re

[Dan Forant Sr <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>]

I for one doesn't want to wait around for 5 years to see if someone will
develop. This team will not improve with Anderson, we know what Mercer can
do. Nice little jumper, with no court vision for passing. A 431% shooting
and 167% from 3 point range. There are plenty of 2 guards with those
credentials that play better defense. The management has put themselves
under a lot of pressure to succeed with Pitino. My guess is, without a
decent point guard and a power forward, we will suffer through another
season. McCarty  while he is interesting to watch on occasion, will not
help our team, Popeye, is just another broken player. This team is so
constipated with useless players it needs a cathartic.
>From: peter delevett <pdelevett@amcity.com>
cut
>No disrespect meant to anyone, but what an idiotic trade. We give up Mercer,
>Popeye, McCarty and a #1 pick for Danny Fortson and a pick that will probably
>end up being someone like Jonathan Bender, William Avery, Jason Terry or
>Radojevic--second-tier lottery picks? No thank you very much. Mercer, as even
>his detractors admit, has star potential, and Popeye can help if he comes
back
>healthy. I am not a big Fortson fan -- remember that whatever he accomplished
>this season was done playing alongside Antonio McDyess. The man can't jump
>over a phone book.
>
>May I issue one last plea for sanity here? Unless and until I see Ron Mercer
>directly quoted as saying he won't re-up with Boston or sign for less than
the
>maximum, I just do not understand this rush to trade him. The Celtics roster
>has been a revolving door since Pitino arrived. That is the sign of a bad
>team! Look at the lousy teams that are in the lottery every single year --
the
>Clippers, the Warriors, the Mavericks ... The biggest single reason they end
>up there year after year: massive and continual roster turnover. No
>consistency, no chance for chemistry. Flawed, quick-fix thinking. Just
look at
>the teams who are winning rings and making sustained playoff runs year after
>year: veteran squads that have retained their core pieces season after
season,
>with only minor tinkering around the edges.
>
>Bottom line: If Pitino's Celtics are constantly rebuilding, trading major
>pieces for rookies or mediocre vets, this will always remain a crappy team.
>
>I agree wholeheartedly with Jim Hill's post: Kenny A. has a much better
chance
>of taking us to the playofs this year than a rookie point, even Miller or
>Davis (if we could even get them). Let's start the season with the roster we
>have and see how they work given a full training camp. It's not like their
>trade value will suddenly drop if we wait a few months -- in fact, if they
>come back in and play well, it might even improve.