Wallace's chat

["Alejandro" <leonelq@quetzal.net>]

Chris Wallace at 12:58pm ET 
Good afternoon. I'm looking forward to your questions. 

Jeff in CT from [206.156.35.1], at 12:59pm ET 
Chris, I have loved Blue Ribbon over the years I've been following college
basketball. My question
is, where do you see the high schoolers in this draft going? Rashard Lewis,
Al Harrington, Korleone
Young, Dirk Nowitzki, Lamar Odom, etc? Thanks. 

       Chris Wallace at 1:00pm ET 
I think there are three who will get drafted, Lewis, Harrington and Young.
I look for Lewis and
Harrington to be in a bit of a horserace for a spot in this draft. I think
they will both go in the first 20
picks, with Young probably coming in as a second rounder. We don't know yet
if Nowitzki and
Odom will stay in the draft. 

Joe Monteforte from [208.17.126.126] at 1:00pm ET 
With the 11th Pick, Do you feel you need to move up or move down to find
the player the Celtics
need 

       Chris Wallace at 1:02pm ET 
We've already moved up. We're actually in the 10th spot...we didn't have to
pay anything for it. As
the case with virtually any team in the NBA, the more excited teams get
about the upper end
prospects, like Van Horn last year. While at the third pick last year, the
focus of the dealing was the
2nd pick for Van Horn. There are some players at the upper end of the
lottery which teams will try
to move up to obtain. 

James Cz. from [137.229.8.107], at 1:02pm ET 
Hi. What do you think about Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter? Are you going
into the draft
assuming that you can resign Antoine Walker when the time comes? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:05pm ET 
As far was Walker, we will make every effort possible to keep him in a
Celtics uniform because
there is no question about his talent level in this league. However, we are
not allowed to begin
negotiating with him prior to the draft. What we're doing in the draft is
take the player with the best
opportunity to have a significant NBA career. We'll operate basically on
that objective. I think both
Jamison and Carter will go in the top seven. Carter is the most explosive
player in the draft at the
off-guard and his skills improved during his three years at North Carolina.
I expect him to come in
and be an explosive scorer like Michael Finley and Latrell Sprewell who
came in as tremendous
athletes in college. They've found ways to score and their outside shooting
got better. Jamison just
had a terrfific, productive career at Carolins. He is so quick releasing
the ball on his shot like
Bernard King. The only question is do you play him at small forward or
power forward. He's also a
terrific person. 

R Waddles from [128.227.227.171] at 1:06pm ET 
Do you think Pitino will stick with his tradition of taking Kentucky
Wildcats?....He did develop
Mohammed into the player he is today. 

       Chris Wallace at 1:07pm ET 
We'll seriously consider him, as well as several others. If you look at our
roster, we have three
Kentucky players plus a fourth, Reggie Hanson, was called up in April. I do
think there is a sense of
comfort that coach has with the players he recruited and coached at
Kentucky. Unlike dealing with
prospects you don't know intimately, here you would know what you're
getting. 

ishbak from heni.conknet.com at 1:07pm ET 
What are the celtics going to do about a center this summer? Is Matt Geiger
the answer? Is Theo
Ratliff? Is Ratliff too skinny? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:08pm ET 
We certainly need to upgrade the center position down the line. We would
certainly love to have a
legitimate starting center who is in the top 10 at his position...so would
19 other teams. We're not
allowed to discuss free agents yet. 

Jim from wisedial.wilmington.net at 1:08pm ET 
How does Pitino compare to your old partner-in-crime, Pat Riley who is also
very passionate about
winning? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:10pm ET 
They are both great coaches, among the elite of the modern era of
basketball. They both bring a
sense of urgency to the task of developing a winner. They're both driven in
their quest for success
and desire of a championship team. Comparing them, coach Pitino is more
comfortable using more
players off his bench than coach Riley is. Coach Pitino is a little more up
tempo and freewheeling
offensively. But there is a common thread through both of them, utterly
driven to achieve success and
they have the track record to back it up. 

Bleeding green from [199.103.143.2] at 1:10pm ET 
What's your opinion on the age-old question of drafting the best player
available vs. filling a specific
team need? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:12pm ET 
If you study past drafts, you'll find the majority of mistakes in the upper
part of the first round were
made on the basis of drafting for need rather than talent and an overall
career. Need has a funny way
of working itself out over time, but the lack of quality never works itself
out. It's better in many
respects to have five great point guards at 6-1 then have needs met with
average players...you can
always deal from a stockpile quality. 

