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Holley On Clack: Can He Shoot? Latest Mercer Trade Rumor; Shawn Marion
Clack is an incredible athlete; Mercer for Kukoc & Artest? The
C's were high on Shawn Marion....
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
There's no questioning Clack's athleticism
But can the Celtics' draft pick shoot?
By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 07/02/99
Kris Clack says he has never been a
tight end, fullback, or
linebacker. That surprises Celtics general
manager Chris Wallace.
''Just by looking at him, you'd think he
could get a scholarship to play college
football,'' Wallace said of the former
University of Texas swingman. Clack, taken
by the Celtics with the 55th pick in
Wednesday's NBA draft, once bench-pressed
320 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in
4.59 seconds. His vertical leap has been
measured at 37 inches. A fan in Austin
swears he can throw a football 85 yards.
In 1998, he separated his right shoulder,
an injury that was thought to be
season-ending. Three days later, he shoved
the shoulder into its socket and scored 28
points (with nine rebounds) against Texas
Tech.
So, yes, the man is an athlete. But can he
shoot well enough to make the Celtics?
That's a question Clack will have to begin
to answer on Tuesday. That's a significant
day for a couple reasons: it is the day
Clack meets his bosses in Waltham, and it
is also his 22d birthday.
There will be other questions, too. One
publication lists him as 6 feet 5 inches;
another has him at 6-3. What's his height?
''I'm 6-4 1/2 with no shoes on,'' he said
yesterday. ''And 6-5 in shoes.''
There are also stories that he coasted
after he was MVP of the Nike Desert
Classic in Phoenix, a predraft camp. Just
over a month later in Chicago, he
supposedly was 15 pounds heavier and
didn't play as well.
''People always seem to bring up my
weight,'' he said. ''But that's just the
way I'm built; I'm not overweight. If I
had such a weight problem, there wouldn't
be a 37-inch vertical.''
Clack certainly isn't a stranger to high
school basketball fans in the country. He
was on the same McDonald's All-America
list as Ron Mercer, Paul Pierce, Stephon
Marbury, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kevin
Garnett, and Antawn Jamison. He played for
former Rhode Island coach Tom Penders at
Texas for three years and former
Providence coach Rick Barnes for one. He
said he didn't have a preference but,
''With Penders, it was wide open. It
seemed like the first person to bring the
ball across halfcourt could shoot it. With
Barnes, it was a much more structured
offense.''
The theory is that Clack would benefit
from a coach who is a disciplinarian and
who will help him develop more technique
with his jump shot. One of the things Rick
Pitino will like about him is that he
talks of playing defense.
''I just can't see letting my man score 30
points,'' he said. ''I have a lot of pride
in defense and when I compete, I want to
get into a guy with my defense.''
Clack will get a chance to show what kind
of defender he is when he plays on the
Celtics summer league teams. Wayne Turner,
who played for Pitino at Kentucky, also
was invited to participate. Wallace said
the 6-2 guard from Mission Hill, now being
represented by Boston agent Frank
Catapano, has ''semi-confirmed'' he will
be here. Derrick Battie, the brother of
Celtics forward Tony Battie, and guard
Kevin Ollie also will be Celtic summer
leaguers. The Celtics didn't want to
invite a lot of undrafted free agents to
camp because they want to see everyone
play. There could be a couple of players
added later.
One player who will not be playing summer
ball with the Celtics is 7-footer Ben
Pepper. In fact, the team's second-round
pick from 1997 won't be playing anywhere
in the next couple of weeks because of an
ankle injury. Wallace said Pepper will be
invited to the team's summer camps after
the '99-00 season ... You don't have to
guess how Bulls vice president Jerry
Krause plans to rebuild his team. Draft
picks Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Michael
Ruffin, and Lari Ketner are among the most
physical players at their positions ... By
now, most fans know that the Cavaliers
selected Andre Miller with the eighth
pick, a pick that originally belonged to
the Celtics. But that doesn't mean the
Celtics would have drafted the Utah point
guard at No. 8. Most likely, they would
have taken UNLV's Shawn Marion, a 6-7
small forward. Marion, drafted ninth by
the Suns, has several fans in Boston's
front office ... The Mercer Watch: The
latest rumor has the guard going to the
Bulls for Toni Kukoc. By itself, that
trade doesn't work. But if other players
are involved on both sides, something
could happen. Remember, the Celtics also
had Artest ranked among the draft's top 10
players ... Wallace said he likes the way
Everett's Pat Bradley shoots but thinks
the former Arkansas guard will have to
play point guard in the pros.
This story ran on page E06 of the Boston
Globe on 07/02/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.