Providence Journal Article

[Chris Littlefield <chris@mjr.com>]

              10.25.97 00:09:03
              CELTICS
              High turnover ratio


 Celtics' trading frenzy produces mixed results
 By KEVIN McNAMARA
 Journal-Bulletin Sports Writer

 BOSTON -- Ever since he was hired as the Celtics' big cheese last May,
Trader Rick Pitino
 has been wheeling and dealing at a breakneck pace.

 The team's preseason ends tonight in Philadelphia against the 76ers, so
now is as good a
 time as any to see what Pitino's moves have uncovered. Pitino shipped out
all but five
 players from last season's Celtic shipwreck, and when any team has that
type of turnover,
 some of the new faces will be hits, others will be duds.

 Pitino says he's probably not finished shifting his team's roster. Based
on the speed and
 frequency of his moves so far, he must be believed.

 Here's a breakdown of the Celts' major moves:

    Drafted Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer with the third and sixth picks
in the first
 round. Like most of these moves, it's still very early for a final
judgment but so far Mercer
 looks good and Billups has been frighteningly bad. The point guard from
Colorado showed
 his best flashes so far in last night's 103-98 loss to Milwaukee, but he
came in averaging
 only 4 points and 3.8 assists in 18 minutes a game. He's shot 25 percent
from the floor. All
 but handed the chance at a starting spot, Billups will be beaten out by
veteran Dana Barros.

 Mercer is averaging 10.3 points and flashing the athleticism and potential
that so excites
 Pitino.

    Waived the rights to nine players to create salary cap room to sign
free agent Travis
 Knight to a 7-year, $22 million deal. Skeptics flipped over the size of
Knight's contract but
 at a little over $3 million a year the UConn grad is a bargain in the
NBA's rapidly escalating
 marketplace. Knight is the prototype high-post big man who can shoot and
add some
 offensive punch. Just don't ask him to play much low-post defense.

    Signed free agent forwards Bruce Bowen, Andrew DeClercq and Tony
Massenburg.
 These were all highly questionable signings. Bowen is a nice player but
the Celts gave him
 a guaranteed deal for two years. He's only a step above your average CBA
player.

 Signing DeClercq for five years and $8.4 million is the worst move the
Celts made. He's
 grabbed five rebounds in six games, shot 25 percent and shown he's not
athletic enough to
 be a Pitino running big man. He's a 10th-11th man on this roster, a spot
that could be filled
 by Marty Conlon.

 Massenburg is another disaster. He's strictly a CBA retread, not a player
deserving of a
 three-year, $2.7 million contract. He's likely to get cut next week,
costing the Celts wasted
 money.

    Eric Williams traded to Denver for two second-round picks. The next
day, free agents
 Chris Mills and Tyus Edney are signed. Pitino, mainly through the advice
of GM Chris
 Wallace, is sold a line that Mills is better than Williams. That proves to
be highly
 questionable. To his credit, the coach realizes Mills isn't a good fit and
turns around a deals
 him. Edney is more wasted money. He's a certain cut next week, even though
he's
 guaranteed about $1 million over two years.

    Chris Mills and two second-round picks traded to New York for forwards
Walter
 McCarty, Dontae' Jones and John Thomas and guard Scott Brooks. The last
trade is the
 best one so far. Mills wasn't a differ ence-maker but both McCarty and
Jones have that
 potential. Both played big minutes last night against the Bucks, a sign of
Pitino's
 excitement about the deal. McCarty and Jones both have two years on their
contracts at
 small money.

 Thomas has a foot injury and will start the season on the injured list.
Brooks should be
 released before the season begins.

 All these moves leave the Celtics with 17 players on the roster. Brooks
and center William
 Cunningham are certain cuts. Even though they're owed money, Edney and
Massenburg
 should go also. Bowen and Greg Minor could be fighting for the final
roster spot.

 Up until the Mills trade, Pitino says he had a team that tried hard but
was struggling to play
 his uptempo, pressing system. Now he sees more potential.

 ``We have so much more team speed,'' he said. ``I looked out there tonight
and saw a team
 capable of playing it where the other night I saw a team trying to play
it. We're much more
 versatile and quick now.''

 After tonight's game in Philly, the Celts fly home and begin a final week
of workouts at
 Brandeis. Pitino says the team isn't ready for the season opener next
Friday against the
 world champion Bulls.

 Ready or not, Trader Rick will show up with a team Celtic fans will want
to watch.