Noah S. from [152.204.39.186], at 1:12pm ET 
What do you think about the kid from Utah, Mike Doleac? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:13pm ET 
Michael Doleac was not looked at seriously as a big-time prospect until the
summer of his senior
year in high school, so he's a late bloomer. He shoots the ball well for
someone at his position, score
around the basket with either hand, good strength and works hard. There is
definitely a place for him
in this league. 

Roger Seitzinger from [208.138.185.243], at 1:14pm ET 
Have any teams contacted you about dealing your pick? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:15pm ET 
I won't get into discussions we've had with other teams...those remain in
house. 

Hellens from digitalcomm.com at 1:15pm ET 
What do you consider to be the Celtics' greatest needs, and who have you
looked at to fill those
needs? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:16pm ET 
Two fold. One, we need a bonafide starting center who is in the upper half
of the starting centers in
the league. Two, another scorer to complement the ones we have. We have
four guys who can
score points every night in Walker, Mercer, Anderson and Barros, so we need
another scorer as
well, preferably in the frontcourt. 

Employee#8 from [128.244.249.20], at 1:17pm ET 
What is your opinion of Olowakandi? Is he the next Hakeem or the next yinka
dare? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:19pm ET 
Neither, and I am not stratling the fence. Down the line, in 3-4 years,
he'll be a top 10 center if not a
top five center. With experience, that will happen. He came the US without
significant experience
and he played under 80 games in college. I would not consider him a project
since he has offensive
ability, has an NBA body and athleticism. What you get from him is more
down the road than let's
say Duncan in San Antonio or Shaq in Orlando. He is the top center prospect
in the draft and I
expect him to go within the first two picks. He also has a tremendous work
ethic and is a bright and
determined young man. He has all the bases covered in terms of intangibles.


Joe from [128.173.39.178], at 1:20pm ET 
Do you see Ron Mercer becoming a star in the league similar to Scottie
Pippen?...is he also working
on his 3 point shot? 

Chris Wallace at 1:22pm ET 
I don't like to say a young player is going to be like this player or
established star. Mercer will
become a terrific NBA player in his own right, and soon be among the top 10
two-guards, maybe
top five sooner. The question is accurate, while he had a tremendous rookie
year, he must improve
in his three-point shooting. He's more of a mid-range shooter, and he's not
looking for the dunk or
the three-pointer, knowing the 12-16 footer, coming off screens to set up
that shot, is his best bet,
unlike some others who prefer the dunk or the long-range shot. I think
you'll see him in many
All-Star games in the future. 

Juco Player from [204.91.206.21] at 1:22pm ET 
What do you think of EArl Boykins and Ruben Paternson 

       Chris Wallace at 1:24pm ET 
Patterson has helped himself immensely in the postseason and I think he's a
certain first-rouind pick.
Extremely athletic, plays with great intensity and is a solid defender.
Once in the NBA, he'll become
a better outside shooter. He's helped himself as much as anybody this
postseason. I see Patterson as
a first-round pick. Boykins had a tremendous career at Eastern Michigan and
he's more of an
offensive threat than a Bogues or Webb when they came in. The first and
foremost concern is his
size, and some teams won't want to draft a player that small. he's a
legitimate second-round pick
given his offensive potential and productivity in college, the positives,
which are many. 

Way Of The Ray from [206.214.112.74], at 1:25pm ET 
Chris,
I'm curious as to how well Ansu Sesay performed during his
Celtics' workout? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:25pm ET 
Sesay has not had a Celtics workout yet. We are considering him with our
10th pick. 

JKramer from dialup.wisc.edu at 1:26pm ET 
What's the deal with Robert Traylor? Where do you think he will go in the
draft, would he look
good in green, and what position do you think he'll play as a pro? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:27pm ET 
I believe Traylor will have to make it as a power forward. He's too small
at center and too big at
small forward. he has lost weight, helped himself in workouts and teams
seem comfortable with his
weight and I see him going in the top 10. I would predict here nine days
ahead of the draft that he'll
be gone before we pick. 

Rick from [199.5.50.145], at 1:27pm ET 
Would you consider Daniel Santiago with your 2nd round pick or as a free
agent. He is listed at 7'1"
and 250 lbs. and played well against Tim Duncan. 

       Chris Wallace at 1:28pm ET 
Daniel is big, and we can use additional big people and he had an
impressive outing in an under-22
tournament vs. Duncan in Puerto Rico. If he's undrafted, we'll consider our
options at that point. We
don't have a second-round pick. 

