Re: Bostonian Steve

[showermd@joker.lsc.vsc.edu]

COPYRIGHT GOES TO BOSTONIAN STEVE 1997- from his homepage on the net, The 
article is exactly what all of us should hope for. This is the best article I 
have read from a devoted fan, and an extremely eloquent writer. 

- -D-



Oh, No.... Bostonian Steve Has Severe Duncanitis!

1/06/97 - It
happened
during the
Toronto
Raptors game.
David Wesley
drove to the
hole where he
was called for
an offensive
charge on
Popeye Jones.
No bucket.
The Raptors
get the ball
with just a few
seconds left.
The score is
Celtics 92,
Raptors 89.
The ball is
inbounded to
Hubert Davis
who is
overplayed by
his Celtic
defender.
Davis lets the
three fly and
hits it at the
buzzer tying
the game. I let
out an
exhuberent
Yes! while my
family stares at
me like I'm
Benedict
Arnold.

I didn't start
the season
feeling this
way. I cheered
for the Celtics
in every game.
I watched as
the losses
started,
continued and
piled up to a
record
number. The losses weren't supposed to be there. Last year was the bad year, 
this year was supposed to be the year when
we began the NBA road back to playoff land. The losses took their toll on me. It 
became apparent that this year the team is
not a contending or rebuilding team. The Coach is anything but a real Coach. The 
Celtics team is a collection of unassembled
building blocks needing that one key foundation piece. Larry Bird thought Eric 
Williams was that piece. Eric is a player but
not your main man. Some, like ML Carr, thought Antoine Walker would be that 
piece. From his rookie outings it appears
he's a more than decent draft pick (Yes, ML the GM did good here) but not 
somebody you can build the team around. The
Celtics are going nowhere unless they get this key piece. Through their own 
misguided losses they have for the first time in
years, placed themselves in the position to be able to get the key. The Celtics 
currently have a shot at the #1 NBA 1997 Draft
Pick. The Celtics need Wake Forest Center, Tim Duncan. The Celtics can build 
around Tim Duncan. Bostonian Steve wants
Tim Duncan. 

Why Tim Duncan? He is one of the highest quality basketball players to come 
through the college ranks in a very long time.
Tim does not bring an entorage of ex-criminal friends, or drug addict buddies. 
He doesn't hang out with shady characters or
sex offenders. He isn't being bribed by any agents or friends. He does not have 
a troubled history, a huge ego or a lousy
work ethic. Tim Duncan is all Mom and Apple Pie from St. Croix. Tim brings the 
raw elements of Celtic Pride that even Red
has to be pleased with. Tim is a hard worker. He is a player. He is committed 
and loyal. He has ethics and respect. Greed is
not his motivating factor. Commitment and excellence are.

Last night, I watched the Wake Forest /North Carolina game. I was salvating over 
the thought that the Celtics might have a
shot at Duncan. Tim right now has 19 double doubles in a row. His shot blocking 
is impressive. Tim has a spin move very
reminscent of Hakeem Olajuwan's. He has an outside three point shot and 
understands the strategy of the game. He can run
the floor. Tim Duncan would have been the #1 pick in 1995 & 1996 and will be the 
#1 pick in1997. We need Tim Duncan.
There is not other draft pick now or in the next two years that can help the 
Celtics as much as Tim Duncan.

With a line up of David Wesley at Point, Eric Williams at Forward, Antoine 
Walker at Power Forward and Tim Duncan at
Center the Celtics finally have a solid foundation to build upon for many years 
too come. The only other major piece missing
is a true shooting guard. A minor piece is a back up point guard. The shooting 
guard and the point guard can be obtained
from the free agency or trade.

ML Carr says he can picture the championship banner being raised to the rafters. 
He sounds like its going to happen this
year. I too can see it happening but in 2001 at the earliest. It takes time to 
develop young players. You also need a plan.
Here's Bostonian Steve's plan and future view of the 1998 - 1999 Celtics. The 
open slots are designated but it is intended
that by then Celtics managment will have them filled with key players:

Point Guards: David Wesley, Open Slot for Bench Point Guard 
Two Guards: Open Slot for Starter Shooting Guard, Greg Minor, Dana Barros 
Small/Quick Forwards: Eric Williams, Rick Fox, 
Power Forwards: Antoine Walker, Open Slot for Bench Forward
Center: Tim Duncan, Pervis Ellison, 
Swingman: Open Slot for Bench Swingman

To achieve this team the Celtics have to do the following to fill the open 
slots. Think young. I define young as currently not
being older than 27 years of age. Trade Dee Brown and a future pick for a good 
young, tall, shooting guard or promising
young swingman. Don't renew contracts on Todd Day, Brett Szabo, Steve Hamer, or 
Alton Lister. This will free some
salary room to hire a young free agent for the swingman or shooting guard spot 
but it is still not enough. To make more room
the Celtics have to trade Dino Radja while he is worth something. This may seem 
harsh, but Dino is going to be told old to be
of use in the 2001 championship game. Today he is worth something. Trade him 
while you can. This will give the Celtics
room for that promising young swingman or shooting guard. Use the 1998 draft 
pick or the CBA for a backup point guard. I
know its more easily said than done but if the Celtics don't do it they are 
going to be permanently entrenched as the Clippers
of the East.

I believe that Paul Gaston is a genius. I think he purposely brought ML Carr 
into the house because he knew Carr would
eloquently destroy the franchise to the point where the Celtics could get a shot 
at a real #1 pick. ML will be moved to the
upper offices as his reward for enduring the undurable. Gaston will then bring 
in a real, experienced coach. I'm not talking
Larry Bird here, I'm talking experienced in coaching not stardoom. Larry Brown 
comes to mind. The Celtics franchise will
once again rise from the pits of Merrimac Street and Paul Gaston will be 
whistling Zippadee Do Da all the way to the bank.
And this is perfectly fine with Bostonian Steve. In fact, I'll even hold the 
bank door open for him. The Celtics will be back
and a new generation Big Three will grace the parquet, Walker, Williams and 
Duncan.

It's this dream that now makes it impossible for me to want the Celtics to win 
many games the rest of this season. Before you
start flaming away, I'm not saying purposely tank the season. The Celtics are 
playing as hard as they can and they are losing.
All I want them to do is to continue just the way they are. My advice to ML, 
don't change a thing with your incompetent
coaching. Keep it as bad as it is. The Celtics have a once in a lifetime 
opportunity to get a great draft pick that would change
this franchise for the next decade. Would you ignore that opportunity? Can you 
really say a few extra numbers in the W
column is worth losing a shot at Tim Duncan? Is your personal coaching record 
more important than the franchise?

A great man once said, "I have this dream...." Now that the dream has a chance 
to be real I am so afraid it will be lost and the
franchise will be stuck in limbo for the next decade. This is a longterm 
strategic decision. This is not about 1996 - 1997 wins
and losses. This is a life time opportunity. Tim Duncan in Celtic Green. I 
gaurantee the Leprechaun will then decide to leave
the cold, empty ghost invested, memory draped Boston Garden and make the Fleet 
Center its home. Are you in it for the long
run of the Celtic franchise or are you just in it for the victory of a fleeting 
game that will be forgotten a day later?

Duncanitis. Have you got it?

Leprechaun pipe dreams, Leprechaun pipe dreams...