Peter May sez ...

[peter delevett <pdelevett@amcity.com>]

'Here's what Rick Pitino said when asked what he was looking for at the
recently concluded free agent camp: ''We're looking for Michael Curry -type
players - tough, hard-nosed guys that can score as well.'' Well, guess who's a
free agent? None other than Michael Curry. So expect the Celtics to inquire
about him, although Grant Hill already is pushing the Pistons to reacquire
Curry, who played 1 1/2 seasons in Detroit before signing with Milwaukee in
July 1997. The Celtics are also interested in - surprise, surprise - Tony
Delk. Another player they might take a look at is Lawrence Funderburke, who
got lost in the shuffle during the Kings' playoff series with Utah but was a
big part of their regular-season success ... '

MY COMMENTS: Michael Curry "can score??" The guy who just posted a CAREER-BEST
4.9 PPG???? Who does Pitino's scouting, Ray Charles? Same with Delk, my God,
the guy shot 36 PERCENT from the floor last year, to go with 68 percent from
the line. Don't we already have enough guys like that?? Funderburke would be a
good pick up, however, satisfying everybody who's clamoring for another big
body to play PF. He's not a boarding maniac, though -- career average of 4.6
rpg, so noboody's going to confuse him with Charles Oakley.

Back to Peter May -- 'McHale on Ron Mercer: ''The only way the Celtics should
be worried about re-signing him is if there are teams out there who will pay
him what they won't pay him. I don't see any teams out there  who will give
him $71 million.'' The unknown here is whether Mercer wants to stay in Boston
and keep playing for Pitino. If he wants to test the waters, the Celtics may
feel they have to move him; they are offering Mercer and Kenny Anderson in a
package around the league. But money should not be an object simply because
there won't be many teams, if any, able to offer Mercer big dough. And who's
to say it would be a place he'd want to go? If it's about the money, Mercer's
best bet is to stay in Boston. If it's something else, the Celtics will have
to move him ... '