Adios Mercer, Hello Vets!

["gil moreno" <kuya_g@hotmail.com>]

First and foremost let me say that I really love Ron Mercer.  Not only 
do I love the way he plays, I also like his attitude and the way he is 
honing his game: Slowly but Surely.  He wants to master the 
fundamentals (medium-range jumpers) before trying out new things 
(three-point shots).  I also love the fact that he wants to be a 
Celtic.
But let's face it.  If the team really wants to improve in the near 
future changes must be made.  I agree with most guys on the list that 
the team has to get veterans.  And right now it is Mercer who has the 
most "value".  If we want to get a productive player we have to give 
one up also.  Being one of the valuable players with an expiring 
contract (plus the fact he isn't handled by RP compadre David Falk 
anymore)makes him the odd man out, the expendable one.  
And speaking of veteran players,  I hope the Celtics consider Tyrone 
Hill.  OK, OK, before you guys lambast me, try to take into 
consideration the following points:
1)  He can rebound  -  He has proven over the years that he can get 
some boards, something we surely need more of.  Aside from AW we do 
not have a consistent rebounder.  But I must commend Battie and 
Potapenko for their vast improvement these last few games.  I hope 
they keep it up.
2)  He is a no-nonsense type of player  -  This guy comes to play 
every night.  You won't hear him complaining about this and that. You 
won't see him acting like a brat if he isn't put in the game during 
crunch time.  He is a mature player, another virtue that most players 
on this team could use.
3)  He can provide leadership  -  I always say that a could leader 
must lead by example.  With Hill on the team, guys like AW and PP (who 
I feel needs some attitude adjustments)have someone to look upto.  
This guy has been through the wars of the NBA.  He is an All-Star in 
every sense of the word.  He's not the flashy type but he does the 
banging, the blocking, the rebounding, and other stuff that don't show 
on the stat sheet.  He will do anything to help the team win.
If I were Chris Wallace I would try to pull-off a trade that would be 
something like this:

Popeye Jones, Greg Minor, Ron Mercer
             for
Tyrone Hill, Aaron Mckie, Future first-round lottery pick

Hill is a more flexible player than Popeye because he can play the 
4 & 5 positions and he is definitely a better shot blocker.  Mckie is 
an upgraded version of Minor in the sense that he has a better outside 
shot, a better/tougher defender, a better rebounder, and has a wider 
range of offensive moves.  Adding Mercer to the mix is the insurance 
policy here.  Philly may feel that they are getting the shorter end of 
the stick if we just trade Jones and Minor straight-up.  Since they 
won't be getting a lottery pick this year they would be ecstatic to 
get a player like Mercer.
Another trade I would pull off is Terrel Brandon for Kenny Anderson.  
This would be the sign and trade variety since Brandon is going to be 
a free agent at the end of the season.  I would rather pay Brandon 5M 
a year than Anderson.  Besides, Brandon excelled under a defensive 
minded coach (Mike Fratello) back in Cleveland.  I could say the same 
about Hill.  They had their best years with the Cavs.  I don't think 
they would have a hard time adjusting to Pitino-style basketball.
With all this done, the starting line-up would look like this:
           Terrel Brandon   -  PG
           Paul Pierce      -  SG
           Antoine Walker   -  SF
           Tyrone Hill      -  PF
           Vitaly Potapenko -  C
With this starting five, we won't have a problem with rebounding.  4 
of the 5 players are good rebounders.  Walker and Pierce will lead the 
offense with adequate support from the other 3 guys.
The reserves would be:
           Tony Battie      -  F/C
           Walter Mcarty    -  F
           Aaron Mckie      -  SM
           Bruce Bowen      -  SM
           Dana Barros      -  PG
           
The 11th and 12th man will probably be Pervis and Damon Jones or a 
second-rounder(if we do have one).  
As Scottie Pippen is starting to realize in Houston, to many scorers 
spoil the offense.  When he was still in Chicago it was him and Jordan 
who provided the offense and the rest adapted to their roles.  Right 
now he is the third option on offense and I;m sure he feels he is 
wasting his time on this team.  In our case, we have Walker and Pierce 
to provide the offense and the others must play their roles.  Having 
to many star players will not work (e.g. Knicks, Suns, Sonics).  
Having 2 consitent ones and 10 role players will (e.g. Bulls of last 
season, Jazz, Blazers, post-Rice Hornets).
This of course is just my opinion.  I just want to see a cohesive 
Celtic team and I believe that the above mentioned line-up can get the 
job done.  And one more thing,  you can forget about aquiring SHAQ!
 


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