Trade Article

[Tim Nault <rnault@ptialaska.net>]

This article is from http://www.nando.net and it talks about how Rick
Pitino wants to trade up for the number one pick.


BOSTON (May 18, 1997 - 23:02 EST) -- Another loss for the Boston
Celtics, and another coach trying to turn a defeat into
victory.

After failing to earn the NBA's No. 1 draft pick by dropping to the
bottom of the standings, new Celtics boss Rick Pitino
said Sunday that he will try and trade up for the right to select Wake
Forest's Tim Duncan.

Pitino said he called the Spurs five minutes after San Antonio won the
NBA's Draft Lottery, letting them know he was
interested should they consider trading the top pick. The Celtics, who
had the best chance at the No. 1 selection by virtue of
their 15-67 record, wound up third.

"I've already communicated with San Antonio. There is a possibility I
will trade the two draft picks," said Pitino, who also
has the No. 6 choice to work with because of last year's trade that sent
Eric Montross to Dallas.

"We're going to have discussions along those lines. We're going to get
as creative as possible. ... But you're going to have
to offer them one heck of a deal to get them to trade Tim Duncan. Maybe
we could do it. Maybe we can't."

Counting the Mavericks' pick and the fact that the expansion teams were
ineligible, the Celtics had a 36.3 percent chance at
the No. 1 pick. But the luck that favored the franchise with a record 16
NBA titles was nowhere to be found in the Secaucus,
N.J., studio where the lottery was held.

Although the loss was a setback for Pitino's plans to turn around the
once-proud franchise, he claimed he was not
disappointed by Sunday's events. Citing a "glass half full" optimism
reminiscent of predecessor M.L. Carr, who represented
the Celtics at the lottery, Pitino noted that No. 1 picks can be busts,
while gems are frequently found lower in the draft.

"We're not at all disappointed. It's probably the worst case scenario,
but sometimes the worst case scenario can turn out to
be the best," he insisted.

"Anybody who's disappointed doesn't understand the long haul we're in.
... From where we're coming, from 15 wins, to
try and become a playoff contender, it's going to take a lot more than a
No. 1 pick."

Indeed, Pitino has much work to do to turn around the team that won 49
games in two years under Carr, then paid Pitino $7
million a year to rebuild. Several underachieving players are under
long-term contracts that leave little room to maneuver
under the salary cap, giving the Celtics two ways to rebuild: the draft
or by trade.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call from a location he would not
disclose, Pitino said he thought the best path to a
trade was to get his current players playing better, so they would have
more value. Of course, he conceded, if they play
better he might not want to trade them.

That leaves the draft, and with the No. 3 pick the Celtics could wind up
with Utah's Keith Van Horn, Kentucky's Ron
Mercer or badly needed big man Tony Battie of Texas Tech.

"The obvious pick was Duncan with No. 1. Two to six really didn't make
any difference to me. You really didn't have any
lock all-star players," Pitino said. "It's not like you have a choice
between Penny Hardaway and Chris Webber.

"... What you basically have is young people -- and they shouldn't look
as good as Tim Duncan. What you have to do is
project where will these young players be three or four years from now."



Tim