Sure, he was a good player. I don't see why we have to pretend he was a force though. I'm not saying that you or anyone else has to in the sense of him being a truly exceptional player. The reality is, however, that he is a "force" in terms of how this team has been constructed. If he can't get back to his old (albeit streaky and obviously flawed) ways then this team is likely screwed unless Nady can rebound from his surgery and/or Colvin continues being a miracle. He's a "force" in that this team is likely sunk if he sucks.