com today as a part of a Eastern Conference
preview--when he said that players are just itching to
show that they can succeed without Antoine.  As such,
E is going to have a career year (resulting in him
resigning with the C's this summer) and a possible
Sixth Man of the Year trophy to go with it...

Ryan

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