Re: Eric

[opi@unesco.org]

RSMALL@clarku.edu wrote:

> I know people hate /mercer and keep bringing him.  What I don't iunderstand is
> why people keep bringing him up.  He is gone focus on the team that is here.

Rich, I guess it's partly because Boston fans may have felt ticked off to read
about how much we got swindled and robbed blind by another team. That's just not
supposed to happen with the Boston Celtics.

As far as I know among sportswriters nationwide, only Bob Ryan said he liked this
trade (and in the most muted and qualified terms). I guess Boston Sports Guy also
liked the trade more or less. Everyone else (including local scribes) used this
occasion to praise Dan Issel's trade acumen and ridicule the Celtics in the most
smug of tones.

In general I agree with your post, but you just have to realize a context wherein
every poll and every columnist showed overwhelming condemnation of the "desperate"
and fallen Celtics franchise. Remember that we also got a possible Y2K rebounding
champ contender (Fortson) plus a Denver first rounder of our choice in the deal,
even if the Eric Williams-Ron Mercer swap looks very unfavorable at this moment as
each team starts the new season.

Hopefully, this will be my last comment on Mercer but, privately, sure I'd love to
see some of these writer's eventually eat their words.

Joe

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