From: robert@aero.org (R. S. Statsinger)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Re: La Lakers
Date: 23 Dec 1992 02:01:22 GMT
Organization: Your Guess Is As Good As Mine...
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: halcyon.aero.org

In article <42818@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> kompella@cs.ucsd.edu (Vachaspathi Kompella) writes:
|
| [Vach herein quotes a bunch of shit and attributes it to me....
|   NONE OF WHICH I WROTE. PLEASE WATCH YOUR ATTRIBUTIONS, BUDDY] 
|
|Robert Statsinger's distaste for Scott seems to start from Scott's
|presumptuousness at the beginning of his career.  

That's only part of it. He is a one dimensional player, and I've
simply been responding to those who think that all of a sudden
he isn't. He has also, throughout most of his career, been a sulker
par excellence.......

|If Scott's role is defined
|as above, then I think his contribution has been exactly what was expected of
|him.  I doubt if West or Riley saw Scott as Scott saw himself.  I like Scott
|for this role, and his numbers this year show a return to the pre-hamstring form.
|I, for one, used to cheer his jump shots when the defense was worrying about
|Worthy and Kareem, and hope that this year he's going to do the same, with
|Randy Pfund trying out all these big man combinations with Vlade, Worthy,
|Elden, Edwards and Perkins.

I have no argument with any of this, Vach. If he could CONSISTENTLY hit
the open jumper, and did not pout when things didn't go his way, and did
not think that he is much better than he is, I'd lay off.......

|Worthy definitely needs the good crisp passer that Magic needs, but his current
|slump is not because of the lack of passes.  He was quite capable of picking
|up ~18-20 points solely on his quick moves to the hole, outside 17 footers and
|posting up.  He has lost that also.  He's suffering from a major case of
|"Back from Surgery" blues.  I am waiting for them to clear up.  I wonder if
|his knees hurt him or whether it's purely psychological.  Robert, I'm waiting
|for your response.

As I have said, I think that Worthy is sound physically, ie he has recovered
from his knee surgery, but is a step or 2 slower than a few years ago.
I think he's currently mentally depressed because he's not scoring alot
in his traditional "gimme" ways (ie, the easy ways in which he'd score
when Magic could get him the ball near the hoop), and this depression
has hurt his confidence and affected his game in ALL FACETS.

And I've said all this before in previous posts.

|I like Scott, but he is never going to be an All-Star.  Worthy is one, and
|the Lakers need him badly.  Worthy is capable of stepping up his play to
|be a defensive force, a fast break weapon, and a tolerable passer whenever
|he shoots badly.

COMPLETE AGREEMENT. Worthy's all-around game is FAR MORE complete
than is Scott's.

|On another note, why did the Lakers keep Jack Haley and dump Sean Higgins?
|I thought they had enough big men and a forward would have helped.  If Jack
|is going to be on the DL for the entire season, what's the use of wasting
|a spot on the roster?

They don't waste a spot on the roster. Haley, being on the DL, does not
count. I can't say why they chose to play that game with him, instead
of with Higgins. Perhaps they felt they had enough rookies. Perhaps
they felt that they wanted one more big - although pretty much useless -
big man as insurance against Edwards getting hurt. Perhaps Haley simply
earns less than what they'd have had to pay Higgins.

				R.S.

Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro