RE: Center

[jmc@ptc.com]

John Lyell said:
> > That is what makes -- prepare for a collective groan -- Elden Campbell so
> > attractive. Hate to break it to you, but $7 mil a year for the next 5 
> > years is
> > not overpaying for a player of Campbell's size and skills -- hell, it's a
> > bargain.
> 
> His contract has him getting a 15 % raise if he is traded.  I would move 
> Jones & Barros for him.  Jones could give the lakers the physical 4 they 
> need, and as you have stated, his salary is not too outrageous any longer, 
> but would he be able to play in Pitino's workouts ?  Even though not always 
> impressed by him, I would take him before the Geigers, Reeves, etc. and 
...
> > Leaving aside anyone's preconceived feelings about him, here are the
> > facts: 7 feet, 255 pounds, just 30 years old; a huge wingspan, very 
> > athletic, able to
> > defend against the bigger centers in the league as well as the faster
...


Both arguments above, especially the first one (I forget who posted it; 
it's the one with the double arrows), have me convinced that trading for 
Elden Campbell could be a very good move for the Celtics, and could speed 
up their drive toward a championship, since their current centers are 
currently either too small or are unproven reclamation projects which will 
take time to either beef up (Battie) or fix up (Schintzius, Riley).  We 
may be able to get away with center-by-committee, using Battie against most 
teams, and Schintzius and/or Riley against bigger centers, but it would be 
nice to be more SURE of our future at center by having someone like Campbell, 
instead of it being a question mark.  I still like Battie for long-term. 
(nba.com shows that Battie's career best night (4/5 FG, 13 Rb, 8 blocks) 
were against Boston last year, the team with no bulk in the middle... so I 
really think adding muscle is all he needs to perform like that against 
any team). 

> Gatling could be an expendable player that could fit as our center for say
> Barros & Declercq ?.  I'm not sure Calipari would make the move.

My personal feeling is that there's no way I'd want Gatling on my
team.  He's one of the dirtiest players in the league, getting away
with little fouls, drawing retaliatory fouls, and just plain being
annoying and inspiring bad feelings.  Yes, he is very effective with
this style of play, but I think his style of game is not well-suited to
an up-tempo offense in that it disrupts the flow of things, and is
likely to keep the Celtics from raising their fast-paced team play to
the next level.  Let a slow-down, strong-arm, halfcourt team make
better use of him.  On the Celtics, he'd be a drag both to the uptempo 
team play, and to the entertainment value.

Jon Mc