Peter May - Sporting News

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Here is an article from the Sporting News that Peter May wrote.

Boston Celtics
Team Report posted JUNE 12, 1999      Print it!

By TSN correspondent
Peter May
Boston Globe


So how crucial was the Chicago pre-draft camp for the Celtics? Rick Pitino
didn't even bother going. That can happen when you keep your cell phone
battery active and you don't pick until late in the second round. That's not
to say the team wasn't represented. It was. GM Chris Wallace led the
contingent and among those who did play at the camp could have been Boston's
pick, 55th overall. Then again, with 12 guaranteed contracts and two free
agents they'd like to re-sign, the draft is not a high priority. . . .

You get reps from 29 teams in one gym and rumors start to fly. The Celtics
are shopping a tandem of Ron Mercer/Kenny Anderson to interested buyers, a
strange duo. The pitch: you want Ron, you have to take Kenny. That's their
offer, which, so far, no teams are buying. Anderson has four years and $29
million left on his contract, not to mention a deteriorating game. Mercer is
another story. Why are the Celtics trying to move someone who, when he was
drafted, was declared to be one-half of the "dream backcourt" by the coach
himself?

The team says it's possibly about the money, but that is very hard to
stomach. It is not the Marlins or Twins. The Celtics make money. They have a
tradition of taking care of their players. Pitino insists he's on a
$37-million budget for next season, which is interesting given that the
payroll with no new additions is more than $40 million. Mercer would add to
that, for certain, but that's the nature of the game.

Pitino wasted no time signing Walter McCarty for three years at $2.8 million
a year, so he can't use money as a reason. Pitino says he will make Mercer a
very generous offer. But will it be enough? Will it be made knowing it won't
be enough? Or will it be enough to make Mercer look greedy by saying no,
which, to most fans, could be the NBA minimum.

So if it's not about the money, it must be something else. The Celtics
aren't certain about what Mercer really wants. He's got new
representation-No Limit Sports, the company started by rapper Master P. They
must be getting signals from somewhere that re-signing him will be
difficult. So, the trade talks. And make no mistake, the Celtics are the
ones initiating the calls. But teams also know Mercer with his relatively
small (by NBA standards) salary of $2.3 million, is a bargain. . . .

Pitino said there was no truth to another rumor that would have the Celtics
ship Mercer to the Bulls for the No. 5 pick. Chicago would get the pick from
Toronto in a trade-down that also would include Tracy McGrady. The impetus
for that is Chicago GM Jerry Krause's affinity for both players. When the
Celtics almost acquired Scottie Pippen two years ago for two first-rounders,
the thinking was at the time that Krause would use the picks on McGrady and
Mercer. . . .

Three former Celtics who, between them, won seven titles for Boston are up
for consideration for the Hall of Fame. One is a certain inductee --Kevin
McHale. The others, Dennis Johnson and Jo Jo White, have been nominated
twice before each. Other nominees with Celtic ties include John Thompson,
who backed up Bill Russell for one title season, Wayne Embry, who did the
same thing, and Bob McAdoo, who played 20 games for one of the worst
Celtics' teams ever-the pre-Larry Bird, 1978-79 squad.

PLAYER ANALYSIS

Kenny Anderson is due in town this week for some individual attention from
the strength and conditioning coach. He needs it. Pitino says his biggest
concerns about Anderson are durability and defense. Neither of those
constitutes a news bulletin. Anderson has long been seen as a weak, even
uninterested defensive player. He can afford to be neither in Boston as long
as Pitino is around, which explains why he is being shopped, along with his
salary.

Durability is also critical, given the manic way Pitino likes to play.
Anderson has missed the last stretches of both seasons in Boston with
nagging injuries and was not in shape when this past season got under way.
He can't afford to be anything but physically fit when training camp opens.

If the Celtics can also make him more of a pass-first, shoot-second player,
it would be an additional plus. But, by far, his most critical needs this
summer are getting his body in shape and working on drills he probably
thought he'd never see when he left Georgia Tech. WHAT'S NEXT

The Celtics are looking forward to summer camps because the draft shows so
little promise. This is the first Celtics team in two decades that won't
have a first round pick. Pitino says he's not concerned, he feels that the
team is too young anyway.

Boston will send a team to the LA Summer League and also will host a summer
league for six teams in late July and early August. As of now, free agent
Bruce Bowen plans to play with the team in the Los Angeles games.

Bowen will draw some interest, mainly from Miami, and the Celtics may simply
let him go rather than get into even a minor bidding war. With McCarty and a
recovered Greg Minor, there doesn't seem to be much of a need for Bowen. And
the team tried to trade him in February.