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Chris Wallace chat
- Subject: Chris Wallace chat
- From: Mike Dynon <mdynon@ix.netcom.com>
- Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 19:46:35 -0400
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Chris Wallace was a chat guest today on ESPN Sports Zone.
http://espnet.sportszone.com/editors/talk/transcripts2/970923wallace.html
Mike Dynon
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<h2>
Celtics need deep roster for Pitino's style
</h2>
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<table width=3D"75" align=3Dright cellspacing=3D12><tr><td><img src=3D"ht=
tp://espn.sportszone.com/editors/chat/img/wallace.jpg" height=3D"90" widt=
h=3D"75"></td></tr><tr><td align=3Dleft><font size=3D"-1"><b>Wallace</b><=
/font><hr></td></tr></table> One of the most active NBA teams in the =
off-season has been the <a href=3D"http://ESPN.SportsZone.com/nba/clubhou=
ses/bos.html">Boston Celtics</a> and the team's general manager Chris Wal=
lace said it is due to the need for a deep bench.<P>
In a chat session with ESPN SportsZone users, Wallace talked about coach =
Rick Pitino and the new style of play he brings to the team. He also talk=
ed about the state of the league and what it will be like when Michael Jo=
rdon retires.<P>
If you missed his Sept. 23 chat, below is an edited transcript:<P>
<B>Greenboy: How long do you think it will take until the Celtics are a=
playoff-caliber team?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> Not to be evasive but that remains to be seen=
=2E We have a lot of work to do to get Rick's system
into place. We have a solid nucleus of support troops and we have eight =
new players (two draft
picks and six free agents). Starters on other teams like Chris Mills hav=
e been added. Who on our
roster will arrive and be of star caliber, that is something we must ans=
wer before
we determine our playoff ability. I can't put a timetable on that. Suffi=
ce to say we want to be as
good as we can as quickly as we can.<P> =
<B>Matt: How much salary cap room do you anticipate having for next yea=
r's free agents? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b> That's hard to project because there are thing=
s we can't determine yet, such as trades. Right
now, we'd probably have no money, but opportunities could arise to free =
up some room.<P> =
<B>Kelso: Is Antoine Walker viewed as a three or a four in the organizat=
ion's eyes?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> =
To start the season off, we plan to use him mainly as a four, power forw=
ard, but that is not ruling
out time at small forward as well. He has unique characteristics, such a=
s ballhandling. He can
take opposing power forwards away from the basket, expose weakness in pe=
rimeter defense,
and handle the ball. <P>
<B> Jeff: What kind of impact do you think Andrew DeClercq will have?<P>=
Chris Wallace: </b> I think he will have a positive impact. To be=
gin with, he is a Celtic, someone who is going to lay
everything he has on the line, game after game. Fans will respond favora=
bly every time he steps
on the court. He runs the court, which fits in Rick's system, a hard-wor=
king defensive player and
their is no variance in his efforts. Dating back to his collegiate days =
in Florida, his weakness is
outside shooting. He has already put in a lot of work on his jump shot t=
his summer. I can't say if
he's a starter or not, but he should log considerable minutes and we hav=
e him in our plans to
contribute both initially and down the line as a playoff team. <P>
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WALLACE'S FILE
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Wallace was named to his current post on May 27, 1997 by Celtics coach an=
d president Rick Pitino. Prior to taking the position, Wallace served as=
the director of player personnel for the Miami Heat. Wallace, who also =
spent four seasons as a scout for the Heat, helped construct a Miami team=
that won a franchise record 61 games in 1996-97.<p>Before his days with =
the Heat, Wallace worked in various scouting capacities for the Portland =
Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. =
He also served as a draft consultant for the United States Basketball Le=
ague.<p> Wallace is also well respected in media circles, having been na=
med by <i>Sports Illustrated</i> as one of the most influential members o=
f the college basketball media in 1991. Wallace is the founder of the aw=
ard-winning <i>Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook,</i> his first ven=
ture into the basketball business. =
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<B>Celtic Fan Forever: Why did the Celtics release Dino Radja instead =
of =
trying to trade him to another team after Philadelphia
said he failed the physical, while the Celtics said he
was fine?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> Because of Dino's salary cap situation and th=
e ramification of other team's cap situation. His age,
and playing just 75 games over two seasons made him difficult to move. T=
he more unlikely
scenario unfolded since he desired a move back to Europe, and that gave =
us salary cap relief. <P>
<B> Ryan Grant: Of all the Celtics off-season moves, which do you see as =
the most important? Also,
do you feel Chauncey Billups is the kind of player a franchise can be bu=
