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Peter May: Send Walker And Anderson To The Clippers
You never know with the Clippers, but they seem set on selecting Baron
Davis
with their pick...
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
NBA NOTES
Course correction by committee
NBA bosses to consider changes
By Peter May, 05/16/99
<snips>
They weren't missed
Did anyone else happen to notice that the
Celtics averaged more points a game, shot
a higher percentage, and held opponents to
fewer points and a lower field goal
percentage while Kenny Anderson and A
ntoine Walker were out? We were all
trumpeting the Anderson Factor prior to
this season, noting how the team and
Walker benefited from his presence. Well,
in the nine games they missed (counting
the Washington game in which Walker was
hurt), the Celtics benefited from their
absence (sse chart). So who needs 'em?
We've already mentioned that Rick Pitino
should be pushing Anderson westward to the
cap-friendly, point-guard-starved Clippers
in exchange for Lorenzen Wright in a
sign-and-trade. Maybe the Clippers would
go for that only if, say, Walker were
included for LA's No. 1 pick and another
body. That would enable the Celtics to
draft Steve Francis, Lamar Odom, or
whomever and eliminate two big problems:
the big salaries of Anderson and Walker
and the obvious fact that their three best
players play two positions ... Speaking of
soon-to-be NBA point guards, UCLA
sophomore Baron Davis has decided to enter
the draft and should be a top five pick.
Ex-Bruin Bill Walton, who still bleeds
blue and gold, was horrified by the
decision. ''It's a huge mistake,'' Walton
said. ''Here's a very talented player and
a nice young man who hurt his leg and came
back too soon. He struggled at the college
level physically and his team couldn't
even beat Detroit Mercy in the NCAA
Tournament. And now he figures he's going
to be an NBA star? These young players get
such bad advice. It's sad. It hurts all
levels of basketball. He's obviously got
game, but are we talking about one of the
very best players? He's not there yet.
He's walking away from the most important
asset that he'll ever have - the ability
to train his mind at UCLA. If it was
another school, like USC or Notre Dame, I
could understand. In that case, he'd be
making the right choice.'' ... As this was
being written, Odom and Duke's Corey
Meggette were still fence-straddling
regarding entry into the draft. Has there
even been a situation in which the
consensus No. 1 waited so long? A sleeper
who's making big strides is high schooler
Jonathan Bender from Picayune, Miss.
''He's got a chance to hit the top six,''
said Celtics general manager Chris
Wallace. Bender is a 6-foot-11-inch,
210-pounder who has committed to
Mississippi State, which, of course, means
nothing. Wallace said Bender is not in the
same class as Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant
but is better than the recent high
schoolers such as Jermaine O'Neal, Al
Harris , and Rashard Lewis. The other high
school entrant, Leon Smith of Chicago, is
probably a late first-rounder, Wallace
said. ''He's got a pro body,'' Wallace
said of the 6-11, 250-pound Smith ... The
Celtics not only will lose their
first-round pick (unless it's in the top
three), but they also don't have their own
second-round pick, either. They are slated
to pick 37th, but the Knicks have first
dibs on that choice courtesy of the Chris
Mills deal. If the Knicks don't want it -
and Wallace thinks New York will take it -
then the Grizzlies can take it thanks to
the Tony Massenburg deal. The Celtics
won't go away empty-handed. They have the
55th pick, from Orlando through Denver,
courtesy of the Eric Williams deal. That
ought to keep the suits waiting in
breathless anticipation ...
Suns boss Colangelo
said the year was ''a downer'' and added
that his team was up against it right from
the start. ''They changed the rules and
one of our players [ Antonio McDyess] was
heisted,'' he said. ''Then, we
underachieved. We were overmatched by
Portland in terms of athleticism and
depth. We have a lot of work to do.'' In
describing the player he wants, Colangelo
freely admitted that McDyess fits the
description (young, athletic, powerful).
He's still steamed at the way that went
down. He said the team now has a better
feel for Tom Gugliotta ''and what we need
around him. We need to complement him.''
Googs is what he is, and the Suns found
out he cannot defend in the post. Brian
Grant bludgeoned him in the Portland
series. Still, Phoenix has a lottery pick
(Dallas's, thanks to the Steve Nash deal)
and will send Jason Kidd to Secaucus for
good luck.
This story ran on page C07 of the Boston
Globe on 05/16/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.