Hit the road Dino

["Ronald H. Evans" <ronald_evans@pipeline.com>]

>Radja heads back to Europe
>
>
>(c) 1997 Copyright Nando.net
>(c) 1997 Associated Press
>
>BOSTON (Jul 17, 1997 - 17:51 EDT) -- A journey filled with roadblocks is
finally ending for Dino Radja and the Boston
>Celtics. He's headed for Greece, and they're back in the free-agent market.
>
>"This is what Dino wanted and it works out for the Celtics," Marc Fleisher,
Radja's agent, said Thursday.
>
>Radja has signed with Panathinaikos AC, but another small obstacle remains.
NBA teams have until July 26 to claim the high
>scorer off waivers, extremely unlikely because of his huge salary, balky
left knee and weak defense.
>
>If he were claimed, the Celtics would have his entire $16.2 million salary
over the next three years ($5.3 million next season)
>to spend on free agents. They have only about half that under an agreement
in which they are giving Radja the rest in
>severance pay while allowing him to play in Greece.
>
>It wasn't supposed to be this tough to unload him. After all, the 6-foot-11
forward-center who led his team in scoring and
>rebounding in 1995-96 and averaged 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds in four
seasons with Boston.
>
>But the Celtics, coming off their worst season and rebuilding with young
players, were saddled with paying the 30-year-old
>for the next three seasons. So new coach Rick Pitino -- who didn't think
Radja fit the new running, pressing system -- decided
>to trade him.
>
>But the deal with Philadelphia was nullified when Radja flunked his
physical. Then Fleisher and the Celtics haggled over a
>severance arrangement. They finally agreed, but Fleisher said the league
had problems regarding the salary cap. So contract
>language was changed and the deal went through.
>
>Now the Celtics reportedly have reached an agreement with 6-10 Andrew
DeClercq, a free agent who spent the last two
>seasons with Golden State. They're also interested in free agent power
forward Derek Strong, who played for Orlando last
>season.
>
>They would have preferred Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage, the
forwards they obtained from Philadelphia on June
>20. But Radja, who played just 25 games before knee surgery kept him on the
bench the rest of last season, couldn't pass his
>physical.
>
>Boston thought Radja seemed healthy when team doctors checked him. So the
Celtics filed a grievance with the NBA, then
>withdrew it when they apparently realized it would fail.
>
>"Rick was left in the dark a little bit because when he got here everybody
told him Dino was fine," Fleisher said. "He later
>found out otherwise, not only because he had an extensive conversation with
Philadelphia's doctors, but Dino saw another
>doctor in New York."
>
>Fleisher said Radja didn't tell the Celtics about that doctor because he
didn't want to seem to be questioning Dr. Arnold
>Scheller, the team physician.
>
>Radja played in Yugoslavia and Italy before joining the Celtics in 1993 and
doesn't mind returning to Europe.
>
>About two weeks ago, he signed a multiyear contract with Panathinaikos for
more than $2 million a season. He already has
>passed his physical there, where the shorter schedule would be less of a
burden.
>
>The deal was contingent on Fleisher and the Celtics working out the
severance -- they agreed on an amount reportedly
>between $7 million and $8 million -- and the NBA approving it. That finally
happened, and the Celtics waived Radja on
>Wednesday.
>
>"An NBA team could take him," Fleisher said. "I think they'd be crazy, in
light of the total circumstances."