Peter May (TSN): Look For The C's To Draft Turner

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

      Boston Celtics
      Team Report posted MAY 8, 1999      

      By TSN correspondent
      Peter May
      Boston Globe
      An analytical review of the Celtics' season: 
      WHAT WENT RIGHT 
      With 19 wins, even in a 50-game season, there obviously are not a whole 
      lot of things that went according to plan. The Celtics were disappointed 
      to a man at playing so poorly. 
      But there were bright spots. The brightest might have been rookie Paul 
      Pierce, who established himself as a keeper. Drafted 10th, he felt he had 
      to prove a lot of people wrong and the consensus is that he did just that. 
      Pierce had a brilliant first month, then slowed down due to an ankle 
      injury, then came back strong. He should be a fixture at small forward for 
      years to come. 
      Another plus was the arrival of Vitaly Potapenko, who filled a glaring 
      need in the middle. He is not a prototype big man, but who is these days? 
      He gave Boston exactly what it needed. This was a win-win for both clubs. 
      The Celtics got their center while Cleveland merely exchanged one backup 
      center for another, saved money and got a high draft pick. Ron Mercer also 
      showed signs of becoming a future All-Star at shooting guard. The team 
      also did what no one else could do: Sweep the Miami Heat, including two 
      wins in Miami Arena. 
      WHAT WENT WRONG 
      One of the team's long-term advantages, its youth, was a short-term 
      liability. Young teams -- and the Celtics are one of the youngest -- 
      simply do not win in the NBA. The Celtics learned that and Rick Pitino, 
      their coach, is now pining for veteran leadership. 
      But youth was only one handicap. The Celtics were not in shape when the 
      season started and that infuriated the coach. Pitino could not do anything 
      about it so the club was dominated by stronger, more experienced clubs. 
      The Celtics' inability to play man-to-man defense was glaring until the 
      last third of the season, when Potapenko arrived and when the team started 
      to press full-time. That weakness is not going to go away. 
      The team's point guard situation also is shaky. Pitino and Kenny Anderson 
      publicly claim they like one another and that they are a good fit. That 
      isn't so, and everyone knows it. Anderson is a bad fit for Pitino's 
      demanding style and there was overt friction between the two. That can not 
      last. Another downer was the play of Antoine Walker, who was booed 
      constantly at home and showed no signs of improvement in his third year. 
      Until he starts making his teammates better, Walker will be seen as a 
      talent but not as a winner. There is a big difference. 
      GAME PLAN 
      Likely departures. Pitino should start making calls at 12:01 a.m. on July 
      1 to see if anyone is interested in Anderson. The problem: The league 
      knows who and what he is and he makes $31 million over the next four 
      years. But unless someone (the Clippers?) bites, the two are stuck with 
      each other. Bruce Bowen might not be back. He appeared to be a goner until 
      Greg Minor seriously hurt his hip late in the season. Minor has a long 
      rehab road ahead of him, and it was thought that the Celtics did not need 
      both players. Still, Bowen might prefer Miami, which is interested in him. 

      Eric Riley might be able to wrangle a contract out of the Celtics, but 
      only if he works like a madman over the summer. That is not his nature. 
      Tony Battie and Ron Mercer are both eligible to sign long-term extensions. 
      Pitino does not know if he can afford both or even if both are inclined to 
      stay. One or both could be traded if they do not re-sign this summer, 
      especially Battie, who was offered, along with Bowen, to the Clippers in 
      March. The team released Marlon Garnett prior to the season finale, but he 
      could return next season as a 15th man if he can not find work elsewhere. 
      Draft needs. The Celtics did something they have not done in almost two 
      decades: They traded their No. 1 pick conditionally to Cleveland in the 
      Vitaly Potapenko-Andrew DeClercq deal. The Celtics keep the pick if it is 
      in the top three; otherwise the Cavs likely will take it. (Cleveland has 
      until 10 days before the draft to make its decision.) Look for Pitino to 
      try and grab Kentuckian Wayne Turner, either via a trade late in the first 
      round or with Boston's second-round pick. While Turner can't shoot, he 
      does everything else Pitino wants from his point guards. 
      Cap moves. The team has no cap room and will not have any for years to 
      come. By signing Walker, Potapenko, Walter McCarty and Popeye Jones to 
      multiyear, multimillion dollar deals, Boston is some $6-8 million over the 
      $34 million cap with no immediate relief. The only moves the Celtics can 
      make is to use the exceptions they have: The middle-class exception and 
      the $1 million (actually more) exception to pad the roster. 
      Free-agent targets. With only $2 million to offer, the Celtics are not in 
      the best shape for attracting free agents. But most teams are in the same 
      position, so the field might be more level than they think. Pitino tried 
      to trade for free-agent Rodney Rogers in March and will see if the 
      soon-to-be ex-Clipper is interested in playing for $2 million in Boston. 
      Pitino says he has targeted a handful of players he feels, for whatever 
      reason, have underachieved and might rebound in Boston. The problem Pitino 
      might find may not have anything to do with money. Veterans do not like 
      the way he coaches or his system. Pitino lost out to Toronto for the 
      services of Michael Stewart last year. The word is out and he is going to 
      need all his motivational skills to get a veteran to play for him. 
      Coaching status. Pitino is signed for eight more years, four as 
      coach/president at $7 million per and four more at $2 million per as team 
      president. Few expect him to fulfill the entire deal, but the terms make 
      him fireproof. However, his reputation took a big hit this year with the 
      lowbrow performance of his team and reports of player disillusionment with 
      him and his style. He is not going to change. He was not happy at all with 
      this season -- he called it the least enjoyable in his career -- but he 
      might be even more disgusted next year if the team does not make the 
      playoffs. He has said they will. If he is not right, his already shaky 
      relationship with his players and fans will become even shakier.

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