More than just rumors and speculations????

[JASPINDLER@aol.com]

The other day, I made a post to the list about trading for Vin Baker.  Today,
I found this article on the newswire....   As MJ says.........hey, it could
happen!!!

CELTICS - The Detroit News (DTNS)                         STORY 9

Sports
 Notebook: In the year 2000, Celtics might be royalty again
 Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
 6381 Characters
03/23/97
 (Copyright 1997)
   CHICAGO -- It's the year 2000, and your Eastern Conference
champions are: The Boston Celtics.   You're laughing, aren't you?
   What if I told you the coach of that team will be Rick Pitino and
the frontcourt will include Tim Duncan, Vin Baker and Antoine Walker?
   Still laughing?
   Don't. It could happen.
   The Celtics are on their way to securing the No. 1 pick in this
summer's draft, which would bring Duncan into the fold.
   Baker, who is from Old Saybrook, Conn., told Boston reporters last
week that he will be a free agent after the 1999 season and would
love to go back home and wear Celtics green.
   "I'll be a free agent soon," Baker told the Boston Globe. "I like
Milwaukee and everything, but if I got the chance to play here
(Boston), it would be nice.
   "This is a big-time organization. To me, they're like the Lakers.
They've been down, but they won't stay down long."
   Also, Baker has been less than enamored with Chris Ford's coaching
style in Milwaukee. That could hasten the Bucks' plans to trade
Baker before losing him to free agency.
   As for Pitino, he continues to say he's happy at Kentucky without
really shutting the door to NBA offers.
   "Over the years, I've been asked by about 13 NBA teams if I'd be
willing to leave (Kentucky)," he said. "It would be hard, because I
enjoy the winning aspect so much. ... I can see myself staying at
Kentucky for a long time. I'm very happy. But there are some pro
teams that intrigue me."
   Such as Boston.
   "Nobody would have to sell me on Boston," he said. "I love that
city. I would have to go somewhere where I would honestly have a
chance to win. It would have to be somewhere with building blocks so
you could start winning right away. ... If I'm ever going to return
to the pros, everything wouldn't have to be my way. All I would ask
for is a strong, committed organization."
   Sounds like Boston to me.

   Back to reality
   Meanwhile, today's Celtics continue to be the model of futility.
They are setting standards for defensive ineptitude. They are last
in the league in points allowed and opponents' shooting percentage --
allowing 107 points a game, nearly 11 more than the NBA average.
Among the truly odious teams of the last 30 years, only the 1991-92
Mavericks, who were 11-71, come close in that category. They allowed
9.2 points more than the league average.
   Boston is the only team allowing opponents to shoot better than 50
percent (50.2). The league average is 45.3.
   Since the All-Star Game, the Celtics have lost 20 of 22 games. In
18 of those, including seven of the last eight, the opponent has shot
at least 50 percent.
   Then there is the wizardry of Coach M.L. Curly, um, Carr, M.L.
Carr. We all remember the game against the Pistons when, with three-
tenths of a second left, he deployed his defense in such a way that
the only area left undefended was the only area the Pistons possibly
could have scored from in such limited time -- at the basket.
   But he topped that with his unique strategy against Karl Malone.
He had his forwards front Malone in the low post. Nobody has done
that to Malone in a decade. Malone, way too strong and mobile, hit
13 of 18 shots. In two games against the Celtics, the Jazz scored
146 points inside.