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Peter May Liked The Pierce For Potapenko/Mashburn Trade
He also has some good stuff on Travis Knight who was miserable
playing here...
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
PRO BASKETBALL
Anderson a focal point at guard spot
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 01/24/99
<snip>
While we're on the topic, Pitino went on the
radio Friday and said emphatically that he would not trade Pierce. (Hope
Pierce's landlord wasn't listening.) That was after he had seen him in a
couple practices. Pierce was discussed in a four-way deal that would have
had him going to Cleveland. The Celtics would have ended up with Mashburn
and Vitaly Potapenko, a pretty good match, given Boston's trouble in the
middle. Mash is a proven scorer and Potapenko is the full slab ... Speaking
of slabs, Stanley Roberts showed up in Greece two weeks ago expecting to
sign a contract. Instead, his weight, conservatively listed at 330, was too
much and he was sent back home, reportedly with sciatica. Dicky Simpkins, of
the team formerly known as the Chicago Bulls (they became Vancouver East in
a hurry, didn't they), also is exploring Greece ... The Bulls' official
network the last eight years, NBC, dropped them like a radioactive dish.
Chicago will make no appearances on NBC this season, just another reminder
that while the league may be interested in rebuilding the ''team'' concept,
television wants entertainers and personalities. Now, if Dennis Rodman ends
up back there ... Nah, just kidding.
Knight life
There is no doubt among those who had even a casual contact with the Celtics
last year that Travis Knight was miserable. But Knight took the high road
last week when asked about it. ''It was hard,'' he said. ''The whole
experience was hard. But I knew what I was getting into. I asked about
[Pitino]. I don't think I got into something I wasn't prepared for.'' Knight
also said he thought Pitino improved his work habits and he wasn't bothered
by the coach's intensity or yelling. ''I learned to adjust and live with
it,'' he said. ''I learned a lot. I really did. And we made some great
strides.'' However, in an interview with the Hartford Courant at the end of
last season, Knight said, ''I sold myself to the Devil. For money.'' He also
added, ''With coach [ Jim] Calhoun, I knew he cared about me as a person,
not just a basketball player. Even though he would yell, I always knew where
I stood with him. Maybe I knew coach Calhoun better. Maybe that's why
[Pitino's yelling] doesn't bother the Kentucky guys. He yells at them and
they're fine the next day. It's a fine line between motivation and insult. A
very fine line.'' Asked about those comments, Knight said he'd prefer not to
discuss them ... Michael Stewart's decision to sign with Toronto also was
about the money. ( Cliff Robinson basically did the same thing last year
with the Suns and apparently has a long-term deal waiting for him.) The
Raptors will have plenty of cap room this summer and can re-sign Stewart for
more than the capped-out Celtics could offer. What's more interesting is the
way Stewart was cast aside by the Kings for Vlade Divac. That means either
the Kings are just being the Kings or they feel Stewart is limited and the
soon-to-be 31-year-old Divac is a better fit. As it stands, the Kings have a
front line of Divac, Chris Webber (who skipped the first day of camp but
then showed up), Corliss Williamson (re-signed for one year at $500,000),
and promising newcomer Predrag Stojakovic, who can float between small
forward and big guard ... The Knight-Battie deal was historic in that the
Celtics and Lakers, the two most successful franchises in league history,
almost never do business with one another. Using both teams' media guides as
sources, it looks as if the Knight-Battie trade is only the second between
the clubs since 1960, when the Lakers moved to LA. The other came on Dec.
27, 1977, when Boston sent Charlie Scott to the Lakers for Don Chaney,
Kermit Washington , and a first-round pick in 1978. That first-round pick
turned out to be No. 8 overall and was huge in that it gave Red Auerbach a
cushion to ''risk'' the No. 6 pick on a junior-eligible then playing at
Indiana State. Need we say more? Oh, yes, and the eighth pick was expended
on Freeman Williams, who never played for the Celtics. He was sent to San
Diego in the infamous franchise swap of 1978 between Irv Levin and John Y.
Brown.
Material from personal interviews, wire service reports, other beat writers,
and league and team sources was used in compiling this report.
This story ran on page E02 of the Boston Globe on 01/24/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.