Cofman: Trade Rumor w/Hughes and Ratliff

[opi@unesco.org]

The proposed trade would be a dream upgrade for Larry Brown, since Larry
Hugues is young and very talented but will probably remain a redundant
part in Philly for years to come if he plays with Iverson on the same
team. Getting Ratliff means trading Battie, since neither guy can guard
any center in any halfcourt set. Ratliff would be great if we went back
to pressing all the time. Getting Potapenko means dumping the injury
prone and bad attitude Matt Geiger to the highest bidder (maybe the
Celts).

The December schedule is by far our toughest but not as bad as it looked
a month ago. Not to downplay it (what with the Celts so erratic at the
moment), but  Houston (twice this month) is no longer the sure loss we
thought it shaped up to be and Cleveland, Philly and New York are facing
key injuries. Atlanta and Utah are at or below .500 just like us. IMO,
the only clear underdog/mismatch games are at San Antonio and at
Sacramento plus very tough home games against Miami and the Lakers.

If the Celts figure out how to beat both Miami and the Lakers this
month, this would make my entire year a happy one.

IMO, the week of practice, video watching and rest could not have come
at a better time.

A few (somewhat lame) "positives" from the first month are:
1) Building insurmountable leads and successfully whupping veteran
playoff candidates like Toronto, the Knicks, Charlotte, Indiana,
Cleveland. Holding huge leads on other playoff rivals like Milwaukee and
Atlanta, prior to choking.
2) Going 5-4 against basically full strength playoff calibre teams,
depending on how you look at it (excluding Bulls, Pistons, Atlanta along
with the wins over Nets and Wiz).
3) It's true that none of our key guys (other than the rookie) have
played as well statistically as they have shown they can in the very
recent past, with the exception of Potapenko. Kenny is averaging 4.1
assists (career 7.3). Antoine is averaging 6.6 rebounds (career 9.2).
Battie is averaging 4.0 boards (6.0 last year). I think these numbers
can go up around 20% or more as this year progresses. The Celts are
potentially a truly great rebounding team.

Below is the Herald story on the trade rumor:

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Pitino denies deal in the works
Celtics Notebook/by Mark Cofman
Wednesday, December 1, 1999

The Celtics have lost three straight games and trade rumors are
beginning to circulate the league again. After practice yesterday at
HealthPoint in Waltham, Celtics coach Rick Pitino shot down the latest
rumor of a deal with Philadelphia that would involve Antoine Walker and
Vitaly Potapenko.

``You want the truth or do you want to listen to that,'' said Pitino,
referring to the rumored exchange that had the Celtics receiving Theo
Ratliff and Larry Hughes from the 76ers in return.

``The truth is we haven't spoken to Philadelphia, period,'' Pitino said.
``And they haven't spoken to us, period.''

Hughes, a second-year guard, has taken on a heightened role in the
Philadelphia offense since NBA scoring leader Allen Iverson was shelved
with a broken thumb last week. Ratliff, meanwhile, is a talented power
forward with considerable shot-blocking skills. The Celtics envision
Tony Battie to be that same type of player with further development and
more consistency.

``They're doing a remarkable job right now and they're back around
.500,'' said Pitino, referring to the 76ers' play since Iverson was
sidelined. ``There's been absolutely no dialogue. They have not called
us and we have not called them. That's the end of that one.''

Potapenko to start off
After starting Pervis Ellison at center the past four games, Pitino said
he will turn to Potapenko again for the Miami Heat's visit to the
FleetCenter on Friday.

The switch keeps with Pitino's theme of choosing his starting center
based on the opponent. Potapenko has the strength and physical nature to
mix it up more effectively with Heat center Alonzo Mourning. Potapenko
last started a game on Nov. 20 - against the Heat.

Pitino also said he would like to get the offensive-minded Eric Williams
more playing time, particularly when the Celtics struggle to produce
points in the second half. Williams, despite averaging just 6.8 points
and 2.3 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game, is referred to by Pitino as
one of the team's two most consistent performers. The other is Adrian
Griffin.

``I think we need to find ways to use Eric more,'' Pitino said. ``Adrian
and Eric not only give you consistent offense, but consistent defense as
well. That's what we're shooting for here - consistency. We've already
discussed getting Eric more minutes.''

Williams played just eight minutes and scored three points in the
Celtics' 94-84 loss to the Hawks on Saturday night at Philips Arena.

The Celtics scored an anemic 11 points in the final quarter to allow the
game to slip away.

``I want to play more, of course, but the key is to wait for your
opportunity and then run with it when it comes your way,'' said
Williams. ``If coach Pitino wants to get me more time, that's fine with
me. I'm ready.''

Walker works out

Walker, who sat out Monday's practice with a hip stinger suffered in
Friday's game against Milwaukee, participated in the full workout
yesterday.

``I don't think most people would have even suited up for a game the
following night,'' said Pitino, who played Walker for 31 minutes against
Atlanta.

``We wanted to give him some time to recuperate (on Monday) but he was
fine (yesterday).''

Celtics power forward Danny Fortson, sidelined all season with a stress
fracture in his right foot, was wearing a soft walking cast and shooting
free throws after practice.

Fortson, due back at the end of the month, has maintained a rigid
strength and conditioning program with upper-body workouts and
swimming-pool therapy during his two months on the sidelines.