Lawhamel from [152.163.205.176], at 1:28pm ET 
Without getting specific, do you anticipate making trades in the
off-season? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:30pm ET 
We'll look into any vehicle to bring in players to help the Celtics. There
are only three ways to obtain
players, draft, sign as free agents or trade. We'll look at our options
after the draft. We have been
active if you look at our transactions since coach Pitino arrived. 

mrosen from [209.21.190.34], at 1:30pm ET 
Why don't the Celtics have a 2nd pick????? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:30pm ET 
It was sent to the Knicks, a piece of our deal done with them last October
involving Chris Mills,
John Wallace, Walter McCarty, Dontae Jones. 

Glaze from [209.8.13.132] at 1:31pm ET 
Is this draft the weakest in years or does it seem that the quality of
college players is declining
compared to the superstars already in the league? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:34pm ET 
I think this draft has become more intriguing. There's not Duncan or Van
Horn in it, and the senior
class this year wasn't extremely strong because of past defections to the
NBA. If they didn't go as
early as they do, Antoine Walker would have been in this draft. He's 21
years old, and in an era
past, he would have come out now instead of playing 164 NBA games. I think
it's critical as an
evaluator that you don't spend too much time lamenting what isn't there.
History tells us there will be
some players who go on to long and distinguished career, so it's our job to
pick them. Even if you
don't come home with a superstar, you can get a player who will crack
you're top eight, that will help
you. It's like in baseball, you take what's given like a pitch and try to
hit it. 

Jason from [209.75.154.227], at 1:34pm ET 
Are you in favor of the NBA creating a so called "minor league" for high
school stars who are not
interested in attending college? Why or why not? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:35pm ET 
We currently have a minor league, the CBA. I do think there needs to be
more attention given by all
of us in the game in ways to create a productive and educational basketball
environment for those
not interested in attending college. One of the problems with creating that
environment in the CBA is
there is such pressure on the coaches to win in that league that it would
be self-defeating to see it as
a developmental league, when older players could win games to help them
keep their jobs. 

Milt Schmidt from cc.interlog.com at 1:38pm ET 
Hey Chris...you guys gave up on Chauncey Billups pretty early after taking
him 3rd overall. Do you
see him emerging into a quality point guard in Toronto or nothing more than
an average player? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:40pm ET 
First, to clear up any misconceptions. It was not a negative reflection on
Chauncey and we feel he
will be outstanding NBA player one day. The trade was done for a number of
reasons. One, at the
time, we were the second-youngest team and the league devours its young. If
you want to win and
get in the playoffs, you have to get older and Kenny Anderson brought us
much-needed experience.
Anderson's ability to push the ball up the court on the break and find the
open man is tailor-made for
Rick Pitino's system. Third, we got a free look for the last third of the
season at free agents Popeye
Jones and Zan Tabak. We also picked up a slice of cap room which could be
expanded in the
off-season with another deal or two. It wasn't that we gave up on Chauncey,
but this trade had too
many benefits to pass up. 

JGonzales from azalea.net at 1:41pm ET 
With the exception of the Celtics which teams do you see on the rise to
replace the Jazz, Bulls, and
Rockets heading into the new millineum? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:42pm ET 
The Lakers have the most upside, outside of those teams you mentioned, that
has the greatest
upside. The day is coming where Shaq becomes the dominant force in the NBA.
Throw in the other
quality talent the Lakers have and Jerry West is going to make good
decisions, so I like their future.
Despite being swept by Utah, they still won 60 games this year and beat a
good and veteran Seattle
team on the way to the conference finals. 

Jeff from channel1.com at 1:42pm ET 
What do you think will happen to Chicago? Will they be back for 1 more run?


       Chris Wallace at 1:43pm ET 
It's difficult to say right now because you hear so many disenting opinions
from those supposedly in
the know. Jordan has more heroics left in him. I just don't see him
retiring to the golf courses yet. 

Celtsin2k from ulster.net at 1:44pm ET 
What do you think about UNLV PF/C Keon Clark? Could he be a center in the
Celtics up tempo
style? How do you feel about his off the court problems? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:45pm ET 
He's an intriguing prospect because of his size, length and athleticism.
He's got the ability to block
shots. He may be the best shot-blocker in the draft. Clark could fit some
needs for us, no question,
and he can certainly run the court. There's no doubt we'll seriously look
at him. 

