Holley: Turner to be signed, much more

["Ozersky, Joshua A" <OzerskyJA@corning.com>]

Griffin signs: Turner next? 

Since Ray seems to have taken the morning off....

Celtics have more to do



By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 08/02/99 

The Celtics began yesterday morning by making Adrian Griffin's one-year contract official. By the afternoon, they were thinking about another deal that is almost a cinch to be made: the signing of Wayne Turner.



Turner impressed many in the organization with a Summer League week at UMass-Boston in which he made more than 60 percent of his shots and averaged 11 points and five assists. But it was his final-seconds reverse layup against the Sonics yesterday that excited everyone in the Clark Athletic Center.



Rick Pitino, watching the play from a press table, smiled and clapped after Turner's shot helped keep the Summer Vacation Celtics undefeated (14-0). Comedian Bill Bellamy, who was sitting courtside, stood up and mimed the shot immediately after it went through the net and gave the Celtics a 100-99 lead with 3 seconds remaining. Long before the shot was taken, former college coach Kevin Mackey looked at Turner and said, ''This kid is ready for the NBA right now. I don't think people realize how good he is. And look at his record [three NCAA title game appearances in four years]; he's a winner.''



There were plenty of raves for Turner, who acknowledged that he ''had no idea'' the shot was going in the hoop. He does have an idea where he'd like to work. ''I want to be a Celtic,'' he said after the 102-99 win. ''I grew up here [in Mission Hill], so it would be a great situation for me.'' Turner also pointed out that his strengths - playmaking and defense - are what the Celtics want from their lead guards.



When Turner is eventually brought to training camp, it will not be the only significant change to the Celtics' roster. There are several areas/concerns that Pitino and general manager Chris Wallace will be exploring in the next month:



The addition of Griffin.



The 25-year-old swingman received a guaranteed one-year deal with a team option for a second season. Pitino said the 6-foot-5-inch player is one who can deceive you with his steady and flawless game. The coach recalled a conversation he had with assistant Jim O'Brien, who initially said he didn't think Griffin could play for the Celtics. Then the team went to the LA Summer League.



''Obie came back and I said, `OK, let's go over the roster,' and we got to Adrian. Jim immediately said, `We've got to sign him.''' Pitino asked his friend why his opinion changed so quickly. O'Brien told him, ''I just watched him. He didn't make one mistake in 10 days.''



Pitino envisions Griffin coming off the bench to score. Last season with the CBA champion Connecticut Pride, Griffin averaged 19 points and 7.6 rebounds and was league MVP. He said he won't have any problem in Pitino's system because the Pride ''tried to actually imitate what Boston was doing as far as their full-court press.''



The (failed) pursuit of Ruben Patterson; the possibilities of Samaki Walker and Rodney Rogers.



Like many teams watching the Summer League games, the Celtics were interested in signing the 6-5 Patterson. Indiana president Donnie Walsh watched Patterson defend and said, ''I love Ruben. Can you imagine having to face him every day in practice?''



But as hard as the Celtics tried to recruit him, Patterson appears headed for Seattle. The Celtics still have an interest in 6-9 free agent Walker, although he never has played as many as 50 games in a season. The team continues to insist that rumors of a sign-and-trade involving Walker and Ron Mercer are the wishful musings of the Mavericks, Walker's former team. Pitino was interested in Rogers, but he is leaning toward the Nuggets.



The Mercer/Tony Battie decision.



As for Mercer, Pitino said yesterday that he believes the Celtics offered the 6-7 guard a fair amount to extend his contract. Mercer and his agent have said the number is unacceptable. Pitino said the Celtics have to either find a way to give Mercer more money or trade him. But it is unlikely that the team will be able to extend both Mercer and Battie. And the 6-11 Battie has many fans in the organization, especially after his 20-of-28 performance (71 percent) from the field in three games last week. It seemed that whenever Battie was within 7 feet of the hoop, he was thinking dunk. He was usually successful.



The status of Antoine Walker; the weight of Vitaly Potapenko.



It is also becoming obvious that the Celtics are building the team around Paul Pierce. If they could trade Walker for a rebounding power forward, they would. But any deal involving Walker most likely would be a three-way trade because of the complexities of the forward's contract.



The Celtics also have to wonder about Potapenko. He was overmatched in the LA Summer League and had added 15 pounds that the team viewed as unnecessary.



The status of rookie Kris Clack.



Pitino said he likes the second-rounder's game but doesn't think he can make the team this year. The Celtics still would like to keep his rights, so they would like it if he played overseas for a season
Joshua Ozersky
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