Re: Potapenko the Answer?

[Michael Gooen <callmebogie@yahoo.com>]

---Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> If we're in the lottery in 2000 or 20001, I'm done with this team
> anyway.  Pitino is betting we will be a playoff team.

I would say that I, too, would be "done with this team", but since I
endured the Wicks & Rowe era and the ML years, that's not a credible
threat.  

The issue isn't 2000-2001, it's whether the C's will be in the lottery
in 1999 -- a wacky season where anything can happen (and seems to be
happening).  My concern is that the Celtics end up picking 8-10 and
missing out on a very good player.  I agree that the team needs to get
bigger, not younger, and that this draft has the potential to suck. 
It's just that, all other things being equal, I'd rather pay 1st
rounder money to Lari Ketner than $40 mil+ to Potapenko.  If Pitino
had been able to "top 10" protect this pick I would've been much
happier with the deal, but I gather it was a struggle to get the top 3
protection at all.  

I also was kind of hoping the C's would be able to pick up Wayne
Turner.  Maybe that's a sentimental choice (for Coach P and me both),
but the guy is a jet who plays tenacious defense and knows what for
want of a better term we'll call the "system".  He also could strikes
me as an intelligent and big-game tested (more so than any other
player in NCAA history!) player who could grow into a good successor
to Anderson.  

Maybe Turner's rep as a lousy shooter will drop him into the 2nd
round.  Maybe Pitino can work a trade for him (doesn't Utah have half
the 1st round picks in this draft?).  

Like others on the list, I'll miss Ringo's tenacity.  Then again, I
missed Derek Smith, Ronnie Grandison, Lorenzo Williams, Ed Pinckney
and John Bagley when they left.  I suspect I'll get over it.  

I guess the reason I'm angriest is that we couldn't package the #1 (or
even 2 #1s) with Anderson to get Marbury and whatever cap crap (Billy
Curley!) the T-Wolves had to unload to equalize Marbury's rookie scale
pittance with Kenny's bloated remuneration.  Guess Kevin wasn't in the
mood to do his old team a favor.

Michael Gooen
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