by tsn
correspondent
PETER MAY
Boston Globe
With no NBA in
Boston, the
Celtics' scouting
staff instead is
getting a long,
hard look at the
region's top
players. For the
first time in
memory, New England
boasts three top
20-caliber teams in
Connecticut, UMass
and Rhode Island.
Even better for the
scouts, each team
has a potential
lottery pick.
The must-see guy in
the area is URI's
Lamar Odom, who has
played three
college games and
already has
everyone drooling.
It's no stretch
whatsoever to place
him right at the
top of the draft
next June -- if
there is one. He's
that good, a 6-10
playmaker who is
all light and no
heat on the floor.
Celtics GM Chris
Wallace saw Odom
for the first time
this week and,
while cautious to
project him as a
pro due to his
underclass status,
still loved what he
saw. Even more
important, Wallace
said, was that Odom
seems to have
finally found
himself after a
couple of years
bouncing around
from school to
school. "He was
kind of overwhelmed
by the process
before and there
was no voice of
reason in his
life," Wallace
said.
The other two
lottery picks are
junior Richard
Hamilton of UConn
and senior bruiser
Lari Ketner of
UMass. You can be
sure that they will
get some serious
viewing. Right now,
it's all there is.
. . .
The Celtics were
one of the teams
out of the box to
contact players
after Commissioner
David Stern gave
the go-ahead. It
wasn't clear how
many players were
contacted, but NBA
union head Billy
Hunter said Boston
had Wallace, coach
Rick Pitino and
owner Paul Gaston
on one end of a
conference call.
The Celtics will
save a goodly chunk
of change on the
15th when checks
are not issued. But
the team's biggest
contract, that of
Kenny Anderson, is
being paid by
Portland. So
zillionaire owner
Paul Owner gets
back what for him
is pocket change:
$487,083. . . .
The agent for
Antoine Walker says
he is unfazed by
continuing reports
that his client is
being shopped
everywhere. "They
shopped (Scottie)
Pippen, too," said
David Falk.
"Antoine still
wants to play in
Boston." Walker's
status, like that
of just about
everyone, is in
limbo. If the
players buckle and
accept the NBA's
proposal, then
Walker would not be
able to command the
astronomical
numbers that Gaston
has already said he
wouldn't pay. . . .
The Celtics may not
be the best front
office in the NBA,
but they are
determined to be
the leanest. Pitino
challenged some of
his chunkier
underlings to lose
weight. Wallace has
dropped 40 pounds
and head scout Leo
Papile also is with
the program. We're
not sure if
Pitino's challenge
was prompted by his
infatuation with a
trimmed-down John
(Hot Plate)
Williams or was
just his ongoing
fixation with
fitness.
Pitino apparently
saw Williams in Los
Angeles and liked
it a lot. He has
apparently undercut
Sixers coach Larry
Brown in the battle
for the 31-year-old
Williams, although
nothing is
official. Williams
played for Brown in
Los Angeles and
Indiana and
apparently has his
weight under
control. If that's
the case, and he
still has his
versatile,
all-around game,
then he might be
worth a chance.
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