Re: Griffin

[Dan Parker <danp@town.ipswich.ma.us>]

Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 12:28:52 EST
From: Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>

>I think this whole budget talk was a smokescreen by Pitino to cover
>up the fact that he wanted to get rid of Ron Mercer. 

Couldn't agree more, and I can't believe how many sportswriters swallowed
the "budget" line without giving it a second thought.  No team that
drops 50 million on a coach would have let Ron Mercer go the way the
Celtics did if they really wanted him.

After a nice rookie season where Ron was very selective about his shots he
jacked them up at furious pace in year two.  The C's went 5-4 without
Mercer last year and his disruptiveness to the Celtics chemistry was
pretty obvious by the end of the year.

The Celtics moving Mercer was addition by subtraction (though Griffin has
certainly helped).  Getting Fortson, Williams, and a 1st round pick was a
friggin' miracle.

Dan