Rick Fox (and Celtics news), from Sportsline

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                                Boston Celtics
                                       
   
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   GETTING INSIDE
   
   Rick Fox was told to be ready last Thursday in Salt Lake City, but
   when the clock struck 4 p.m. Mountain Time, he was still a Celtic.
   League sources confirmed the Lakers and Indiana were in pursuit of
   Fox, while Miami wanted him prior to making the deal for Jamal
   Mashburn.
   
   Fox was aware of the Celtics had options as the NBA's trade deadline
   approached, but he also knows the next options will be his. He can opt
   to become a free agent this summer.
   
   The latter fact, along with knowledge that Antoine Walker and Eric
   Williams are both best suited to Fox' main position, small forward,
   had the Celtics listening intently to offers for their captain.
   
   Coach and director of basketball operations M.L. Carr said the lack of
   a deal is a "clear signal to both Rick and David (Wesley, a free agent
   this summer) that we want them on this team. We're saying that loud
   and clear.''
   
   Fox got the message, but that doesn't mean he won't check the
   marketplace this summer.
   
   "I think it's a big step for the Celtics toward me,'' he said before
   heading out to meet the Jazz last night. "And I think everyone knows
   I'd like to be here. It really came down to the Celtics having to make
   a decision. They had to decide whether they wanted to contend with me
   at the end of the season.
   
   "I think I've had a very good relationship with the Celtics, but I
   guess that's about to be put to the test.''
   
   Wesley, too, will find out this summer how badly the Celts want to
   keep him. The point guard drew a lot of interest from other clubs,
   though his $350,000 salary made it difficult for Boston to get
   something of equal value in return.
   
   "Those two guys do have outs, Rick has an option and David IS a free
   agent, but there's a personal feeling about those guys,'' Carr said.
   "I care about them as people. They've paid the price in terms of work
   ethic and in terms of leadership to warrant being part of this
   process. I'm happy they're here, and I'm hoping that can continue.''
   
   Carr said he figures to be taking a lot of calls regarding the Celts'
   two first round draft picks after the season as the June dispersal
   approaches. Some offers came this time, and the choices weren't
   necessarily untouchable.
   
   "There's a price for everything,'' he said. "Would it take a lot to
   get at those draft picks? Absolutely. But you have to be willing to
   listen to everything.''
   
   As for standing pat this time, Carr said, "You have to make a
   decision. You look at everything in your organization, all of your
   assets -- the draft picks, the players, everything. People throw a lot
   of things at you, but I wanted to stay with the plan. I really can't
   take credit for it, because it's something I learned from Red
   (Auerbach), but you don't make a deal just for the sake of making a
   deal. You only make a trade when you know you're going to help your
   team. But with all the things this organization has going for it --
   the young players, the veterans, the draft picks -- I think we're in
   very good position.''
   
   Carr said not everyone who came calling was looking for a steal.
   "There were teams offering things of value,'' he said. "There were
   some good offers. But I didn't think there was anything there that was
   good enough for us to make a change.
   
   "I realize a have a certain persona,'' Carr added. "It started with
   the towel; I know that. I'm a marketeer, too. But behind all that is a
   person who is sincere and who knows how to orchestrate. I have a
   vision for the future. I already see banner No. 17. People may think
   I'm crazy, but I've seen it.''
   
   Craziness will be judged by who shows up in Celtic uniforms for
   training camp next October.
   
   
   
   NOTES, QUOTES, ANECDOTES
   
   Greetings from the Worst... uh, West: dispatches from the Celtics'
   perfectly imperfect tour of the Left Conference.
   
   -- Numbers update (or, How do we love Tim Duncan? Let us count the
   ways):
   
   After Sunday's loss in New Jersey, M.L.'s used Carrs have now lost 10
   straight and 18 of 20. They are 2-26 on the road.
   
   -- If the Celtics were guarding the country, we'd all be speaking
   Russian:
   
   It is hard to fathom just how poor the Celts are on defense. Seeing
   the numbers they surrender, one must be reminded that, according to
   NBA rules, the defending team is awarded possession of the ball after
   a made basket. This is not make it-take it.
   
   The C's are now giving up an NBA-worst 106.2 points a game -- A FULL
   10 POINTS MORE THAN THE LEAGUE AVERAGE. Amazing.
   
   And if you focus only on this last trip, the numbers are even more
   despicable. With Phoenix hitting for a high of 131 and Vancouver
   checking in with the low at 109, your defenseless dribblers gave up a
   whopping 117.3 points a night. In the NBA's Year of the Pitcher, this
   is nuts.
   
