Interview with Pierce -and details on the Celts picking him at # 10 in the draft

[HMURDOCH@aol.com]

Steve Bulpett had a good article on Pierce in the Friday Herald.  A good
interview with Pierce, as well as some interesting stuff on the draft day
steal of Pierce at # 10.  For the full article go to the URL :

http://www.bostonherald.com/bostonherald/sport/celts02121999.htm

And below is a quote from the article on the draft day decision.

Hank M.
.......................

A Pierce of work: Celts rookie is drawing the spotlight
by Steve Bulpett 
Friday, February 12, 1999

[much cut ...]

``That was a strange night,'' said assistant coach Lester Conner. ``I had just
been hired, and I'm sitting there in the war room at the FleetCenter with
coach (Rick) Pitino and Red Auerbach and all these other important people. I
was kind of nervous as it was, and then when it was getting near our pick,
coach turned to me and asked me why Paul wasn't being taken. He asked if there
was anything wrong with him.

``I looked around and all the eyes were on me. I just said, `Well, I played
with him and a bunch of NBA guys in the summer (in Los Angeles), and Paul was
the second-best player in the gym behind Earvin (Magic Johnson).' Then I said,
`And when he gets to know what he needs to know, you'd have to think he might
be better than Earvin.' No one said a thing, then Rick got up and went out and
made the announcement that we were taking Paul.''