Goodbye Ron!

[Champ 17 <celticky33@yahoo.com>]

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/215/sports/Celtics_deal_Mercer_to_Nuggets:.shtml


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              Celtics deal Mercer to Nuggets
              for Fortson in six-player deal 

              By Jay Lindsay, Associated Press,
08/03/99 10:20 

              BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics and
Denver Nuggets
              completed a major six-player deal that
sends Celtics guard
              Ron Mercer to Denver for power forward
Danny Fortson. 

              The Celtics said today they are trading
Mercer, Popeye Jones
              and Dwayne Schintzius to Denver for
Fortson, Eric
              Washington, and Eric Williams, who began
his career in
              Boston. The Celtics will also receive a
first-round draft choice
              in one of the next three years. 

              Both Mercer and Fortson were up for
contract extensions this
              summer. 

              The deal was to be officially announced
later in the day. 

              Mercer, who played for Celtics coach
Rick Pitino at Kentucky,
              averaged 17 points per game last year
and is considered an
              emerging star. The Celtics began
exploring the trade market
              last month after Mercer said there was a
''huge difference''
              between the Celtics initial offer and
what he was asking on a
              new contract. 

              Fortson was fourth in the league in
rebounding with a 11.6 per
              game average last year, his third in the
league. The 6-foot-6,
              260-pound Fortson also averaged 11
points per game. Fortson
              came to Denver by a trade after being
picked by Milwaukee in
              the first round. 

              The deal sends Williams back to the city
where he played the
              first two years of his career. Williams,
a fourth year player,
              averaged 15 points per game for the
Celtics in 1996-1997. He's
              entering the third year of a four-year,
$30 million contract.
              Denver agreed to pay $3 million of
Williams contract, the
              maximum percentage allowed by the
league. 

              The Celtics also announced the signing
of free agent guard
              Wayne Turner today. Pitino said he
envisions Turner, who
              played at Kentucky, as a third guard on
the Celtics. 




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