Next free agents

["Jay Bergan & Jill Hutchinson" <bergan@ici.net>]

With the deal for Eric Williams for two second rounders it does make you
wonder what the heck they are doing at the Celtics headquarters.	

It could be possible that the celtics needed to do this deal with the
Nuggets so they could get LaPhonso Ellis from the Nuggets.  This is really
unlikely but it could be possible that they needed to basicly give them
Eric Williams so the Nuggets would not match an offer the Celtics are going
to make to the "conditional" free agent.  I maybe mistaken and if I am
please correct me about the conditional match offer situation for free
agents in the NBA.  Is it like other sports or is different.  Or if you
really want to stretch something even farther we now deal Dee or Dana for
LaPhonso.  No brainer for us but crazy for them.  Just like the Eric
Williams situation but reversed.(not likely at all but we can dream).	

Salaries for last year - won't be the same
Laphonso Ellis(Nuggets)		6-8 240lbs. 5 yrs. exp.	3.294M
Brian Grant(Kings) 		6-9 254lbs. 3 yrs. exp.	1.293M
Chris Mills(Cavaliers) 		6-6 216 lbs. 4 yrs. exp.	1.235M
Charles Outlaw(Clippers)		6-8 210lbs. 4 yrs. exp.	0.600M	

Eric Williams(Celtics)		6-8 220lbs. 2 yrs. exp. 	1.008M	

Stats are figured on career average and then formulated per season or per
game.	

	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	ASTL	ABLK	PPG
Ellis	53	48	32.9	47.4	34.1	71.2	8.1	2.0	43	54	15.4
Grant	61	50	29.1	50.1	23.8	69.4	7.1	1.4	36	81	13.4
Mills	80	64	34.7	44.2	37.5	81.9	5.4	2.1	68	45	12.6
Outlaw	70	18	20.4	57.4	00.0	48.6	4.2	1.2	66	105	  5.7

Williams68	37	28.7	45.0	27.8	71.9	4.0	1.5	64	12	13.0

3PT Range????	1996-97 stats	
Ellis	95-259	36.7%	
Grant	0-0	00.0%	
Mills	86-220	39.1%	
Outlaw	0-8	00.0%

Williams2-8	25.0%

My take on the whole situation is this.  Eric Williams was basicly the same
thing as Walker but not as good.  Another words he did not have anything
that he was extremely better at like defense.  I included Outlaw in this
because he has won me over and he would give that extra effort off the
bench backing up Walker.  It would be nice to bring in a shot blocker like
him in defensive sets and then bring Walker back in for the offensive end. 
It could only help Walkers determination to play harder defense and want to
stay in.  Get his blood flowing and make him try that much harder to stay
on the court for those types of situations.  On the other hand Mills would
be nice because of the 3pt threat.  I don't know anything about him but I
don't see why he couldn't also help out at the 2 spot if we get lucky and
make more roster shuffling.  Of course I don't know what he can do
especially ball handling skills.  I also wonder if the C's are looking at
some other trade that no one knows about.  They may have ran into a snag
with Eric Williams in that trade since he is in his last year.  Maybe that
team would rather have draft picks instead of a future free agent that asks
for some sort of raise they won't be able to match.

I look at the Eric Williams trade favorably if they sign someone that
either fills a void by a starter.

I think of it this way.  We could sign a new free agent to 3 years or so at
say 1-3M depending upon what is available(who knows for sure).  Have a good
backup or maybe better for a gauranteed contract for 3 years for the same
or a little more than what we were going to pay Williams.  And on top of
that get 2 second round picks. 

I think Pitino and Wallace wanted to add another player but the roster was
filled and they couldn't make a player trade so they did what they had to
do to get some 3pt shooter or shot blocker on the team.  Other players on
this team were not able to even get a draft pick so they used Eric. 

Sorry for the length.  Had to get it all out.

Jay Bergan	
bergan@ici.net