Pitino signs three players!

[Michael Joseph Byrnes <mbyrnes@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

Now that Dino Radja is gone, Rick Pitino has gone back into the free agent
market, signing Andrew DeClerq, Tony Massenburg, and Bruce Bowen.  DeClerq
got the reported five year, $8.4 million deal, Massenburg got three years,
and Bowen got two.  

That means that, barring injury or trade, the Celtics roster will be the
following:

	Travis Knight, PF-C
	Andrew DeClerq, PF-C
	Pervis Ellison, PF-C
	Tony Massenburg, PF
	Antoine Walker, SF-PF
	Eric Williams, SF
	Bruce Bowen, SF-SG
	Ron Mercer, SG-SF
	Greg Minor, SG-SF
	Dana Barros, SG-PG
	Chauncey Billups, PG
	Dee Brown, PG-SG
	
According to the collective bargaining agreement, the Celtics cannot
trade Knight, DeClerq, Massenburg, or Bowen, at least until the season
starts.  Barring injuries, or a trade of some of the other Celtics, this
will be the team that takes the floor against the Bulls on Haloween.

The strength of this team will be in its athleticism and speed, while the
weakness will of course be a lack of size and bulk.

I am not sure what to think of Pitino's moves thus far.  The only player
on the current roster that is not signed for two years is Eric Williams.
This seems to limit Pitino's flexibility in future years, and it does
suggest that Pitino is clearly not through making moves (even if we must
wait until during the season to see them.)

Right now, it seems as if the team we have now is pretty much the team
that we will see for the next 2-3 years.  By then, re-signing our own free
agents will prevent us from making big offers to any others.  Are DeClerq,
Massenburg, and Bowen really the sort of players that should be given long
term deals?  I guess we'll find out.

The advantage to this team is that, without making any moves, it will get
considerably better over the next few years as Billups, Mercer, and Walker
improve.  By then, if Pitino may be able to manage a deal of two to add
the final piece to the puzzle.  At least, that seems to be his plan.
Rather than going out and trying to sign a big time free agent, Pitino
seems to be trying to build the nucleus of the team with what he has now.
It seems a big gamble to make on thre 20-year old players who have a
combined 1 season in the NBA.  Time will tell.

P.S. As the team is now composed, I would expect Pitino to use a 10-man
rotation, with Pervis Ellison and Greg Minor the two expensive garbage
time players.  I highly doubt that Pitino signed DeClerq (5 years) and
Massenburg (3 years) to sit and watch, and if he had faith in Minor to be
a backup swingman type, why would he have signed Bowen to a 2 year deal?
On the other hand, as the only two veterans on this team who seem to mesh 
with Pitino, I expect to see Dana Barros and Dee Brown getting quite a bit
of playing time this year.  I think one of the two might even end up
starting, if Pitino does not feel comfortable starting two juniors
together in his backcourt.  

Michael Byrnes
mbyrnes@stanford.edu