Mike Fine (TSN): Pitino On Vacation, Still Thinking Trades

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

      The Sporting News: NBA

      Boston Celtics
      Team Report posted AUGUST 14, 1999      

      By TSN correspondent
      Mike Fine
      Patriot Ledger
      After trolling the NBA waters and coming up with a decent catch, Celtics 
      management has gone fishing -- literally -- for much of August. Having 
      obtained Danny Fortson, Eric Williams and Eric Washington via trade from 
      Denver and Calbert Cheaney via free agency from Washington, the Celtics 
      have shut down their offices for an annual vacation. 
      To get the Denver players, the Celtics had to part with prized two-year 
      guard Ron Mercer, whose monetary demands didn't sit well with management. 
      Mercer's agent, Tevester Scott, claims the Celtics offered Mercer six 
      years and $25 million. 
      "There are guys on the bench making more than that," Scott said. 
      Coach Rick Pitino claims, "That's a blatant lie. We never talked to Ron 
      Mercer about a six-year deal." 
      He says Mercer was offered four years, $28 million and incentives. To add 
      insult to injury, Celtics curmudgeon Red Auerbach says Mercer never could 
      play defense, anyway. 
      It's water under the bridge now, though, and the Celtics will emerge from 
      vacation pretty much doing what they were doing before: opening their 
      training facility for all players who'd like to get themselves in shape; 
      and working the phones to try to get something done in the month before 
      training camp opens. 
      PLAYER PROFILE 
      His name has been dangled around the league, but it appears that captain 
      Antoine Walker is in Boston to stay. 
      "Guys like Antoine are very hard to find," Celtics general manager Chris 
      Wallace said. "Big-time talents who can take over a game and who can beat 
      you in a number of ways -- there's just not that many out there. And the 
      ones who are out there are generally not available." 
      That's one way of saying that nobody would bite on a $71 million contract 
      given to a player who, after three seasons, has yet to harness his 
      considerable talents for the good of the team. 
      Walker spent much of last season firing away from 3-point land, failing to 
      pass the ball and playing matador defense, all while hearing the boos from 
      his home crowd. Humbled, he began to turn himself around later in the 
      season. 
      Staid Boston traditionalists, though, are still not convinced this 
      new-style NBA player is much of a team man and are turned off by his 
      "Walker wiggle," which often appears after making flashy baskets under 
      dire circumstances. Walker certainly didn't improve his stature in their 
      eyes last summer when he claimed that as "a veteran All-Star," he was 
      insulted at being asked to attend the team's offseason 
      strength-and-conditioning workouts and not being asked directly by Pitino. 

      This year, Walker explained he has paternal obligations to his daughter in 
      Chicago, and a court order forbids him from taking his little girl to 
      Boston. He said he would attend some workouts in Boston, but he's been 
      pretty much AWOL nevertheless. 
      "I look at Antoine Walker as one of the leaders of the Boston Celtics and 
      an integral part of the future of this franchise," Wallace said. "We've 
      added quality players and helped ourselves quite a bit in the areas of 
      depth and versatility through the deals we've made (last week). 
      "But to win in this league -- to get to the playoffs and to ultimately be 
      a championship contender -- you need that big-time talent, somebody who 
      can carry the mail. Antoine has that kind of talent. I fully expect him to 
      step up for us this season." 
      WHAT'S NEXT 
      Fat chance Pitino is sitting in a rowboat on Lake Gitcheemgoomee during 
      his vacation. Pitino now has 15 players under contract and further 
      fine-tuning is obviously in order. Pitino and Wallace certainly have their 
      cell phones at hand, and further deals are possible. But when they return 
      from vacation, the start of camp will be barely a month away. 
      Vin Baker is still out their in Seattle, but it's looking more and more 
      like he'll remain there, meaning the Celtics will begin to build around 
      Walker once again. 
      Pitino is already being asked to assess his team's playoff chances. He 
      reiterates that he is on schedule to make the playoffs within his third or 
      fourth season and to win a championship by his sixth or seventh. The fact 
      is, had the Celtics not been hampered by a short training camp and lack of 
      practice time last season, they might have been looking at a playoff 
      berth. 
      His feels that just by getting a year older and wiser this season, the 
      playoffs are attainable. 
      Of course, everybody else was in the same boat last season. And as for 
      being a year older and wiser, consider there are six new players on the 
      roster. It's as if Pitino is starting over with new key players each 
      season. 


 


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