ilt around? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b> I don't want to put undue pressure on Chaunce=
y, but we obviously have high expectations for
him and he was the third overall pick and first point guard. When he rea=
ches full maturity and
gains experience, he can be one of the best in the NBA for a team which =
has deep playoff
aspirations. I don't want to say he's an individual you can solely build=
a team around, because we
want great players to put together. <P>I feel the biggest off-season mov=
e in terms of overall
ramifications of our roster was getting Dino Radja back to Europe. It he=
lped us to pick up extra salary
room, giving us the ability to sign a multitude of players. Without the =
Radja room, we
would not have been able to pick up the quantity. Under Rick, we'll have=
to play 10-11 players
night after night, so we needed the bodies to play his system. Quantity =
was important in the
off-season. <P>
<B> Ted Nickles: Would you guys have really done the Scottie Pippen trad=
e? If yes, what would have been the
reasoning? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b>
I don't want to get into that because I don't believe it is appropriate =
to comment on other NBA
teams. I'll have to decline on that.<P> =
<B>Brad: I'm a big Pitino fan. Is it going to be like it was in Kentucky=
, high intensity defense and offense? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b> Yes. That's the Pitino system. In many ways, =
it's the basketball equivalent of the Steve Spurrier
system at Florida. Spurrier can put pressure on opposing defenses, as I =
saw first hand last
weekend. There are few coaches whose teams can pressure on opposing defe=
nses like Rick's
can. He will utilize the fullcourt press game after game, which is why w=
e need to beef the roster
up to get enough bodies to play that system. <P>
<B> Peter: Do you think the running game and more offense are going to m=
ake a return to the NBA? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b>
Rick is certainly going to try to bring it back to the NBA. I hope for t=
he sake of the game, in the
next few years, the offensive scoring picks up as does the shots per gam=
e. We need an injection
of offensive fireworks back in the game. <P>
<B> John: I remember Dee Brown's rookie and sophomore campaign and thoug=
ht that this guy could be a
real contributor. But then the injuries and frustrations followed. Is De=
e ready to rebound under
Pitino (who I think is an excellent fit for Dee's style of play)? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b> Absolutely. The Pitino system is definitely up=
Dee Brown's alley and over the summer, he has
been extremely diligent in his off-season conditioning. He has worked on=
his ballhandling and lost
10 pounds. We are excited to see him in a Celtics uniform this season. T=
he early indications are
this will be an excellent marriage. <P>
<B> Bird-DJ 86: Has Pervis Ellison cleaned up his act? Will he be a team=
player now that he's over his papercut?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> Pervis has been working out in the Washington =
area over the summer, hitting the weights hard
and working with a personal trainer. We're looking forward to seeing wha=
t condition he arrives
in. If he is in the kind of condition he's capable of, he can help us. W=
e presently lack size and
shot blocking. The old Pervis Ellison, from his most productive days in =
Washington, would be a
welcomed addition for us.<P> =
<table width=3D"200" align=3D"right" cellpadding=3D"12"><tr><td><font siz=
e=3D"+1" face=3D"arial"><b>"It is unrealistic to suggest that any one pla=
yer
currently in the league or joining it in the future will be able to equa=
l Jordan's impact." </b></font></td></tr></table>
<B> Ames: I have been a long time subscriber to your Blue Ribbon Ye=
arbook. Will you
continue to be involved with the book now that you are the GM of the Cel=
tics?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> Yes, but on a minor basis. The guys who are t=
he horses, who have carried the mail so to speak
the last few years, are Joe Lunardi and Chris Dortch. If you have any co=
mplaints or don't like
where your team is ranked, call them.<P> =
<B> JayZ: What advice do you have for students interested in a career in=
sports management? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b>
My advice would be to understand very early how the deck is stacked math=
ematically against
you. Look at the NBA for example, with just 29 teams. Include the non-co=
aching jobs still
closely related to the basketball operations, like GM, you have in essen=
ce only 130 jobs in the
whole industry. Add in the other pro sports and collegiate ranks, you st=
ill only have a few
thousand, on a rough estimate. Anyone who is preparing to stake their cl=
aim in the field of sports
administration should be aware of how difficult this is based on sheer n=
umbers.<P> With that
disclaimer out of the way, if you have the great desire to get into the =
administrative side of sports,
you need to understand this is primarily based on advancing based on per=
sonal contact. Know as
many people as possible and concentrate not only on learning the fundame=
ntals of the trade but
building up your rolodex. <P>
<B> Davis: With 13 players under contract, can we expect a trade before t=
he beginning of the season? =
<P>
Chris Wallace: </b> =
Our philosophy is never say never. We didn't know a week before we signe=
