Mike Szostak: C's Finished Before They Start

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

A little too down on Wayne Turner, but seems to have a good
grasp of the situation...


        11.2.99 00:22:28

        Celts finished before they start (The bottom
        line: Not enough talent)

By MIKE SZOSTAK
Providence Journal Sports Writer

The Celtics will launch their 1999-2000 season tonight
in Toronto. They will light up the FleetCenter tomorrow
night for their home opener against Washington.

What should you expect between now and April?

Well, on a good day you can close your eyes and listen
to a Rick Pitino motivational talk about making the
playoffs and being a great basketball team.

The rest of the time you can open your eyes and believe
what you see. Vitaly Potapenko starting at center.
Pervis Ellison coming off the bench. Wayne Turner
throwing up jump shots from behind his left ear.
Antoine Walker missing layups. Danny Fortson parked at
the end of the bench with a broken foot.

Up-tempo offense? Pressing defense? In your dreams,
baby.

Year 3 of the Pitino regime won't be any better than
Year 1 (36-46) or Year 2 (19-31). The Celtics will be
repeat visitors to Lottery Land in Secaucus, N.J., next
spring. Forget the playoffs, regardless of any
guarantee from the coach.

Why? This requires a two-part answer.

First, one of the eight playoff teams from last season
would have to falter. Orlando and Detroit are
possibilities. But Charlotte, Toronto and Cleveland are
poised to take their places. All finished ahead of the
Celtics.

Second, Pitino doesn't have the players. Only two
Celtics, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, compare with
higher-echelon players in the NBA.

Walker is a marginal franchise player, despite his
$71-million contract. He is starting his fourth NBA
season, lacks the respect of his peers and still isn't
in great shape, according to his coach. Walker already
seems tired of Pitino's nagging.

Pierce has star potential but risks being dragged down
by a mediocre supporting cast. As the losses mount this
season, he may try to do too much by himself.

The rest of the Celtics are complements, men whose
skills would mesh with those of a franchise player or
star, neither of which the Celtics possess.

Check them out:

[Image] Point guard Kenny Anderson, model citizen
throughout training camp. Worked hard, said all the
right things about teamwork, remained healthy. But can
he survive the 82-game grind? He has succeeded only
twice in his eight-year career.

[Image] Potapenko, plodding center with bad hands.
Pitino sacrificed his No. 1 draft pick to get him from
Cleveland, where he was a backup until Zydrunas
Ilgauskas got hurt.

[Image] Center/forward Tony Battie, a decent young
player who can run and rebound.

[Image] Forward Walter McCarty, a bundle of energy
prone to nagging injuries.

[Image] Dana Barros, a 32-year-old shooter who can't
guard anybody.

[Image] Ellison, who hasn't played in a regular-season
game since March 11, 1998.

As usual under Pitino, there are new Celtics to get
acquainted with. Unfortunately, two arrived from Denver
and one from Washington, two of the worst teams in the
league. Another is an undrafted rookie, another a
career CBAer and the last a veteran journeyman.

The ex-Nuggets are Eric Williams, beginning his second
tour with the Celtics, who is, according to Pitino,
``an outstanding scorer as a starter or coming off the
bench.'' He averaged about 9 points per game during
Boston's 3-5 preseason.

And Fortson, the third-year pro the Celtics had
considered drafting, who, according to Pitino, ``was
much better than I ever anticipated. . . . From the
rebounding standpoint, he was as good as I've seen.
We're very excited about him and looking forward to
geting him back'' (in about two months).

The ex-Wizard is Calbert Cheaney, a career 12-pointer
who didn't come close to that during preseason because,
Pitino said, he's still learning the offense.

The rookie is Wayne Turner of Boston and Kentucky. He
set the NCAA record for games played (151) during his
four-year career with the Wildcats, but nobody in the
NBA wanted him on draft night. Not even the Celtics,
who drafted Kris Clack in the second round and then
didn't invite him to camp. Turner is a 6-2 ball-handler
who can't shoot from outside.

Adrian Griffin, a 6-5 guard, spent three years with the
CBA's Connecticut Pride and was even the league's most
valuable player last season. But he never heard from
the NBA until Pitino called during the summer.

``Adrian's the type of person if you watch him for two
or three days, you'll leave saying he's a nice
basketball player, [but] I'm not sure if he can play on
this level,'' Pitino said.

But Pitino listened to scout Leo Papile and watched
Griffin for a week at a time.

``We watched him in two summer leagues. His team went
undefeated largely because of what he brought to their
lineup. He's very humble, very hungry, and he's going
to play a lot of minutes for us this year,'' Pitino
said.

Griffin averaged about 17 minutes during the preseason.

When Fortson went down with a stress fracture in his
right foot, the Celtics scrambled and located Marty
Conlon, who had played for Pitino at Providence College
in 1987 and for M.L. Carr with the Celtics in 1997.

What about Greg Minor, you ask? He's still with the
team but probably won't play this season because of a
broken hip he suffered April 29 against Miami.

So there you have them. The last Celtics team of the
1990s.

``I really like this team a great deal,'' Pitino said.
No surprise there. After all, he assembled it.

``I think we are going to be in a lot of close ball
games,'' the boss said. ``I think our depth is good
enough to keep us in almost every game in any place. .
. . I've been very excited to see how well we've been
shooting free throws this year. It does come down to
foul shooting on occasion, as well as defense.''

Okay, the Celtics may be in a lot of close games this
year. That doesn't mean they will win. Make it 35-47.
Tops.


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