Re: Long

["Tim Lynch" <timmer96@mindspring.com>]

> Tim -- does Long have the ability to defend centers?

Unfortunately no, except for the most undersized ones.  That probably makes
him superfluous to the C's since a backup C is needed much more.

> Would he gripe about not getting much playing time behind Battie &
Fortson?

I don't think so.  He always plays hard whether he gets 10 minutes or 30+.
He did have problems with Doug Collins in Detroit who seemed to be
disappointed that he wasn't a big, prototypical PF.  But if you know what
you're getting he is quite valuable if you use him correctly.

> And would he take a $1 mil exception?

He may have to since it sounds like the market is drying up.

> I guess the question is, is he at the stage of his career where
> he's content to come off the bench in spots and be more of a mentor; or
does
> he still have another big payday in him, and would want to be showcased
during
> a one year deal so he could parlay that into a bigger deal elsewhere the
> following year?

I think he went into the offseason wanting to get a bench spot on a true
contender but he may end up as the only one without a chair when the music
stops.  For that reason he'll probably end up back in Atlanta which could
either be a top contender or a lottery team depending how the backcourt
implosion shakes out.  Again, he probably would have made more sense for
Boston before they had two capable PF's in Fortson & Battie.  Since the
jury's still out on how effectively TB or DF can defend backup centers the
Celtics should probably get a bigger body, perhaps Dickey Simpkins as Ray
mentioned.

Just my $ .02,

Tim