Article

[Phe Meas <pmeas@channel1.com>]

Subject:
        Celtics Article
   Date:
        Mon, 25 Aug 1997 11:14:34 -0400
   From:
        Phe Meas <pmeas@channel1.com>
     To:
        celtics@igtc



http://ww3.sportsline.com/u/basketball/nba/tendex/tendex71097.htm

TENDEX rates the Atlantic Division

By Dave Heeren
Special to CBS SportsLine
July 10, 1997

  TENDEX is a rating system based on a carefully balanced formula
consisting of 10 statistical categories: Individual
points, rebounds, assists, steals, turnovers, blocked shots, shooting
percentages, and minutes played, and team
game-pace and strength of schedule.

When you have a winning team you reload.

When you have a losing team you rebuild.

But what do you do when you are the Boston Celtics?

A winning team for three decades, it has been tough for the Celtics to
get used to the fact that they have been a lousy team since
the retirement of Larry Bird five years ago. Their ambivalence is
evident in some of their recent personnel moves.

THEY BROUGHT IN NEW MANAGEMENT, headed by Rick Pitino. Now, the new
regime is claiming credit for acquiring
Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer with the No. 3 and No. 6 draft choices.
That's nice. But the fact is it was the old regime that
acquired those choices -- one of them by putting a terrible team on the
basketball court, the other by making an intelligent deal.

Billups and Mercer are indeed talented players, but it's way too soon to

be even thinking about the Celtics returning to former days
of glory led by players like Bird, John Havlicek and Bill Russell.

Consider these two things:

  Billups and Mercer both just completed their sophomore years in
college. At their youthful ages, neither is likely to become a star
player in the NBA for at least three years. Mercer may not even be ready

to start next season.

  A series of player losses have all but negated any likely progress,
assuming the Celtics re-sign both Billups and Mercer when
they become free agents three years from now.

Gone to Charlotte via free agency is point guard David Wesley (TENDEX
+12). Small forward Rick Fox (+40) is as good as
gone, since the Celtics have renounced interest in him. And power
forward Dino Radja, the team's best player three of the past
four years, according to TENDEX, is on his way to Greece. The Celtics
pressured him to leave so they could open up precious
salary-cap space.

Radja missed most of the 1996-97 season because of an injury, but you
don't see the San Antonio Spurs renouncing their best
player, David Robinson, for the same reason. And he's not 100 percent
healthy yet, either.

No, I am not saying Radja is as good as Robinson. He's actually a lot
closer in ability to Christian Laettner. Radja's overall
TENDEX rating of .611 (+75) for the three seasons prior to last season
was identical to that of Laettner. You have to question the
wisdom of a team that dumps a player of that caliber without getting
something in return.

Radja's salary was about $5 million. Now, if the Celtics had big plans
for that $5 million, it would be one thing. But they have
shown their hand. And the so-called 'ace' of that hand is Travis Knight.

Knight could be the Jim McIlvaine of the 1997 free-agent class. With the

seven-year, $21-million contract he just signed on the
basis of very skimpy credentials, he obviously is being counted on for
big things. Sorry, Celtics, but from here he doesn't look much
better than your last 7-foot marvel, Eric Montross.

Pitino has said he wants to establish an up-tempo offense in Boston.
There are two problems with that:

  You aren't going to do much successful fast-breaking with rookies
running the attack.

  Nobody in the NBA runs an up-tempo offense any more.

Pitino may be surprised to learn that all NBA coaches emphasize getting
back on defense. Even the mighty Chicago Bulls, with
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen filling lanes, don't score more than a

dozen points per game on breakaway layups. The Celtics
will be lucky to get half that many.

Maybe Pitino had the horses to outrun NCAA opponents at Kentucky, but
NBA basketball is predominantly a half-court game.
Billups, Mercer and Knight won't change that, not even with Pitino
coaching them.

Here's how the other Atlantic Division teams are doing on the open
market so far this summer (in order of probable finish in
1997-98):

1. MIAMI -- Drafted shooting guard Charles Smith and small forward Mark
Sanford. Has skillions of dollars invested in small
forwards Sanford, Jamal Mashburn, Keith Askins and Dan Majerle. Problem
is, none of them can play a lick. Signed key free
agent Voshon Lenard (TENDEX +39).

2. NEW YORK -- Signed free agent Patrick Ewing. Drafted TENDEX
All-Overrated forward-center John Thomas. Signed
All-Overrated coach Jeff Van Gundy. Looks pretty much like status quo,
and that's not good for an aging team. Key free agent:
Charlie Ward (TENDEX -25).

3. NEW JERSEY -- Draft-related trade brought Keith Van Horn to play
small forward. With Tim Duncan competing for
low-post space against teammate David Robinson in San Antonio, Van Horn
is early favorite for Rookie of the Year. Improved
Nets have discussed trading power forwards Chris Gatling and Jayson
Williams, but can't afford to deal both. Key free agent: Sam
Cassell (TENDEX +85).

4. ORLANDO -- TENDEX All-Overrated draftees Jason Lawson and Johnny
Taylor won't help a Magic team that has been on
a precipitous downturn since the free-agency loss of Shaquille O'Neal
last year. Key free agent: Nick Anderson (TENDEX -7).

5. WASHINGTON -- Most impressive move of the spring was the change of
team nickname from Bullets to Wizards. Rumored
trade of center Gheorghe Muresan (TENDEX +71) would diminish a strong
front court. Instead of Muresan, why not deal starting
two-guard Calbert Cheaney (TENDEX -66)? Drafted point guard God
Shammgod. Key free agent: Chris Whitney (TENDEX
+6).

6. PHILADELPHIA -- Lots of incoming young talent, but still no quality
power players. Massive trade with New Jersey brought
center Eric Montross, small forward Tim Thomas and shooting guards
Anthony Parker and Jim Jackson. Just so you don't think I
am overlooking Montross as a power player, consider this statistic:
Montross' TENDEX rating last season was -113. Key free
agent: Mark Davis (TENDEX -9).

7. BOSTON -- See above.