Boston Globe article

[bocelts@scsn.net (R. Bentz Kirby)]

The Globe reports that the 2:00 deadline passed without comment.  Here
is a more in depth article on the Chicago trade.




Boston has two picks ... or none?

                  Associated Press, 06/25/97 11:25 

                  BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Celtics began draft day with
the third and sixth
                  picks. They might have neither by the time it ends. 

                  After the team's worst season, Rick Pitino was wide
open to trade offers
                  before tonight's draft, even though his first deal as
Celtics coach appeared to
                  have fallen through. 

                  The Philadelphia 76ers said forward Dino Radja failed
their physical Tuesday,
                  negating last Friday's trade that sent forward
Clarence Weatherspoon and
                  forward-center Michael Cage to the Celtics. 

                  Pitino had said that if Radja, who missed most of last
season following
                  arthroscopic knee surgery, failed the physical, an
independent doctor would be
                  called in for another examination. 

                  But Pitino said that no matter how the Radja case
turned out, it wouldn't affect
                  his draft plans. If, that is, he drafts anyone. 

                  Two high picks can make an attractive package for an
established star. 

                  ``There are some (potential trades) that are very
interesting to us with both
                  draft picks combined,'' Pitino said. 

                  Celtics general manager Chris Wallace has said that by
the time of the draft,
                  the team would have talked with every other team about
a possible trade. 

                  According to today's Boston Herald, the Celtics spoke
to the agent for
                  Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen Tuesday about a
possible trade. The
                  paper said the 32-year-old Pippen, who becomes a free
agent next summer,
                  expressed interest in Boston, but the Bulls are were
also talking with other
                  teams. 

                  If the Celtics keep one or both picks, anyone they
draft would be bound to help
                  a team that was 15-67 last season, the NBA's second
worst record, and had
                  the worst defense. 

                  ``We could use a (point) guard. We could use a small
forward. We could use a
                  scoring power forward. We could use a center and we
could use a (shooting)
                  guard,'' Pitino said. ``The only thing we don't need
is a 12th man.'' 

                  The Celtics had plenty of players who could fill that
role last season - although
                  some masqueraded as the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th
men on an
                  injury-depleted roster. 

                  ``There's not a player in this draft who's not going
to help us build, but he has
                  to play right away,'' Pitino says. ``We're trying to
build excitement in our first
                  year, continue to improve in our second year and be a
playoff team the third
                  year.'' 

                  If Boston keeps the third pick, its choice depends on
what Philadelphia does at
                  No. 2 after San Antonio, almost certainly, takes Wake
Forest center Tim
                  Duncan. The 76ers also might trade that choice. 

                  Pitino said the Celtics are considering three players
for the No. 3 choice -
                  Texas Tech center Tony Battie, Colorado point guard
Chauncey Billups and
                  Utah forward Keith Van Horn. 

                  Ron Mercer, a shooting guard who played for Pitino at
Kentucky, is among
                  several players Pitino said he would consider with the
sixth choice. 

                  If the Celtics draft Billups, they probably would let
point guard David Wesley
                  depart as a free agent if they can't trade shooting
guards Dee Brown or Dana
                  Barros. 

                  ``If you look down the road and (Billups) improves in
a few areas, he can be
                  one of the top five point guards in the league with
three years of development,''
                  Pitino said. 

                  Battie, more suited to power forward in the pros,
could fill a huge gap at center
                  for Boston. 

                  ``Battie is not as offensively sophisticated as
Chauncey Billups, although he
                  has great upside,'' Pitino said. ``He has tremendous
athleticism, runs and jumps
                  as well as anybody in the draft.'' 

                  Van Horn could become a solid NBA power forward. 

                  ``Van Horn is a legitimate 6-10 in stocking feet,''
Pitino said. ``He shoots real
                  well. He's a good low-post player. He runs the floor
well. He also needs
                  physical development.'' 

                  Among the players the Celtics would consider with the
sixth pick are Mercer,
                  Villanova forward Tim Thomas and high school forward
Tracy McGrady,
                  Pitino said. 

                  One factor that might work against McGrady is the fact
that because the
                  Celtics won only 15 games, ``I'm interested in getting
players who can help us
                  right away,'' Pitino said. 

                  Mercer should fit that description. 

                  ``Ron Mercer shoots off screens as well as anybody
I've ever coached,'' Pitino
                  said. ``Ron Mercer runs the floor as well as any
player I've ever coached. He
                  has as much upside as any player I've coached. 

                  ``We're obviously going to play an uptempo style of
play, so we want people
                  that anticipate well. We want people that react
defensively. The better the
                  person runs the court, the better it is for us, but we
realize we can't do all that
                  in one year.'' 

- -- 

Peace,

Bentz
bocelts@scsn.net
http://www.scsn.net/users/sclaw