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

[John Lyell <Jlyell@concentric.net>]

Turner is the last thing we need another Wildcat with no true  pro level skills so Pitino an give him  3M a year contract like MCcarty

 


On Sunday, May 09, 1999 8:26 AM, Way Of The Ray [SMTP:wayray@ix.netcom.com] wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>       Boston Celtics




>       Team Report posted MAY 8, 1999      
> 
>       By TAN 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 Vitally 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.
> 
>       <snips>
>     
>