centers

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

My guess at the van Exel rumor was that van Exel was offered for Knight
and the #10, based on what the Lakers actually got for him. 

I really don't think that Michael Stewart would help the team. It's a 
great story that he made the NBA, but he's not a starting center on a 
good team. If he were, Sacramento wouldn't still be looking for a center.

Theo Ratliff seems like a good fit but the Celtics would be fielding a
very undersized lineup. I'm guessing that Keon Clark has potential to
be a similar player, if not superior.

I'm still unsure about Geiger because I really haven't seen that much of
him. Some people on this list have implied he doesn't play defense. Is 
there any substance to this? I wouldn't think Pitino would really be after
him if this were true. And inside offense is something that the Celtics 
still need, to take some pressure off Walker. I would guess that Geiger
would be more effective with the pick and roll than DeClercq or Ellison,
and Kenny Anderson made both of them look good. 

The way Pitino talks, it seems like he already has something worked out for
a center. Of course, that probably means absolutely nothing or the opposite.
I love how all the rumors about Pitino's stealth workout with Nowitzki were
true, and how he fooled the media into thinking that Mohammed was a lottery
pick. Pitino wasn't alone in the deceptions; I remember that Dan Issel 
remarked that LaFrentz didn't have the lower-body strength to play power
forward in the NBA. Now he says he can play center if he puts on a bit of
weight.

Alex