   An even better gauge of just how nasty things are is the fact the
   Celts trail the other 28 clubs in opposing field goal percentage
   allowed. The NBA is shooting .453, a figure pumped up by the .498
   Boston is giving up. There is no close second; Vancouver is yielding a
   relatively stingy .473.
   
   And as for the trip, the Celtics were perfect guests. They allowed
   their foes to shoot a combined .557 from the floor, mostly on dunks
   and layups.
   
   "We're scoring some points,'' said Carr. "But we've got to stop
   somebody along the way.''
   
   -- You've got to know when to hold, know when to fold 'em:
   
   The Celtics let the trade deadline pass Thursday without a move. Carr
   is feeling good about himself and what's coming in the draft. With his
   own pick and Dallas' -- which is looking brighter since Don Nelson hit
   Texas -- Carr was talking Thursday night about "sticking with the
   plan.'' He said he has seen the vision of a 17th championship banner.
   
   "The good thing is that I think fans are starting to buy into what
   we're trying to do,'' Carr said. "If you'd said that five months ago,
   I'm not so sure. But I think people like what they see.''
   
   Drafting Duncan has become a probability, but nothing is assured. As
   one player said Thursday, "What happens if we don't get Tim Duncan?
   What do we do then?''
   
   -- Toronto was able to move Acie Earl:
   
   The Celtics didn't deal any of their problematic contracts, which
   means Dee Brown is fated to spend the rest of his life scanning the
   transactions column to see if he's in it. Having played just one game
   (18 minutes) since January 28, there wasn't much chance he'd get his
   ticket out of town this time.
   
   But the trip wasn't a total loss. Computer freak Brown got to meet
   Trail Blazer owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen at the game in
   Portland.
   
   "He might be the greatest person I've ever met,'' said Brown, who
   likened the experience to a young hoop fan shaking hands with Michael
   Jordan. "I've been working on a program and we talked about it. It was
   fun. The way he dresses with those geeky glasses, you'd never know
   he's worth about 500 billion dollars.''
   
   Really now, should one computer nerd be cracking on another like that?
   
   "It's OK,'' said Brown. "I've got a pair of those glasses at home.''
   
   -- There's talk on the street. It's there to remind you:
   
   The most frequently asked question of a reporter during the trip was,
   How are the people back in Boston taking this?
   
   Answer: They're not taking this. They're not paying attention. First
   it was the Patriots and then the Bill Parcells abdication. And by the
   time the Celtics get home, people will be heavily concerned with
   who'll get the fourth and fifth spots in the Red Sox rotation.
   
   BY THE NUMBERS: 10 -- The number of consecutive losses the Celts have
   suffered.
   
   QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm just hoping for another win, and we have a better
   chance of that at home'' -- Rick Fox.
   
   
   
   STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
   
   No question now what the Celtics are planning to do. There will be
   minutes for the young people and losses for the team. The goal is the
   first draft pick, and an 0-3 mark against New Jersey and 0-2 slates
   against Philadelphia and Vancouver indicate they probably deserve it.
   
   GAME MATCHUPS: Wednesday vs. Sacramento -- The Kings took the Celts
   out in Sacramento just before the new year, and its clear the C's do
   not have the ability to match up with Mitch Richmond. But the real
   Sacramento key is inside, with the King big people able to control the
   boards and get Richmond extra shots and transition attempts.
   
   IN YOUR FACE: Wednesday vs. Sacramento -- The Celtics have won 17
   straight home games against the Kings.
   
   ROTATION: Starters -- Point guard David Wesley (team high 16.4 ppg);
   Off guard Rick Fox (14.9 ppg); Small forward Antoine Walker (team-high
   8.9 rpg); Power forward Eric Williams (team-high 196 free throws);
   Center Brett Szabo (Is any other NBA starting center averaging 1.3
   points and 1.5 rebounds?). Bench -- First guard Todd Day (three
   straight games over 50 percent shooting until Sunday); First forward
   Marty Conlon (5.8 ppg); First center Alton Lister (more rebounds than
   points per game, 3.8-2.1).
   
   INJURY UPDATE: Dee Brown (hyperextended right big toe) day-to-day;
   Greg Minor (sore right foot) doubtful; Dino Radja (left knee surgery)
   injured list; Dana Barros (sore left ankle) injured list; Frank
   Brickowski (right shoulder surgery) injured list; Pervis Ellison
   (broken right big toe) injured list.
   
   x
   
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   February 24, 1997* Vol. 2, No. 36
   
   Copyright (c) 1996 Pro Sports Xchange
   
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