Celts0 from [152.163.194.218], at 1:46pm ET 
How is Kenny Anderson's knee doing? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:47pm ET 
Kenny has responded well and we're confident he'll be at 100 percent when
next season opens up. 

G Lambert from pqi.infi.net at 1:47pm ET 
How much do teams weigh a players off-court problems. Everyone says it
matters but they turn
around and give him 3-4 million dollars 

       Chris Wallace at 1:48pm ET 
Everything is relative because there's just not enough quality talent to go
around...you can't just
manufacture players. We look long and hard at the intangible of a player,
but at the same time, it is a
matter of practicality and you have to put a team together on the floor
which can win. 

Civ from [209.2.234.209], at 1:48pm ET 
Where do you think that Felpie Lopez will go in the draft, if he will at
all? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:49pm ET 
He helped himself as a senior and in the postseason. He shot well in
Chicago. Everyone always was
impressed with his athleticism and character. The concerns were shooting. I
see him in the first
round, somewhere in the 20s. 

celtsfan from albany.net at 1:50pm ET 
what happened to the nuggets 2nd rounder you got in the eric williams deal?


       Chris Wallace at 1:50pm ET 
Nothing is conveyed in 1998. That pick comes in 1999. 

Gary from SF from bactc.com at 1:50pm ET 
What do you think of Jason Williams as a point guard? When do you think
he'll be picked? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:51pm ET 
I definitely see him at point and the second point guard taken. I see him
going in the early teens. 

Shawn McGrerory from proxy.aol.com at 1:51pm ET 
Would you consider drafting Jamison from UNC if you move up? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:52pm ET 
We'd seriously look at him if he was available, but there is no way he'll
be available at 10. 

mike from [152.163.195.240], at 1:52pm ET 
where do you see michael Dickerson going in the draft 

       Chris Wallace at 1:53pm ET 
He also helped himself through his senior year and postseason. He has
worked out with some of the
teams in the top 10 and I see him being gone in the first 20 picks. He'll
be one of the first three or
four off-guards selected. 

Billy from [207.228.204.21], at 1:53pm ET 
What happened to the Celtics second round pick last year, Ben Pepper? I
didn't even see him in
preseason. 

       Chris Wallace at 1:54pm ET 
Pepper spent this past year with the North Melbourne team and we've
received some encouraging
words from his coach. He's still a few years away from being considered a
serious NBA player, but
he's gained much needed experience over the past year, worked seriously on
developing his body
and he's coming along. To steal a phrase from Tommy Heinsohn, the Celtics
currently have Pepper
salted away in Australia! 

Mark from [207.79.35.139], at 1:55pm ET 
Can you give a brief summary of the talents of five players you would like
to see available when the
Celtics draft?

       Chris Wallace at 1:58pm ET 
Olowokandi has impressive athleticism and physical attributes for a center,
and his offense has
improved dramatically in his four years of college. Bibby is the consumate
point guard and he thinks
the position as well as anyone. He's willing to put in the work to become
stronger and a better
perimeter shooter. Paul Pierce is a very explosive small forward prospect
who should generate
considerable offense in the NBA. Antawn Jamison is attractive because of
his high degree of
productivity in the ACC, the toughest conference in the country. Jamison
also has impressive work
habits. Raef LaFrentz, let's not forget about him, but going into the
season, he was considered the
number one pick in the draft. 

TOP3 from [20.4.210.199], at 1:59pm ET 
Chris

Did the Wizards help themselves with the Richmond/Thorpe for Webber
exchange? If so, how? 

       Chris Wallace at 1:59pm ET 
I think it helped both teams because Webber is one of the top young talents
in the game and
Richmond brings a mature presence and all-star talent to Washington. 

JGonzales from azalea.net at 2:00pm ET 
In your opinion who is the best player currently in the CBA? 

       Chris Wallace at 2:00pm ET 
I don't want to say that because I would give it away. Unlike the draft,
that guy could get taken.
Some GM may be on this chat reading along! 

LonghornGK from [209.144.17.60], at 2:00pm ET 
How close did you get to trading up for the top pick in last year's draft? 

       Chris Wallace at 2:02pm ET 
Nowhere. They weren't getting off the pick short of anything besides
Michael Jordan. Tim Duncan
was a can't miss big time player and after the first year, he's even
exceeded those expectations.
There was no way they were even considering doing anything. In fact San
Antonio had the easiest
pre-draft process in history. You didn't have to work him out or background
checks, psychological
checks. Just have someone write his name on the card and hand it in to the
commissioner.