Re:

["JP" <leetjame@pilot.msu.edu>]

Draft not likely to help Celtics much


(AP) - The Boston Celtics, who built their current nucleus
through the last two NBA drafts, don't expect this year's to
produce as much. The Celtics are likely to get the 10th choice in
the draft lottery scheduled for May 17 and could end up packaging
it and one of their current players in a trade, coach Rick Pitino
said Thursday. "I would be very excited with the first, second or
third pick," he said during his first meeting with reporters
since the team ended its third straight season without a playoff
berth. "Whether I would be (excited) about the 10th pick, I'm not
sure." Teams getting the first three picks in the June 24 draft
will be determined during the lottery in which 1,000 combinations
of numbers ranging from one through 14 will be assigned to 13
non-playoff teams.
The worse a team's record, the more chances it has. Boston had
only the 10th worst record and has just a 2.01 percent chance of
getting the first pick, 1.14 of getting the second and 1.90 of
getting the third. The order of selection for teams which do not
get one of the top three picks will be determined by inverse
order of their regular-season records. In 1996, Boston had the
sixth choice and took Antoine Walker. Last year it had the third
and sixth and chose guards Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer.
Billups later was traded to Toronto for Kenny Anderson. Walker
made the Eastern Conference All-Star team this season and
Anderson and Mercer form a strong backcourt.
Pitino would like any players he adds to provide points and
shooting accuracy, regardless of the position. "To bring in a
defensive shot blocker who can't score would hurt this team," he
said. Boston improved its record from 15-67, its worst ever, in
1996-97, to 36-46 last season, its first under Pitino.