From: "Josh Ozersky" <jozersky@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Mark Piotrowski" <markp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Celtics" <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: random things make you say Hmmmm
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 11:14:15 -0500
Just had a quick look at nbadraft.net....I can't remember the last time I was this unexcited about a draft. We already have major development projects on this team who haven't gotten enough minutes, and this draft seems top heavy with finesse baby KG types and unproven point guards. What I would like to see is a Boozer-like animal, a tough-as-nails hungry, aggressive player, with a ready made game. A guard like this would be good too, an Artest / Quentin Richardson type. At the top, Ekafor is the only prospect that turns me on, because a major shotblocker is the one thing that could really turn the Celtics around. He's only 6 9" but so was Bill Russell. As for the usual crop of "next gasols" I think I'll pass. Those guys need the ball a lot to develop, and they won't get that in Boston. Bring me ready-made players at this stage, from good programs with real coaches. You can draft unskilled freak athletes with the low picks.
Josh
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Piotrowski" <markp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: "Celtics" <celtics@xxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 10:39 AM Subject: random things make you say Hmmmm
> -- don't know if anyone caught Inside the NBA after the Warriors upset > of the Spurs, but they had John Thompson interviewing Yao Ming and > Patrick Ewing. Ewing & Ming were sitting next to each other and it > demonstrated just how BIG Ming is. Ewing looked like a guard sitting > next to Yao (imagine say Mark Jackson sitting next to Ewing) -- easily > a foot shorter than Ming. It was incredible. > > > -- Its easy to forget that Ricky Davis is still so young and still > growing as a player -- which is scary. In fact did you realize he's > only a year & 2 months older than Brandon Hunter? And only 4 months > older than Jiri Welsch? It's so sad that the national media just goes > on and on about Davis being a cancer -- as if people can never change. > Paul Silas was on PTI yesterday and "wouldn't touch" Bob Ryan's > question about sticking it to the Celts by trading them Davis. > > I love Davis' play since coming here, especially his passing, his > (vastly underrated) midrange game, his hustle and diving on the floor > and his sheer enthusiasm. Ricky has a schtick. He's part streetballer > (caught him on ESPN2 late Saturday playing a few years back with the > And1 crew), but all these media types (like Tony Kornheiser, Stephen A. > Smith, etc.) want to destroy him b/c of it -- as if they didn't have a > schtick and as if their's weren't more irritating. > > I see no reason -- and I mean this sincerely -- that Ricky Davis can't, > given 32-36 mins a night, produce at the level of Antoine Walker's avg. > over his last 2 years here. (21 pt, 8 reb, 5 asst, 1.5 stl). Maybe > Davis could only get 6 reb a game, but he's as good -- if not better -- > a passer as Walker (though, ironically, less flashy), hustles more, and > shoots a much higher FG% (48.2 since coming to Boston). > > > > -- current draft standings: 12, 24 (DAL), 25 (DET) > > NBA Draft.net: > 12 - Josh Childress (6-7 SG Stanford) though Kosta Perovic (7-2 C > Serbia) is at #13 (portland) > 24 - Rashad McCants (6-3 SG, N. Carolina) > 25 - Rafael Araujo (6-11 C, BYU) > > Personally I couldn't see Ainge taking a SG at 24...I think he goes big > with both the 24 & 25 picks, unless there is a surprise slider. 7-3 Ha > Seung-Jin (S. Korea) is slated at 27 (San Antonio) and HS PF Al > Jefferson (6-8) at 30. > > 42 - Timmy Bowers (6-2 PG, Miss. St.).