Vecsey With Doc Rivers On Hardaway/Mercer/Nick Anderson

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

                  NY Post 
                  6/8/99


                  PRESCRIPTION FOR DOC 

                  By PETER VECSEY 
                  <snips>



                  <Vecsey speaking with Doc Rivers>
                  "They're going to ask you whether 
                  you'd approve trading Penny to the Celtics for Anderson and 
                  Mercer. You better have an answer prepared," I cautioned. 
                  "I already have one. I like Ron Mercer an awful lot. But you 
                  don't trade a guy who has to be double-teamed for two guys who 
                  don't have to be double teamed," Rivers said. 
                  I congratulated him. "Good answer." 
                  A couple of days ago, I relayed that conversation to Gabriel 
                  and wondered whether the Penny trade question was broached. He 
                  laughed. 
                  "We talked about Penny, but Doc had another answer for me. He 
                  said he'd defer to me, whatever I wanted to do was OK with 
                  him." 
                  Clearly, Rivers wanted to coach the Magic. A team that almost 
                  definitely won't include the once-versatile Penny, now a 
                  one-position, non-athletic player who needs a summer of 
                  conditioning if he ever hopes to regain his running, jumping 
                  and shooting form. Not to mention the respect of his 
                  teammates, whoever they will be. 
                  It's my understanding, and that of the rest of the league, 
                  that Penny has played his last game for the Magic ... 
                  prompting at least a half-dozen bids. You know what the 
                  Celtics are offering. The Suns seem willing to part with Tom 
                  Gugliotta. The Clippers (offering the No. 4 pick, a re-signed 
                  Lamond Murray and Rodney Rogers) would love to have either 
                  Gugliotta or Penny. The rest remain anonymous, for the time 
                  being. 
                  Even though it'll be impossible to get a franchise back for 
                  Penny, the Magic have begun divorce proceedings, and figure to 
                  trade Nick Anderson, as well, possibly to Vancouver for the 
                  No. 2 pick. Former Magic coach Brian Hill remains a big fan of 
                  Anderson, and the Grizzlies obviously need an established 
                  off-guard. 
                  "The organization's not looking to screw Penny," said somebody 
                  in the know. "The only way for him to get paid the maximum 
                  [$86M over seven years] is to opt out of the final four years 
                  of his contract [almost $40M] and agree to play along with the 
                  Magic. No, he might not get traded to the city of his choice, 
                  but he'll wind up in a good place." 
                  Said a club official, "We loved him for all the things he 
                  wasn't. We don't know who he is today, only that he's hung 
                  over on himself."