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Peter May (TSN) Looks At The C's, Position By Position
> The Sporting News
> Boston Celtics
> Team Report posted
> January 12, 1999
>
> by tsn correspondent
> PETER MAY Boston Globe
>
> The Celtics are in better shape than
> most, and we're not speaking about
> abs, pecs and conditioning. Rick
> Pitino has only one free agent to
> re-sign, Popeye Jones, and has
> everyone else in camp, under
> contract and ready for the whip.
>
> Pitino ran a brutal training camp
> last year, with many players
> requiring IV lines to stay hydrated.
> There will be more of the same this
> year, but this time the players know
> what's in store and will be ready
> for it. There is being in shape and
> there is being in Coach P. Shape.
>
> Toward that end, Pitino had his
> strength and conditioning coach,
> Shaun Brown, working the players who
> showed up Monday for the opening of
> "voluntary" workouts. He had them
> running the treadmill, lifting
> weights and doing sprint work on the
> court. It wasn't close to what the
> players will be doing next week, but
> it's a start. And none of the seven
> who reported Monday looked like
> Shawn Kemp, a relief to Brown.
>
> Being in Coach P. Shape is essential
> for the Celtics. They play a
> frantic, pressing style which
> requires conditioning. Their aim is
> as much to wear down the opponent as
> to beat him. With a cramped schedule
> coming up, this style could help the
> Celtics immeasurably. What team in
> their right mind is going to want to
> catch the Celtics on the third night
> of back-to-back-to-backers?
>
> The flip side, of course, is whether
> the team can maintain the style four
> times a week. Pitino knows when to
> call off the dogs. He also knows
> that when his dogs are hungry and
> barking, it represents Boston's best
> chance for a win.
>
> Pitino said only one Celtic, Ron
> Mercer, has revealed that he is, in
> fact, in Coach P. Shape. We'll see.
> Mercer spent much of the lockout
> working out in New Orleans after
> switching agents from David Falk to
> Master P. He was in terrific shape
> last year, never even nicking the
> rookie wall.
>
> Perhaps Pitino's biggest
> advertisement for fitness is his own
> general manager. Chris Wallace has
> dropped 53 pounds since accepting
> the coach's challenge to lose weight
> and exercise. Team security chief
> Grant Gray is another beneficiary;
> he's lost 45 pounds. And Jones
> dropped his body fat percentage from
> the mid 30s to 12 after working out
> in Boston. Whoever gets him will get
> a vastly different looking fellow
> than the one we last saw play.
>
> Conditioning has always been a
> constant in any Pitino regime and
> it's no less so in Boston. The
> players know they may get beaten
> because the other guys have better
> players. They won't get beaten
> because the other guys are in better
> shape.
>
> POSITION ANALYSIS
>
> Point guard: Kenny Anderson will be
> experiencing his first Pitino
> training camp and is solidly
> entrenched as the starter here.
> Offensively, the team is in good
> hands. Anderson can penetrate, dish
> off and ran the pick-and-roll well
> with Antoine Walker. Defensively,
> he's not as good, and Pitino can't
> trap the way he likes when Anderson
> is on the floor.
>
> Shooting guard: Mercer is a fixture
> here. He is coming off an excellent
> rookie season and needs only to add
> more depth to his shooting to become
> even more effective. He's also
> unafraid to put the ball on the
> floor and take it to the basket.
>
> Center: Well, this is a big question
> mark. The team had hoped to sign a
> free agent to fill this glaring gap,
> but the lower-than-expected salary
> cap makes that unlikely. Pitino will
> use Andrew DeClercq and Travis
> Knight here, but neither is what he
> wants in the long run. The lack of a
> center robs Boston of a true inside
> game.
>
> Power forward: Walker is set here.
> He said he has no trouble with the
> new limits on salaries, saying he
> thinks he can get along quite nicely
> on $85 million. He needs to work on
> his shot selection and judgment (he
> led the league in turnovers) but
> otherwise has talents which make him
> a potential star for years to come.
> He can run, rebound, shoot outside
> and inside and, mainly, is too quick
> for other power forwards.
>
> Small forward: The thinking is that
> rookie Paul Pierce will take over
> here, but incumbent Walter McCarty
> says he's not giving up the job
> without a fight. Pierce could give
> the Celtics scoring punch at the
> position. McCarty is not a scorer
> and Pitino wants points. Look for
> Pierce to get the nod if he's
> anything close to what we think
> he'll be.
>
> UNTIL TIPOFF
>
> The need for a center is acute and
> Pitino should be willing to explore
> a trade for a signed free agent from
> someone else. The only downside here
> is that the players who might
> generate a trade are the ones he
> wants to keep. The team is building
> around Walker, Mercer, Anderson and
> Pierce, three of whom will be
> dramatically affected by the new
> collective bargaining agreement in
> that it will be better financially
> to stay where they are.
>
> Pitino could open up the rest of the
> roster, but there aren't many
> enticing bodies. That's the problem.
> The Celtics should re-sign Jones and
> live with what they have in the
> middle. If Pierce develops, they'll
> have four bases covered.
>
> WHO'S READY/WHO'S NOT
>
> With camp just opening, it's hard to
> get a read on who is ready.
> Basically, the seven who showed on
> Monday -- Anderson, DeClercq,
> Knight, Pierce, Greg Minor, Dana
> Barros and McCarty -- looked a lot
> like they looked on the last day of
> the season. McCarty has put on
> weight, but it's muscle and he's
> probably going to keep it.