Sportsline

[John Lyell <Jlyell@concentric.net>]

Sportsline states:



The Celtics are still a player in the Anfernee Hardaway derby, and might 
actually have one of the more attractive offers for the Magic.

Phoenix apparently cooled when the Magic brought up Tom Gugliotta, and now 
it looks like the Celtics are willing to part with Ron Mercer, who will 
want what amounts to Antoine Walker money at the end of the year (which is 
to say too much). He is well-liked by the Celtics and everybody else, but 
not a complete enough player to warrant the maximum allowed to a three-year 
player under the new salary rules. Mercer is primarily a shooter, and not 
an especially accurate one. Aside from that, they can package Kenny 
Anderson with Mercer and rid themselves of a player who will never fit into 
Pitino's system.

There's also talk of a trade sending Mercer and Toronto's Tracy McGrady to 
the Bulls, and Chicago dishing its top pick to the Raptors (who are hot 
after Maryland's Steve Francis) who would send their No. 5 pick to the 
Celtics. Pitino has dismissed talk of the deal, but it's easy to see the 
logic behind the rumor. Jerry Krause has eyes for McGrady and Mercer and 
the Raptors and Celtics both need point guards. At Nos. 1 and 5 in the 
draft, both teams could fill that need.