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Michael Hollley's Article: Pitino Loves Popeye, McCarty Put On 15 Pounds, Interest In Geiger
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
That settles it
Last-minute agreement ends NBA lockout and salvages season
By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 01/07/99
[Image]EW YORK - Walter McCarty knows what to expect now. Simply, the
Celtics forward is about to lose weight. He gained 15 pounds in the
extended offseason, but McCarty understands that newfound weight - all
muscle, by the way - will have a tough time surviving the Rick Pitino Test.
''You know I'm not going to be able to keep this weight on,'' McCarty said
yesterday.
He spoke from the raucous lobby of the GM Building, where many NBA players
had come to express their feelings on the lockout. Some had traveled to vote
on the owners' final proposal, only to be surprised to learn that a deal in
principle had been struck overnight between their union and the NBA's Board
of Governors. McCarty knows he doesn't have time to be surprised now because
there's a coach in Boston who is ready to put him to work. Greg Minor, Kenny
Anderson, Dana Barros, and Andrew DeClercq, who were all here yesterday, can
tell you about that, too.
So the NBA lockout is over. What that means for fans and television
executives is that their normal routines can resume. What that means for the
Celtics is that they will now be accountable for the previous six months.
They will go to training camp, most likely on Jan. 18, and be drilled by
Pitino. This is not a good thing. The coach has spent the past months
wrestling with severe boredom. He zipped through a 1,000-page book on Harry
Truman and even found time to start writing a book. He went to the office a
few times during the lockout, pretending that workouts were starting the
next day. He'll be eager to put some real live players through workouts.
''I'll be ready,'' McCarty said. ''I was just playing ball a few days ago.''
When the Celtics do begin to train, they will not be at Brandeis University
for long. Their new facility in Waltham, Mass., is only about eight weeks
away from completion. But that's for the Celtics. Here is what their fans
can expect as a result of the resolved dispute:
* Antoine Walker - maybe.
Put it this way: If the Celtics trade their 6-foot-9-inch forward now, it
will not be because of an inability to sign him. Before the lockout, there
had been talk of Walker getting a contract in the $100 million range. He
can't get that now. It's illegal. The new collective bargaining agreement,
when finalized, will state that players in Walker's class (0-6 years of
experience) can earn a maximum of $85.68 million over seven years. That's a
long way from $100 million, but it's still a lot of money.
When training camp begins, the Celtics will be able to talk about a contract
with Walker. He said last summer that if the team doesn't sign him before
the season, he will most assuredly leave when his deal expires.
* Paul Pierce - for more years.
Under the previous agreement, rookies were signed to three-year guaranteed
contracts. Now it's five years. The difference is that teams have an option
in the fourth year, and in the fifth, they have the right of first refusal.
So now teams can evaluate young players for five years rather than three.
Rookie Pierce, the 6-7 forward from Kansas, only has to worry about
competing for a starting job at small forward.
* A familiar roster - for now.
Some teams, like the Bulls, were loaded with free agents. Not the Celtics.
Take a look at their players under contract: Walker, Anderson, McCarty,
Barros, Minor, DeClercq, Pierce (in a few weeks), Pervis Ellison, Travis
Knight, Ron Mercer, Bruce Bowen. Popeye Jones is the lone free agent.
The team would like to sign free agent center Matt Geiger. But they would
have to do some roster shuffling to get him and they will almost certainly
have to part with Jones, whom Pitino loves.
* PitinoBall - at 78 rpm.
One theory is that the Celtics will be hurt by the 52-game schedule because
Pitino's scrambling system is heavily linked to conditioning. But that
assumes his players are in woeful shape. Most of them are not. A half-dozen
Celtics were working out together less than a week ago.
The truth is that other teams will be hurt by the Celtics' style more than
the Celtics. Pitino knows he can use this short schedule to his advantage.
Some of the more experienced teams may be rested, but none want to play this
style right now. The Celtics? They are going to play how they play, lockout
or not. Anyway, you can be sure Pitino will remind them that it won't take
much to get them a taste of the playoffs. Thirty wins might get a division
title.
This story ran on page D01 of the Boston Globe on 01/07/99.
© Copyright 1998 Globe Newspaper Company.
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