allen

[Mark Piotrowski]

that may be the case Eric -- that the NBA has made it less productive 
to tank -- but that's hardly what we're doing.

We're being torn apart by the injury bug we've been fortunate to 
avoid largely in the last few years, in rough ordr of current NBA 
talent/play:

1. Pierce -- will end up missing close to 2 months w/ a stress fracture

2. Jefferson -- missed 3-4 weeks with an appendicitis (sp?)

3. West -- has been generally banged up all season, but soldiering through

4. Allen -- will miss 2/3 of the season w/ torn ACL/MCL/NBDL

5. Perkins -- missed all of December w/ Plantar Fasciitis

6 - 9.  Gomes, Telfair and Green -- have all been fairly healthy

10. Ratliff -- missed all but, what, 45 mins? He really would have 
been a valuable sub.

11. Scalabrine -- the next victim?  sprained MCL?

12/13. Rondo + Powe -- also both been healthy

14. Olowokandi -- 9 of 34 games.  Also would have been a nice sub.

15. Sczcerbiak -- yes, i'm really this down on Wally.  I'm ready for 
the World Era to be done.  But at least a part of that is due to his 
missing nearly 1/3 of our games to 2 ankle injuries.


So the only guys who've been healthy all season are two 2nd rounders 
(Gomes, Powe), a rookie (Rondo) and guys who would be a Junior and 
Sophmore respectively if they'd stayed in college.

This isn't a tank job -- it's a M.A.S.H. unit!

Same thing happened with San Antonio when they got both Robinson and 
Duncan.  We've got young talent that has at times played REALLY well 
together.  W/O the injuries (or Doc?) we're a solid .500 team. 

(the other) mark



-----Original Message-----
From: celtics-bounces at igtc.com [mailto:celtics-bounces at igtc.com] On
Behalf Of Eric Albert
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 1:22 PM
To: The Boston Celtics Mailing List
Subject: RE: allen


>Oh, I'm OK with where we're headed. It just hasn't been real fun. It
>should all be worth it in June. I hope.
>
>Mark

If you mean Oden (and you may not), I just don't get this line of
thought.  Even if we have the worst record in the league (which
will be a challenge, even now), the odds are heavily against us
getting the #1 pick.

The NBA has put some effort into making it unprofitable to tank
the season.  Of all the strategies for trying to improve a team,
losing games to get the #1 pick has to be the worst.  You give up
an entire season, then get to watch some other team take "your"
prize.

Don't people remember how it felt last time?

-- Eric