[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Michael Holley On Stewart And Battie
Holley says: Pitino said they can't sign/draft the Center they need, so
Schintzius is going to stick around...
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
Stewart stops by - on the way to Toronto
By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 01/22/99
WALTHAM - Michael Stewart and Tony Battie were actually in Boston
together. For a few hours. Unfortunately for the Celtics, the two
6-foot-10-inch men are not teammates.
The Celtics knew they had several questions to answer for the beginning of
training camp yesterday. One of the top ones was, ''Can we sign free agent
Michael Stewart?'' Answer: No.
Stewart and his agent, Bill Duffy, spent Wednesday afternoon touring the
Celtics' facilities. Yesterday morning, they talked with Rick Pitino and
Chris Wallace, telling the coach and general manager that they would make a
decision after breakfast. So, at noon, the call came. Stewart was signing
with the Toronto Raptors.
The Celtics were hoping to add Stewart to a front line that includes the
newly acquired Battie, power forward Popeye Jones and, possibly, the 7-2,
285-pound Dwayne Schintzius. But, according to Pitino, the Raptors were able
to offer a financial package greater than the Celtics'.
At least the ''What Did We Miss In Stewart?'' debates won't last long. Fans
will be able to see plenty of the big man immediately. The Celtics play the
Raptors in an exhibition game at Toronto on Tuesday, meet them in another at
the FleetCenter next Friday, then open the regular-season against them Feb.
5.
During that time, Boston fans also will see a 240-pounder from Dallas who
has the Batman logo tattooed on his left biceps (''Batman'' is his favorite
movie).
Battie - who emphasizes the ''Bat'' in his name - is expected to back up
Antoine Walker at power forward. But, he said, ''I'm going to find a way to
get on the court.''
The Celtics nearly drafted Battie in 1997 but chose to go with Chauncey
Billups and Ron Mercer. The Denver Nuggets drafted Battie with the fifth
pick and quickly traded him to the Lakers for Nick Van Exel. Before
officially becoming a Laker, Battie found himself coming to Boston in
exchange for Travis Knight.
After leaving Denver, Battie was ripped by Nuggets basketball chief Dan
Issel, who called him ''El Busto.'' Battie was asked about that.
''Maybe he said that in the heat of the moment,'' said Battie. ''I'm not
worried about it.'' The Celtics don't want to hear it, either. They know
Battie blocked eight shots against them last season, during a rare Nuggets
victory (they won 11 of 82 games). They also know that 8.4 points, 5.4
rebounds, and 1.06 blocked shots in 23 minutes a night are numbers they can
use.
He'll be around
Stewart's selection of Toronto means Schintzius should start looking for a
place to live around here. Pitino said yesterday the Celtics will not be
able to draft nor sign the center they want. ''We'll have to build one,'' he
said. That means they'll probably keep the ex-Spur/King/ Net/Pacer/Clipper
center on the roster. ''We're going to need him,'' Walker said of
Schintzius, whose career high in games played is 43. Pitino said the big
man's role will be to lean on the Patrick Ewings and Shaquille O'Neals of
the NBA. He won't have to worry about Shaq until the Finals, because the
Celtics don't play the Lakers in the abbreviated regular season ... The
Celtics were so eager to begin business that Wallace was in the office at 5
a.m. The GM explained that teams were required to do two days' work in a
couple hours, so he needed the extra time ... Wallace also had the line of
the day when someone mentioned his weight loss (53 pounds since May 1).
''I'm the Ally McBeal of general managers,'' he said. He also joked that in
some professions you have to dress like your boss. But with the
exercise-conscious Pitino, he said, ''In this job you have to exercise like
your boss.'' Wallace was busy yesterday, preparing the contracts of Walker,
Paul Pierce, and Popeye Jones.
Bon appetit
Dontae Jones did not attend the opening of camp. The Celtics will certainly
eat his contract because a trade is nearly impossible ... Free agent Marlon
Garnett also has a chance to earn a spot on the team. They want a true
backup point guard and they envision Dana Barros more as a shooter ...
Single-game tickets will go on sale Sunday at the FleetCenter. They also can
be purchased via TicketMaster ... Battie won't have to wait long to play
against the team that drafted him. The Celtics and Nuggets play at the
FleetCenter on March 5.
This story ran on page E06 of the Boston Globe on 01/22/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.