[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Don't get the detractors
p.s. LaFrentz AND chucky atkins, who is now the
worst athlete on the team.
josh
----- Original Message -----
From: "Josh Ozersky" <jozersky@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 5:18 PM
Subject: Re: Don't get the detractors
> I don't think it is wrong.
>
> Here's the best team of the Bird Era roster:
>
> Larry Bird
> Kevin McHale
> Robert Parish
> Dennis Johnson
> Danny Ainge
> Scott Wedman
> Bill Walton
> Jerry Sichting
> David Thirdkill
> Sam Vincent
> Sly Williams
> Rick Carlisle
>
> vs. our current roster:
>
> Chucky Atkins
> 11 Marcus Banks
> 30 Mark Blount
> 12 Ricky Davis
> 56 Brandon Hunter
> 20 Jumaine Jones
> 45 Raef LaFrentz*
> 0 Walter McCarty
> 4 Chris Mihm
> 43 Kendrick Perkins*
> 34 Paul Pierce
> 5 Michael Stewart
> 44 Jiri Welsch
>
> The only top flight athletes on the first roster are DJ, and maybe
> Ainge. Pierce might be comparable to DJ physically, and he's probably
> the third best athlete on the team (after davis, walter, and jumaine
jones.)
> That's just at the top; go down the roster, and you'd have a hard time
> making the case that a single player on the 86 roster could compete
> in a combine-style physical drill with ANY of our current roster. Only
> LaFrentz could be out quicked and/or out-muscled or out-leapt by a member
> of the greatest team in recent basketball history.
>
> Josh
>
> The current Celtics have no less than
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 4:50 PM
> Subject: Re: Don't get the detractors
>
>
> > Perhaps so, but that's not what Dan said.
> >
> > He said, "They regularly dumped on the Bird era slomo basketball yet we
> > won't 3 titles from a superior athletic team."
> > To me, that means that Dan is stating that THIS CURRENT CELTICS ROSTER
is
> > athletically superior to the Bird-era teams.
> >
> > And that, I say, is wrong.
> >
> > At 04:31 PM 2/22/2004, Josh Ozersky wrote:
> >
> > >Snoopy,
> > >
> > >I think what people mean when say that "athletically superior"
> > >is not that they are better players, but just have greater physical
> > >tools. "athleticism" in this sense basically is an umbrella term
> > >for vertical leap, quickness, and so on. Think of Jerome Moiso,
> > >and some of the freak specimens recently imported to the NBA
> > >from exotic lands. That's all it means. The bird teams had two
> > >great athletes in DJ and Ainge, and of course all three frontcourt
> > >players had great physical gifts (Bird's hand quickness, Parish's
> > >footspeed, McHale's ridiculous arms) but were generally klutzy
> > >and cumbersome in comparison with the league's sleekest specimens.
> > >
> > >Josh
> > >----- Original Message -----
> > >From: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > >To: <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
> > >Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 4:12 PM
> > >Subject: Re: Don't get the detractors
> > >
> > >
> > > > Wait a minute, there. I can't be reading that one right. Did you
> just
> > > > state that the current roster of Celtics players are athletically
> superior
> > > > to the "Bird era" teams???
> > > >
> > > > Because if you did, I have point out that I believe you are wrong.
> > > >
> > > > Let's look at some of the players of the "Bird Era", 1979-80 to
> 1991-92,
> > > > focusing on the most recognizable names. I went to
> www.celticstats.com
> > >for
> > > > the list.
> > > >
> > > > Danny Ainge, Nate Archibald, Dee Brown, Larry Bird, Quinn Buckner,
ML
> > >Carr,
> > > > Don Chaney, Dave Cowens, Chris Ford, Kevin Gamble, Gerald Henderson,
> > >Dennis
> > > > Johnson, Reggie Lewis, Pete Maravich, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale,
> Robert
> > > > Parish, Rick Robey, Brian Shaw, Jerry Sichting, and Bill Walton.
> > > >
> > > > Now, let's look at the roster as it is today:
> > > >
> > > > Chucky Atkins, Vin Baker, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis,
> Brandon
> > > > Hunter, Lindsey Hunter, Jumaine Jones, Raef LaFrentz, Walter
McCarty,
> > >Chris
> > > > Mihm, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Michael Stewart, and Jiri
Welsch.
> > > >
> > > > Of that group, Raef is out for the season, Atkins couldn't even
report
> to
> > > > play because of a biopsy performed in the wake of his physical,
> Lindsey
> > > > Hunter was put on waivers before the ink dried on the trade
> > > > agreement, Baker's situation is up in the air until the arbitration
> is
> > > > complete.
> > > >
> > > > Of those who ARE playing, Banks, Brandon Hunter, and Perkins are all
> > > > rookies. Welsh has one year to his name. Chris Mihm can't go more
> than a
> > > > few minutes without collecting fouls like trading cards, Blount
drops
> any
> > > > pass sent to him faster than 5 mph, Walter's been relegated to three
> point
> > > > shooting so long he's nearly forgotten how to do anything else, and
> no
> > >one
> > > > seems to know what they're doing as a team.
> > > >
> > > > So, I think we've resolved the relative athletic abilities of these
> > >groups.
> > > >
> > > > as to the "Bird era slomo teams" concept, try asking Pat Riley how
> many
> > > > grey hairs he got when the three slowest guys in NBA history--Larry
> Bird,
> > > > Robert Parish, and Bill Walton--were running the fast break against
> the
> > > > Lakers and winning!!
> > > >
> > > > Those teams racked up three consecutive seasons of 60+ wins in the
> regular
> > > > season. That means in three consecutive years, the won over 180
> > > > games. This team won 129 games in the three seasons prior to this
> one,
> > > > That's an average of 43 wins each season. Don't gripe about the
> lockout
> > > > year, because they were losing so badly(35-47), their percentages
> would
> > > > likely have dropped if it had gone the full 82 games. RIGHT NOW,
> they're
> > > > 23-34.
> > > >
> > > > I like our current team, and want very much for them to find a way
to
> > > > win. But there is no way on this earth or any other--unless there's
> an
> > > > earth out there where the Celtics roster comprises the membership of
> the
> > > > Justice League--that this group can in any compare with that one.
> Only
> > > > Paul Pierce can make any reasonable claim to being in that mix, and
> his
> > > > recent play has diminished him considerably in that regard.
> > > >
> > > > It just isn't so.
> > > >
> > > > At 02:49 PM 2/22/2004, Dan Forant wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >The detractors have made it political like and just don't like
Ainge
> > >because
> > > > >he shipped out Toine's uncoachable butt.. I'm convinced even if in
a
> year
> > >2
> > > > >or 3 we win the Conference they will be naysayers because of the
> Toine
> > > > >trade. The Boston Press is true to form. They regularly dumped on
the
> > >Bird
> > > > >era slomo basketball yet we won't 3 titles from a superior athletic
> team.
> > > > >
> > > > >DanF
> > > >
> > > > Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
> > > > Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle
Website