Re: Quick note, random thoughts

[Chris Littlefield <chrisl@mjr.com>]

I'm sorry if I misrepresented myself.  I definitely would _not_ use the 6th
pick (cross fingers) on Brevin Knight.

BUT... if the opportunity presented itself to trade the pick and a big
salary (Dee?) for a lower, but still lottery pick and another (almost
completed contract) player, then I would think about Knight.  Hey, is there
anyone out there who wouldn't want Damon Stoudamire?  C'mon, all you Wesley
supporters, you know you would.

I think Knight could be as good as Stoudamire.  He is a clutch player, with
that X-factor that you either have or you don't; a willingness to play big.
You can't develop that kind of instinct.  Plus he's a friend of Duncan's.
You think Williams and Walker wouldn't like to be the recipients of sweet
set-up passes from Brevin?  You think ML Carr's vision of a "trapping,
pressing team" wouldn't have room for someone like Knight? Hey, this guy
eviscerated the UMass backcourt last year.  He emasculated Padilla in
particular, who in the next game shut down Allen Iverson.  Knight mauled
Payton in the Olympic warm-ups last summer.  Payton ("The Glove", NBA
Defensive player of the YEAR) played 3-4 steps off of him because he could
_not_ stop him on the drive.  He is also a very good, possibly great
passer.  I was very impressed in the Utah game.  He did it all.

As much as I like Knight, however, I submit this suggestion with two
conditions: the first being my initial suggestion above, and secondly that
the C's MUST offload at least 2 of their runt guards before they even
consider Knight.  With NJ and Charlotte primed to snag Wesley in the FA
market, Knight may even be the more affordable option, with his three-year
locked-in contract versus Wes' almost guaranteed 3-4+mil per year.

If you let David go and get your hands on a Knight or an Antonio Daniels
(who is this guy anyway?  All I know is that he comes from Bowling Green,
is a 6'4" senior who had 38 points and 9 assists in a first-round loss in
the NIT, and is ranked as the #11 prospect in Leventhal's rankings.) you
are saving big bucks to maybe sign Vinnie B. in 1999.

If this seems callous, think about it this way.  David Wesley will receive
many millions of dollars in a multi-year contract.  Why? Because ML Carr
gave him a real shot when nobody else would.  If ML cuts him, Wesley should
still be eternally grateful for what ML's done for him.

As well as David has done this year, as gutty as he has been, how good is
he really?  Is he a point guard for a major championship push?  Can he
coexist with Walker?  To me, they don't seem to be the best of friends.
Any insight from anyone?  I am ambivalent.

Man, am I in a frenzy about this whole draft situation.  I want Duncan, and
I want him to be really great right NOW!  I want Dee Brown and Barros
traded NOW!  I want Eric and 'Toine to be happy, productive, and have great
outside shots NOW!  I want a team with size, interior defense, slick
passing, and a devastating trap NOW!  I want Pitino and Bird,  NOWWW!

I look at this team and I see many pieces of what ML has euphemistically
called the 'puzzle'.  If ML steps down for Bird and Pitino this summer, he
should be remembered not for the records of his teams but of the trade that
could potentially be the one that turned the Celts around.  As bad as it is
now, think what it would be like if Montross had not been traded, and we
had drafted Dampier at #9 last summer.  We'd probably be just as bad, but
with much less hope.  We now have Walker and Williams, both of whom
could/should be in some All-Star games.  We have perhaps the #1 pick, and
the bonus in what could be the 6th pick.  The potential for a big
turnaround next season is there.  And ML has been the hand guiding the
vehicle.  I firmly believe that.

I also believe that Eric Williams has the potential to be seen as a steal
along the lines of Sprewell, Drexler, or Malone.  Okay, maybe not Malone,
but still.  He's drawing favorable comparisons to James Worthy.

Would anyone prefer to have Dave Gavitt running things?

But even with all this, it will be just as easy for the C's to get mired in
the same morass of defeat that has plagued the perennial lottery-bound
teams; Milwaukee, Washington, Sacramento, The Clips, Dallas, and the Nets
to name a few.  ML has followed the once unthinkable maxim that you have to
hit bottom before you can climb back to the top.  Well, we've accomplished
the first.  Now is when it gets tricky.

Cross your fingers, people, 'cause the C's, if everything goes right, could
be putting some major hurt on people next year.

One last question.  Is there any coach who _wouldn't_ want to run this team
with Duncan, Walker, Williams, the 6th pick X-factor, and all the 6th, 7th,
and 8th men on this team?

Thanks for your time.  I want May 18th NOW!

Chris Littlefield