Peter May: Cleveland Looking Forward To Celtics Pick; Mahorn Would Be A Good Addition

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

One thing I would point out both to May and Embry, the C's are 
currently eighth in the draft, not in the top six.
                                 

                                [The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
                                [Boston Globe Online / Sports]

                                

                                PRO BASKETBALL NOTES
                                New York's circular file a not-so-merry
                                go-round

                                By Peter May, Globe Staff, 04/25/99
                                <snips>
                              
                                
                                Cavs have a rooting interest

                                More than a few people in Cleveland are
                                watching the Celtics' late-season slide
                                with great interest. While the Cavs
                                haven't announced officially that they
                                will take Boston's pick in this year's
                                draft, it's all but a done deal with the
                                Celtics' plummeting. ''I would say yes,''
                                Cavs GM Wayne Embry said this past week
                                when asked if he'd take the pick if things
                                continued along these lines. Folks in
                                Cleveland feel they got the better of the
                                Andrew Declercq - Vitaly Potapenko deal.
                                First, they basically exchanged one backup
                                center for another. The one they got may
                                not be as talented, but he's the perfect
                                backup and he's cheap by NBA standards.
                                They also got out of adding another fat
                                contract to the mix. ''Affordability was a
                                key for us,'' Embry said. ''We've got two
                                big ones already [ Shawn Kemp and Zydrunas
                                Ilgauskas] and some more ahead.'' Now, you
                                add a top six pick and it makes it look
                                like larceny from Cleveland's point of
                                view. The Celtics, meanwhile, undeniably
                                have a better presence in the middle. Time
                                will tell on the pick. This will be the
                                first time since 1979 that the Celtics
                                will not have a first-round pick (unless
                                they trade for one). The only other team
                                with a longer track record of having a
                                first-rounder each year is Sacramento,
                                which has had one every year since 1972
                                Amazing
                                to see Rick Mahorn not only play, but play
                                important minutes last week against the
                                Celtics. He's 40 years old. He said he
                                thought the Celtics might have interest in
                                him this year, but there were no calls.
                                That's a shame. He would be a perfect fit
                                on the Celtics, although he did admit that
                                he'd have trouble adjusting to Pitino's
                                frantic coaching style. Mahorn also is
                                reminded of how old he is every time he
                                sees teammate Allen Iverson. He went to
                                high school with Iverson's parents.

                           

                                This story ran on page D15 of the Boston
                                Globe on 04/25/99.
                                © Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.