Los Angeles Times prediction

[Douglas342@aol.com]

   The Times puts the Celts third in the Atlantic.  Read on...

                             3. BOSTON CELTICS 
                             Projected Starters: 
                             Kenny Anderson 
                             Ron Mercer 
                             Paul Pierce 
                             Antoine Walker 
                             Popeye Jones 
                             

                             1997-98 record: 36-46 
                             Offense rank: 14 
                             Defense rank: 22 
                             Coming: Rookie Paul Pierce, Tony Battie, Dwayne
Schintzius,
                      Eric Riley. 
                             Going: Travis Knight. 
                             Pitino, the genius coach, took the Celtics from
15 wins to 36 in
                      his first season. 
                             Pitino, the disaster general manager, is capped
out. Now the
                      moves he makes are intended to undo the ones he made a
year ago
                      (i.e., signing Travis Knight for $22 million, finding
out he isn't an NBA
                      center, trading him for Battie. Now to find a taker for
Battie.) 
                             Pitino, the coach, can be expected to lead the
Celtics north of
                      .500 this season. Everyone is a year older and he has an
experienced
                      point guard, Kenny Anderson, rather than last season's
rookie,
                      Chauncey Billups. 
                             Pitino, the GM, can then be expected to start
shopping Anderson
                      and the remaining four years at $31.8 million on his
contract this
                      summer.