Pitino tips his hand!

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

Well, for those who haven't heard, the Celtics have just traded Dino Radja
to the Sixers for Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage.  First of all,
Pitino gets rid of Radja's salary ($5 million per year for three years).  

Beyond that, Weatherspoon is a good tough veteran player who can crash the
boards, and, in the short term, he may team up well with Antoine Walker in
the frontcourt.  Cage will most likely be a backup center who will at
least be more useful than Frank Brickowski was.

If this is only the beginning of a series of trades, then there is still
no way to really know what Pitino is up to.  However, if Pitino is through
with major trades, then this deal sheds some light on what Pitinowill do
with 3 & 6.

As things stand, Philadelphia has now solidified its frontcourt with the
addition of Radja.  This suggests that the Sixers are indeed planning on
drafting Chauncey Billups with the second pick in the draft.

The Celtics, on the other hand, now have a definate need for a big man,
since the only two they have are Ellison (too injury prone) and Cage (too
old).  So, with the third pick, the Celtics will draft Tony Battie.

With the fourth pick, the Grizzlies will draft Antinio Daniels, and the
Nuggets will take Keith Van Horn fifth.  

That will, of course, leave Ron Mercer for the taking at #6.  The Celtics
would then have the following lineup:

	 C - Battie, Ellison, Cage
	 F - Walker, Weatherspoon, Williams
	 G - Mercer, Minor, Barros, Brown

Alternatively, Vancouver could grab Mercer with the third pick, allowing
Daniels to fall to the Celtics.

This deal also seems to show that Pitino is no longer interested in any of
the forwards avaliable in the draft - Keith Van Horn, Tim Thomas, etc. 
This could be a problem if Vancouver and Denver draft Mercer and Daniels.
If that happens, Pitino may try to trade down, as he is unlikely to want
to add another forward to the roster.

Of course, if Pitino is not through making trades, then anything is still
possible...

Michael Byrnes
mbyrnes@stanford.edu