SL City News on the C's workouts

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                          Thursday, July 10, 1997
                                      
      Coach Pitino Giving Celtics Fans Reason to Pack Summer Workouts
                                      
                                      
   THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
       NBA NOTEBOOKWALTHAM, Mass. -- All the seats were filled. Fans who
   couldn't get them stood. They waited eagerly for the moment. Then it
   came, and they cheered for 30 seconds.
       Rick Pitino had entered the gym.
       It was only a workout for little-known free agents, two draft
   picks and four veterans. There was no air-conditioning. Yet about
   2,400 spectators packed the arena when the man hired to revive the
   Boston Celtics marched in.
       ``Many people are here to see Pitino,'' said Tim O'Brien, one of
   those hopeful fans. ``There's such a tradition with the organization.
   The people are looking for a hero.''
       The ticket price of $8 -- $5 for kids -- for each of the two
   nights didn't keep them away. O'Brien attended similar Celtics camps
   during the past seven years and said Tuesday night's crowd was the
   biggest ``by far.''
       Many fans parked their cars far away and raced to the box office.
   Too late. Both workouts Monday and Tuesday nights were sellouts.
       ``We turned away 1,000 people and people were scalping tickets for
   a workout situation without any other NBA teams,'' Pitino said.
   ``That's as impressive as it gets.''
       Fans of the team that won an NBA-record 16 titles are hungry for a
   winner after M.L. Carr's embarrassing two-year reign as coach ended
   with a 15-67 record last season, the worst in club history.
       They're hoping Pitino, who turned around the New York Knicks and
   college programs at Boston University, Providence and Kentucky, can
   come through. He's already drafted his probable starting backcourt of
   Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer.
       The fans Tuesday night ranged from the middle-aged man in a suit
   with a Celtics tie to the kids in green-and-gray T-shirts from the Red
   Auerbach Basketball School.
       Fans roared when Mercer, the sixth pick in the draft, drove right,
   then made a spin move to his left for a layup.
       They also cheered when Anthony Tucker, a longshot from the Florida
   Beachdogs of the CBA, dove into the first row of seats for a loose
   ball. And little-known Herman Alston fired up the crowd by firing up
   three-pointers.
       The crowd was excited about anything in a Celtics uniform after
   two bleak seasons and the prospect of more until Pitino became
   president and coach May 6.
       ``I haven't seen it like that in three or four years,'' said guard
   Dee Brown, who has emerged from Carr's doghouse to become a Pitino
   favorite. ``They were very excited and I think that's just a sign of
   what's going to come.''
       Carr hadn't coached before the 1995-96 season and it showed.
   Practices were poorly organized. Players' motivation sagged. Last
   season's team was so bad that Pitino dumped nine of its players on one
   day when he cleared salary cap space to sign center Travis Knight on
   Monday.
       ``It sounds great, nine-for-one, but seven we renounced a long
   time ago,'' Pitino said. ``It was really two-for-one. We didn't want
   to renounce either Marty Conlon or Rick Fox.''
       THREATT HEARING POSTPONED
       The arraignment of 13-year veteran Sedale Threatt on a
   driving-under-the-influence charge and five other traffic violations
   has been rescheduled for next week in Paradise Valley, Ariz.
       The 35-year-old Threatt, who played last season with the Houston
   Rockets, is to appear Tuesday in Municipal Court to answer citations
   alleging DUI, driving with an excessive blood-alcohol level, reckless
   driving, speeding, running a stop sign and failure to wear a seat
   belt.
       RADJA TO PLAY IN GREECE?
       Dino Radja appears headed to a team in Greece, a deal that could
   be completed by the weekend and free up nearly $3 million for the
   Boston Celtics to spend.
       ``It's progressing,'' Pitino said of negotiations to unload the
   6-foot-11 forward who failed a physical after being traded to
   Philadelphia June 20. ``We should know something within 12 to 72
   hours.''
       Radja reportedly flew to Greece Monday, and was believed to be
   close to joining Panathinaikos AC. An agreement reportedly hit a snag,
   but Radja still is expected to sign with the team, the Boston Globe
   reported Wednesday.
       Radja was scheduled to make about $5.6 million next season and is
   under contract to Boston for three years. If he leaves, ``we would
   have about $2.8 million to work with,'' Pitino said.
   
   
   
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