Celtics Are Going To Be In The Lottery - Ha Ha

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

I'm afraid so, and here are the reasons why:

1. Brutal Schedule - Of the first 18 games, 13 are on the road.  Uggh,
what a 
disaster in the making.  The season will be over before the Red Flops
equipment
vans leave for Florida.

2. Young team - Aren't the C's, the youngest team in the NBA?  Well
youth
gets you nowhere in the NBA.  It's the teams with experience, that
secure the
playoff spots.

3. Donut hole in the middle - I have a bizarre hope that Dwayne
Schintzius will
be Comeback Player of the Year.  But hell, he might not even make it out
of
training camp.  Battie is a finesse player, more suited to the 3 or 4
position.
I like the deal, but I don't think he's a center.  Perhaps Il Duce can
light 
a fire under him, but he's a question mark - that's for sure.  

4. Pitino will make a few deals between now and the trading deadline,
whenever 
that is.  The new players will have to be integrated into the system,
and if
Pitino sticks to his usual Modus Operandi, then the guys that Il Duce is
trying 
to move out , will have to be showcased. I'm getting a definite feeling
of a
lack of fluidity and continuity in this shortened season.    

5. Other teams competing for playoff spots in the East have improved -
Philly
is better, Detroit, the Knicks, Toronto's improved even; the Nets are
better;
Milwaukee; Orlando has definitely upgraded themselves.  Chicago and
Charlotte
are worse, but it seems the majority of clubs have had a beneficial
off-season.

6. Kenny Anderson's knees will be like hamburg after one of these three
games-
in-a-row stretches.  Look for him to have a flare-up of tendinitis.  The
C's 
will actively seeking a point guard in the draft, by trade, or free
agency.

Ray