d Chris Mills and
Tyus Edney that we would sign them. In this business you never know when=
the opportunity will
present itself. At the same time, this is in all probability the roster =
we will take into training camp.<P> =
<B> Ken: Why couldn't you at least get a No. 1 for Eric Williams? After =
all two No. 1 are useless.<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> That trade was in essence a transaction which=
sent Eric Williams and got us Chris Mills and Tyus
Edney. We were under time constraints because Cleveland wanted to sign M=
ills and then trade
him to any number of teams. It was imperative to move quickly.<P> =
Given the time constraints we were under, the deal with Denver w=
as the best situation available.<P> =
<B> Red: I think that the situation with Kevin Garnett and his outrageous=
salary demands will force
the league to reconsider the rookie cap situation as well as the yearly =
Chris Dudley cases about
the Bird cap exemption. Do you see these two issues as needing immediate=
addressing? And
what changes would you and the Celtics like to see with regards to these=
issues? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b>
There are some pros and cons with the rookie cap. It saves you from your=
self. If you make a
mistake on a pick, it doesn't cripple you like in the past, when some of=
those guys earned
$30-50 million plus. The downside is that if a player shows great promis=
e in his first two years,
that a day of reckoning is certain to come where you will re-sign him or=
he will go elsewhere. While there will be
some casualties where some top-flight players will leave after fulfillin=
g their initial contract, overall,
I am an advocate of a rookie cap.<P> =
<B> Ames: Do NBA teams keep scouting databases to keep track of current=
collegiate players in addition to
former collegiate players who may have gone undrafted and/or are playing=
in Europe?<P>
Chris Wallace: </b> Most NBA teams definitely have a system to keep trac=
k of players who could come up in future
drafts and who could come up in the future through the CBA or Europe. <P=
>
<B> Dan: Do you support women refs in the NBA? Will they be able to stan=
d up under the verbal abuse
that star players such as Jordan and Malone have given them over the yea=
rs?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> If female referees are added to the NBA's roster of =
officials, I'm sure they will be of high quality
and just as capable of standing up to the normal abuses that normal refe=
rees take from the
coaches and the fans as their male counterparts are. The NBA is very tho=
rough and precise in
everything it does. <P>
<B> Zach Shotland: What do you think will happen to the NBA once Michael=
Jordan leaves? <P>
Chris Wallace: </b> That's a very good question. Michael Jordan has trans=
cended the athletic arena and will certainly
go down as one of the great entertainers who will rank up right there wi=
th Elvis, the Beatles and
anyone else you want to mention among all-time attractions. In addition =
to being the best
basketball player to lace up a pair of sneakers. It is unrealistic to su=
ggest that any one player
currently in the league or joining it in the future will be able to equa=
l Jordan's impact.<P> =
<B> Michael: I know it is too early, but who do you think will the top t=
wo college players in next year's draft?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b> It's early, but entering the year, I'd say Raef LaFr=
entz of Kansas has the best chance to be the
top overall draft pick. It's his spot to lose, sort of.<P> =
<B> Kevin Frazier: With the second round pick in the NBA Draft, you guys=
selected Ben Pepper, a virtual
unknown. Why wasn't the pick used towards someone like Reggie Freeman or=
Shea Seals?<P> =
Chris Wallace: </b>
We selected Pepper for several reasons. When you pick an international p=
layer, you can hold
his rights forever. You don't have to worry about him making your roster=
this season, like you
would with Seals or Freeman. With the rights to international players, i=
t's like going to the bank
and drawing interest on it. You can use him or use him as part of a trad=
e, like Sasha Danilovic
when he was put in the deal from Golden State, Seikaly for Owens several=
years ago.<P> We were
intrigued with Pepper's size, which we didn't have in great abundance at=
the time, his athleticism
and upside. He has only really been playing at a high level of organized=
basketball in Australia for
two years. We felt he compared favorably to Chris Anstey, whom Dallas se=
lected, when you
project the experience Pepper can pick up in the NBL in Australia the wa=
y Anstey did. We were
Anstey fans so to speak, so when we looked at where he ranked in this dr=
aft, and considering
Pepper had many of the same characteristics and same type of long-range =
potential, it became an
easy pick for as deep as we made it in the second round.<P> =
=
Our plans for Pepper, who recently was promoted to the Australian nation=
al team, is for him to play in
Australia in October, tour with the team in the U.S. in November, the NB=
L plays again in January and
ends in June, so the league can get on line with the schedule of the res=
t of the world. We plan to
bring him over next July to participate in the summer program and evalua=
te him at that point.<P> =
Thanks again for all of your questions. <P>
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