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Fortson and Pierce Articles
Boston Herald
Fortson ready to grow with C's: Forward will get physical, Eastern-style
by Mark Cofman
Thursday, August 5, 1999
Danny Fortson doesn't have a bad word to say about the Denver Nuggets. But
the 6-foot-7 power forward, the key acquisition for the Celtics in a
six-player trade with the Nuggets on Tuesday, is hardly bemoaning his new
NBA address.
``Coming to Boston is an ideal situation for me,'' Fortson said in a phone
interview yesterday. ``I feel like I was made to play the style they play
in the Eastern Conference, which is extremely physical.
``Plus, with the Celtics I think I'm finally going to have the opportunity
to play a little more.''
Playing time should not be a concern for Fortson, the NBA's fourth-leading
rebounder at 11.6 per game, despite averaging just 28 minutes last season.
He's expected to be the Celtics' starting power forward.
``That wasn't going to be the case in Denver,'' said Fortson, who started
38 games at center last season in place of injured starter Raef LaFrentz.
``They have a center (LaFrentz) and a power forward (Antonio McDyess).
There's only so many minutes to go around. You take what you can get.''
In Fortson, the Celtics get a player with the classic blue-collar
approach. He averaged 11 points per game, the majority of those off his
ability to get offensive rebounds. Fortson wouldn't be adverse to shooting
the ball more with the Celtics, but he understands it's not the focal
point of his game.
``I'm not known for my offensive skills but I like to put the ball up like
everyone else in this league,'' said Fortson, laughing at his
understatement. ``I know I can score more, but this is a team game and
taking a lot of shots might not be what your coach wants you to do.
``I play the way I'm asked to play. If that means shooting more, fine. If
it means crashing the boards and taking just a limited number of shots,
that's fine too. I just want to play basketball.''
He'll get his chance, joining a frontcourt that includes Antoine Walker,
Tony Battie, Vitaly Potapenko, Walter McCarty and Eric Williams, who was
reacquired by the Celtics in the Denver deal. Should the Celtics stand pat
on any additional deals before training camp, they will have their deepest
and most versatile frontcourt in years.
``We were looking at the possibility heading into this year of a power
forward/center rotation of just Antoine Walker, Vitaly Potapenko and Tony
Battie,'' said Celtics general manager Chris Wallace. ``If anybody had
gotten injured in that scenario, we would have been in big trouble.
``Adding Fortson alone gives us great flexibility at both the power
forward and center positions. He's a tough, tough customer on the court,
too, kind of like a '90s version of (former Celtic) Paul Silas. He's not
blessed with outstanding size but he's a highly effective below-the-rim
rebounder because he's strong enough to move people out and create
space.''
Said Denver general manager Dan Issel: ``Danny had a tremendous season for
us last year, and we certainly weren't thrilled to have to give him up.
``He's good enough to be a starter in this league, but that means he's
going to want starter money when his contract is up. He's good, but he's
not as good as Antonio (McDyess).''
Which leads back to the original motivation for the deal. The Celtics were
certain they were not going to be able to afford Ron Mercer before
shipping him to Denver. Fortson, 23, is also entering his third NBA season
and is up for a contract extension.
Without extensions, both players would be free agents next summer.
``We'll talk to Danny Fortson's representatives in the coming weeks and
see if there's anything we can do at that point,'' said Wallace.
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
Pierce's emotions are mixed
He feels he can handle the 2
By Rupen Fofaria, Globe Correspondent,
08/05/99
WOBURN - It was too funny. A bunch
of kids from the Woburn Boys and
Girls Club, participating in the Celtics'
Citizen Bank Summer Caravan, were
squatting and shuffling their feet back
and forth as they practiced their
defensive drills for Dana Barros and Paul
Pierce yesterday.
The kids were knocking into each other and
stumbling over their own feet. Then
Pierce, who bent down into the face of a
chubby, 3-foot future prospect, bellowed,
''Where's yo' mean face at! This is
defense, where's yo' mean face?''
The kid didn't seem fazed. He just put on
a frown and proceeded to botch the drill.
One had to wonder, could the
6-foot-7-inch, 220-pound Celtic as easily
have been talking to himself?
The day before the kids took to the court,
the Celtics traded shooting guard Ron
Mercer to Denver, a move that likely will
send Pierce to the position left by his
close friend. Pierce has worked
extensively on his ballhandling and showed
progress in summer league games at Los
Angeles, but the question remains: How is
he going to fare on defense?
''I don't think it will be too
different,'' Pierce said. ''In our system,
the only difference it makes is guarding
the 2-guard. And the way we play, it's
really just who I start guarding, because
we always end up switching.''
Pierce said that because of the trapping
defense the Celtics employ, he could end
up defending a small forward, a power
forward, or just about anybody.
''I have mixed emotions about the trade,''
he said. ''Ron was one of my closer
friends, but that's the way the business
goes. We got some good players in return
and I'm just going to step up and do my
job.''
If his job is indeed shooting guard, it
will be something new to him. But he
doesn't shy away from that. In fact, it's
not even a challenge, he said.
''It's just the way the game is,'' Pierce
said. ''It can change on you and now I
could be a 2-guard, but that just means I
have to adjust. I really don't think it
will be too difficult.''
Pierce led the Celtics in 3-point field
goal percentage and in 3-pointers made,
good for 10th in the NBA in both
categories. The move to the top of the
circle could contribute to increased
offensive production from Pierce, who
averaged 16.5 points a game.
But in order to find an open 3, he's going
to have to do some more ballhandling than
he has in the past.
''That's true,'' he said. ''But I think
I've made a lot of progress with my
ballhandling and I feel comfortable with
it. It's something I really just wanted to
concentrate on. I dribbled a lot. It was
just repetition. I stayed on the court all
day just dribbling the ball.''
At the Fila Pro Summer League games,
Pierce led his team to a 8-0 record,
averaging 23.6 points and shooting 52.4
percent from beyond the arc. Much of that
time was spent playing shooting guard, and
after the tournament, coach Rick Pitino
said he was confident with Pierce's
ability to play the 2.
Pierce doesn't think that sealed the deal
to trade Mercer, though.
''That might have happened anyway,'' he
said. ''I'm just real happy with what I've
done with my progress and I'm still
practicing to get better for the season.''
This story ran on page C03 of the Boston
Globe on 08/05/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.