Suddenly, Point Guard a Position of Strength
By Conrad Brunner
Sept. 19, 2003
All of a sudden, point guard is a position of strength.
The signing of veteran Kenny Anderson on Friday signaled a dramatic
increase in the overall talent, depth and experience at what had been
the team’s thinnest position entering the offseason. Jamaal Tinsley
has been the starter in each of his first two NBA seasons and is
expected to continue in that role. But with Anderson and fellow veteran
newcomer Anthony Johnson added to a mix that also includes third-year
player Jamison Brewer and training camp invitee Omar Cook, the position
is replete with possibilities.
“I’m sick of hearing, ‘You need a point guard,’’’ said CEO and
President Donnie Walsh. “Now we have a really good group of point guards.
That position is going to be very competitive.”
Anderson was not signed to supplant Tinsley, but to support him. Walsh
said the franchise has been very encouraged by Tinsley’s offseason
work (his weight is down to 185) and continues to believe he will be
the long-term answer at the position. But Walsh also knows the value
of quality depth. It was something the team lacked last season when
Erick Strickland, more comfortable at shooting guard, was the primary
backup.
“Look, I think this: You have to start accepting there’s going to be
competition for spots,” Walsh said. “Going into the summer, we liked
Jamaal and his potential and his game a lot. But we also recognized he
was a third-year player. So we said our intention was to try to go out
and get some veteran people around him, so we’re not putting too much
pressure on a guy that is still early in his career, putting the whole
load on him. Now we have two great veterans, I think.”
Anderson, a 6-1, 170-pound guard, played last season with Seattle and
New Orleans. He has career averages of 13.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and
6.4 assists in 771 games. Anderson, drafted by the New Jersey Nets out
of Georgia Tech, was the second overall draft pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.
He has played for New Jersey, Charlotte, Portland, Boston, Seattle and
New Orleans in 12 seasons.
Anderson, who turns 33 next month, was the top point guard available
on the free agent market. He averaged 6.1 points and 3.2 assists last
season. A starter most of his career, Anderson most recently filled the
role with Boston in 2001-02, starting 76 games and helping the Celtics
reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
“He adds an element we’re not sure we have,” Walsh said. “We have
Anthony Johnson, who we really like. Jamaal Tinsley is going into his
third year. But Kenny can score the ball and with some of the combinations
we’ll have out there, it might be good to have a guy that can score
the ball at the point guard position.
“He’s a veteran player that knows what he’s doing, he can run the
pick-and-roll, he knows how to create his own shot, he can shoot from
the outside. He can do both; he can score and play point guard.”
Anderson had other options but told Walsh he chose the Pacers in part
because of the presence of coach Rick Carlisle – who was an assistant
with the Nets and Trail Blazers when Anderson was with those teams.
“This is where I wanted to be and I am glad that it worked out,” said
Anderson. “It is a great fit for me.”
Anderson also had drawn interest from Miami, Boston and Dallas.
“What makes it even nicer is he wanted to be here,” Walsh said.
“He could’ve gone to other teams, but he said he thought he fit in
here. He wanted to come here from the beginning of the summer. Then
when we signed Rick, he thought that was perfect.”
After the 2001-02 season, the Celtics traded him (along with Joe Forte
and Vitaly Potapenko) to Seattle for Vin Baker and Shammond Williams
last July. The Sonics then dealt Anderson to New Orleans for Elden
Campbell just before the NBA Trade Deadline in February.
“We are very happy to have Kenny aboard,” said President of Basketball
Operations Larry Bird. “He will be a great addition to the team.
He gives us an extra point guard to help provide us with depth at that
position. He has always been one of my favorites and I look forward to
working with him.”
Cook, who participated in the Pacers’ Rookie and Free Agent Camp in
July, will try to win a roster spot in training camp. The 6-1, 195-pound
guard from St. John’s entered the NBA Draft after his freshman season,
when he ranked second in the nation in assists (8.7), but failed to stick.
He was an honorable mention All-NBDL player last season when he was second
in the league in assists (5.4) for the Fayetteville (NC) Patriots.
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