Re: Jonathan Comey: Trade Mercer/Battie - Build Team Around Walker/Pierce

[Shailendra Mishra <shailendra_mishra@yahoo.com>]

I hope Pitino doesn't buy into all this hype of too many scorers, too
much youth etc. and just for one stands pat w.r.t trading his core
players. I think Battie has come a long way from the player who was
traded and Mercer has improved too from his first year. Everybody
preaches patience to the youth, how about coversely excercising some
patience with the youth. Washington is a prime example of how not to
build a young team, they aquired veteran talent by trading away their
young players and to what avail. I don't buy these money and budget
constraints logic because unless the player that we get in return is
chopped liver, he will demand an equally large salary.

On the other hand I won't mind players such as Popeye or Anderson go
because they don't fit the prototype.
Here is my list of players to retain:
Walker, Mercer, Pierce, Barros, Potapenko, Battie, McCarty, Jones,
Minor, Ellison <ML married him to the celts with a no divorce clause>

Go:
Schintzius <hate that guy>, Riley, Bowen, Popeye, Anderson.
                      - Mishra

PS: I was listening to Chris Monters yesterday on ESPN and he said that
Cleveland wants to move up and draft a pg, this will make Brevin Knight
expendable could be worth inquiring about.

--- Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> I think what he says will happen too...
> >      
>       NewStandard: 5/23/99
> 
> 
>  
>       Catching up with some sports shorts
>       Jonathan Comey
> 
>       
>       <snips>
> 
>      
> 
>        Watching the Sacramento Kings play against
> Utah in the first round of the 
>       playoffs made me realize something: the
> Celtics are so close, yet so far 
>       from becoming a real threat. 
>        If you watched the Kings play, you had to be
> impressed. But with all the 
>       hype about rookie point guard Jason Williams,
> he had little to do with the 
>       team's success. 
>        It was all about the interior toughness,
> defense and passing of Chris 
>       Webber and Vlade Divac, and the play of their
> fantastic role players. 
>        Why can't the Celtics come up with that kind
> of a mix? Antoine Walker is 
>       every bit as good as Chris Webber -- not as
> powerful inside, but with 
>       better passing and scoring skills. 
>        Walker is here for the long haul, and he is a
> rare talent. Paul Pierce 
>       seems to also have that rare talent, with the
> extra grit that Walker 
>       sometimes lacks. 
>        It seems to me that Rick Pitino needs to
> build a team around these two 
>       great players, not just pile up good players
> and hope they jell. 
>        I have heard that Ron Mercer and Tony Battie
> will be traded, and I'm all 
>       for it. But instead of trading for a lottery
> pick, or a young big man, why 
>       not pick up a veteran banger? I thought Popeye
> Jones was going to be that 
>       guy, but injuries and Pitino's indifference
> seemed to squash that idea. 
>        Clearly, the Celtics need a veteran power
> forward who can teach the young 
>       core of the team a bit about defense, passing
> and toughness. 
>        As much as I like Pitino, it doesn't seem
> like he can teach those 
>       lessons. 
> 
> 
>      
> 
> 

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