RE: Devin Harris and Zydrunas Ilgauskas

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

Marcus may or may not be the point guard of the future. I don't think he
is. Some do. We'll see. But at best, the jury is still out. If you can
get a better player, you have to do it. Point guard is crucial. We have
Chucky to handle things for two more seasons, but we have to find the
long-term answer (and maybe short-term -- as good as Chucky has been, we
have to be open to upgrades).

The only position the Celts don't need to address in the draft is the
2/3 spot. If they can get an impact player at PF/C or PG, do it.

As for Ray's interest in Ilgauskas ... Yes, he has played 71 games this
season. Bill Walton played an entire season in 1986. Didn't mean he had
good feet or wasn't injury prone.

Look, if you can get Ilgauskas without giving up Perkins, maybe. But
then it's going to cost you Jiri -- and I'm not in favor of that.
Ilgauskas puts up decent stats, but he hasn't been the impact player
that he used to be. He has lost some quickness and just isn't the same
guy. Before all the injuries, he was a center who made you a playoff
team -- look back at the records. Since the injuries, he's a decent
center in a center-starved conference. 

Yes to a PG in the draft, no to Ilgauskas.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Giovanello [mailto:sgiovanello@xxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 11:06 AM
To: Berry, Mark S; Celtics@xxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Devin Harris and Zydrunas Ilgauskas

 I just think its to early to even be considering drafting a PG.  We
just took Marcus this past year and Danny obviously liked him.  He
talked him up big time as well (the most NBA ready point guard in the
draft - oops).  Even Danny's critics agree he has an average to above
average eye for talent.  Given all this, why are we basically giving up
on Banks after a season that has seen the team be blown up twice, a
coaching change, uneven playing time, and so forth.  

We added Chucky to mentor him as well.  Thus, we have a veteran to help
bring him along in the coming months and years.  To me, on a team with a
lot of holes, this looks like one position we should be set at for at
least the coming year (then we will have a better sense about Banks).

Arguably, we are set at PG (Banks, Atkins) SG (Jiri, Davis) SF (Pierce -
please put him here Danny - and Jiri).  This leaves PF and C as the
places we should be targetting for next year.  Its one thing to take a
project at the 2 or 3, but is it really worth drafting a project or any
other type of PG this year?

Sean Giovanello
Visiting Instructor
Department of Political Science
Stonehill College
North Easton, MA 02357
(508) 565-1283
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Berry, Mark S
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 10:41 AM
To: Celtics@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Devin Harris and Zydrunas Ilgauskas

On a couple of recent Ray posts:



The Celts love Devin Harris ... I like him, too. Someone compared him to
Gilbert Arenas and I think that's a pretty good comparison. He's
definitely an offensive-minded point guard, but the key is he's a point
guard. He plays point guard for Wisconsin. He's not a shooting guard who
would be switched to point guard (hello, Ben Gordon).



Is he my ideal Celtic point guard? No. But I think he'll be a good NBA
player. He has a lot of "stuff." He can shoot, but he also can get to
the rim, has a great mid-range game, knows how to use the glass, and he
sees the floor. I like him. He's not Jason Kidd, but those guys don't
come along that often. I think he's a better player than Marcus Banks.



On another draft note ... does anyone know if the Hoop Summit game will
be broadcast this weekend?



Zydrunas Ilgauskas ... No thanks. Not if it means parting with Kendrick
Perkins. You don't trade a young center with Kendrick's upside for an
aging, seriously injury-prone former all-star who is a shadow of the
player he once was. Ilgauskas was a great player before the injuries.
Now he's a good player. Nothing more. Stay away.



This and that:



... Danny tells Tommy he wants to see more of Marcus, Mihm and Hunter
and the same night Walter gets 46 minutes. Then, when Carroll sees
that's crazy, he plays Jumaine Jones instead of Hunter. Carroll knows
he's out of here, so he's not paying a lick of attention to anything
Ainge says. I don't really think it makes much of a difference at this
point (the ship has sailed), but it has to make Ainge simmer when
Carroll pulls this stuff.



... Danny talking about all the point guards in this draft. I don't
think he's sold on Banks either. Good. He shouldn't be.



... Did anyone have any thoughts on Okafor's performance Saturday? He
took over that game with four or five blocks in the first 10 minutes.
Just changed the way it was going to be played. Dwight Howard may be
great, but if he went to college and stuck around for three years,
wouldn't any coach in America be THRILLED if he turned out to be as good
as Emeka Okafor? How much better than Okafor could he be? And with
Okafor, you know you're getting a strong work ethic, a leader and a
team-first guy. If I were a GM with the top pick, I wouldn't think
twice. No way I'd take Howard over Okafor. No way.



Mark