Low esteem

I might get some folks that disagree with me entirely, but while reading through a few stories tonight, I saw some quotes that irked me about the current state of the roster.

Here's P.J.

“Coming down the stretch, you’ve got to have someone that can get you a bucket, a quality shot, or a quality shot for somebody else. At times we’ve been able to get that, but more often than not we haven’t been able to get that—manufacturing points at the free throw line, or getting that crucial bucket at that crucial part of the game. This team needs that. Whether Paxson can figure that out, make that happen, and bring that in here, we’ll have to see.”

And here's BG.

"Just the way this team is set up, the load is on the guards," Gordon said. "We rely so much on our draw-and-kick game. It's tough sometimes when we can't go down [to the post] consistently. We have guys who can score, who can pick-and-pop. But we don't have anybody who can go down there five, six times in a row and get something.

Now these are perfectly reasonable statements, ones that we have been making for months. But unlike these two, we have no control over the game. It's one thing if Dye tells reporters that he thinks the Sox bullpen needs tweaking -- he physically doesn't have the skills to pitch (although I wouldn't put it past him because he's so money). And I think it's totally appropriate for players to talk about trades given that it is such a prominent part of the sport. But these guys could personally alleviate some of the problems the claim exist. What is stopping Gordon from attacking the rim and getting to the line more than the six times he's averaging now? What's stopping P.J. from establishing himself as a viable scorer down low, even if he only gets 20 minutes a game? It's one thing to assess your team critically but it's another to realize a weakness and then make a concerned effort to improve in that area before you talk like you're the GM.