Thankful or Thank full (of it)?

[Eric Albert]

>Ryan W <ubiquitous_am_i at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>I think you're missing the point.  Keeping Antoine
>gives us legitimacy, guarantees us a spot in the
>playoffs year after year and lets the youngsters
>observe first hand the sacrifice it takes to win.

I watched almost every game of the Antoine era(s)
and I just don't get it.  Yeah, the youngsters
would have learned about sacrifice -- the sacrifice
of never ever seeing the ball once it was in Toine's
hands.  (After the first few minutes of the first
quarter, that is, when he'd show off his passing,
and pick up his assists.)

I documented a game for this list in which Antoine
*never* -- that is, not once -- passed the ball in
the second, third, or fourth quarter.  And this was
after he returned to the Celtics, when he was
supposedly "more mature."

Antoine had his skills, but he never got them under
control, and he didn't use them for the good of the
team.

Cripes, give me Ryan Gomes (who is already out-
rebounding Antoine, in Antoine's best years, per-
minute), any day of the week.  Heck, give me Wally,
who's scoring almost as much as Antoine did in
Toine's all-time best year, but is doing it in *ten*
minutes less per game (and with the ball in his hands
a hundredth the amount of time).

Ryan and Wally don't give you every positive that
Toine did, but they also avoid just about every
negative, and, on balance, that's a huge win.  You
can build an efficient, winning team around Ryan and
Wally.  You can't do it with Toine.

-- Eric