[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
It Looks Like Antoine Will Be The Power Forward (2 from Peter May)
In fact, he may be teamed with Eric Williams in the starting
lineup.... Hmmm. The C's are also happy to have Tony Battie,
but if Walker and Williams start where does that leave him?
The Sporting News
Boston Celtics
Team Report posted OCTOBER 16, 1999
By TSN correspondent
Peter May
Boston Globe
CAMP DISH
Rick Pitino put his team through two-a-days for a week. Then, he stopped.
If conditioning was one of his concerns going into camp, his players
eliminated it from the start.
All were in excellent shape for the start of camp, which has allowed the
coach and his sizable staff (five assistants) to spend more time on
teaching and implementing the system. That's a good thing, because he has
six new players and a seventh, Pervis Ellison, who missed all of last
season.
The first returns weren't so promising: the team's offense looked out of
sync in an exhibition home loss to the Charlotte Hornets. But two nights
later, the Celtics drilled the Atlanta Hawks, 104-79, although the
visitors did not play Dikembe Mutombo. Such is life in the exhibition
season.
The coach has stressed passing before shooting and team play in camp,
concepts that would seem to be automatic and fundamental. He's pleased
with what he's seen so far; the team is averaging 23.5 assists in the
first two games and the ball movement is better and crisper.
The team has some decent passers on their team -- Pitino wants Antoine
Walker to average six assists this season, not an unrealistic goal -- and
so far, he's pleased with what he's seen.
It also took care of some contractual business, signing Tony Battie to a
six-year contract extension. Battie was entering the final year of his
three-year, rookie-wage-scale deal and would have been a free agent this
summer.
Pitino, who wants the talented but erratic Battie to be more consistent,
said he's pleased that the 6-11 power forward/center has worked hard all
summer and done everything the team asked. Battie also played in the
summer leagues for the team, something Pitino also requested.
Danny Fortson, who's also a free agent at the end of the season, won't be
given an extension until then. Pitino wants to have a more thorough look
at Fortson, who came over from Denver in the August deal for Ron Mercer.
POSITIONAL ANALYSIS
Power Forward: Walker has been a fixture here the last two years and he
apparently is going to be playing here more than originally thought. It
was assumed that he would slide over to small forward to allow Fortson to
play here, but Walker has spent most of his time at this position in camp
and in the two exhibition games.
Fortson and Battie also will spend time here when Walker is getting a rest
or if Walker moves over to small forward. But for now, Walker is back in
his old position.
Small Foarward: Eric Williams has played well here in the two exhibition
games and could be reunited with Walker in the frontcourt. The two were
together prior to Pitino's arrival and worked well.
Williams has shown an ability to get to the basket and the free throw
line, both of which Pitino is stressing. If he continues to play well, he
might reclaim the spot he held before getting traded to Denver.
Center: Vitaly Potapenko likely starts here, but he is going to have to be
careful with the new rules to avoid foul trouble. So far, he's had
difficulties with the no-contact rules and that means Pitino could turn to
Battie or Ellison, both of whom have shot-blocking abilities which
Potapenko lacks.
Pitino likes the depth at this position. Fortson could also play here in a
pinch; he did so much of last season for the Nuggets.
Shooting Guard: If Williams continues to play well, Pierce may wind up
here. The other option is Calbert Cheaney. Pitino is going to find a place
and a lot of minutes for Pierce and with the glut of small-forward types,
this could be the spot.
Pierce says it doesn't make any difference to him where he plays and he
did play some shooting guard last year. His defense could be a problem,
but the Celtics need his firepower.
Cheaney is still learning the ropes and has not been impressive in the
first two exhibition games. A third option here is Eric Washington, who
can shoot and defend, although he's not a good ball-handler.
Point Guard: Kenny Anderson will get the bulk of the minutes here unless
he completely self-destructs. Anderson played well in the first two
exhibition games, but he still needs to get the ball up the court faster
and be a more complete defender.
Wayne Turner, the rookie from Kentucky, also is getting a fair amount of
time. Turner is going to make the team and is getting a lot of attention
for his shooting woes. He does a lot of things Pitino likes -- he had
Turner for two years at Kentucky -- so he could play when the team has to
press to get back into a game.
Dana Barros will see time here as well, but he has missed the first two
games due to a family illness.
NEWCOMER REPORT
He's not exactly a newcomer, but he is a new face at camp. Bill Russell
spent a week with the Celtics and passed on his thoughts and advice to the
team. One of the beneficiaries was Fortson, who -- like Russell in his
playing days -- is a relentless rebounder. Russell said he likes what he
sees so far from Fortson, who has what the Hall of Famer calls the "right
attitude" about rebounding.
In other words, he wants the ball. Fortson has rebounded well in the first
two exhibition games while trying to stay out of foul trouble -- an
ongoing concern because he likes to bang and bump in the post. However,
the Celtics are confident Fortson can stay on the floor if he remembers to
use his hips to get or keep position and not his hands or arms.
Russell, meanwhile, left shortly after the death of Wilt Chamberlain, but
not before taking Antoine Walker out to lunch and reminding him what it
means to be captain of the Boston Celtics.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Celtics go on the road for four exhibition games this week, and Pitino
thinks he will try to establish some kind of rotation as he prepares for
the season opener.
In the first two games, Pitino rotated groups of five every six minutes or
so. He says that won't be the case when the team plays the Hornets Tuesday
and the Jazz Wednesday. We'll get a possible sneak preview of the starting
five and the rotation patterns in those games.
Privacy Policy. © 1999 Times Mirror Interzines, a division of Times Mirror
Magazines.
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
Battie is battling to improve
With new contract, big man to be in middle
of things for Celtics
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 10/17/99
WALTHAM - No one was happier to see
Vitaly Potapenko come to town last
season than Tony Battie. Well, maybe the
local Ukrainian Society.
But from a pure basketball standpoint,
Battie was ready to offer his services as
cook, chauffeur, dog walker - anything to
keep the beefy Potapenko around.
The reason? Battie was tired of having his
6-foot-11-inch, 240-pound frame rubbed out
by bigger, stronger, meaner guys in the
post. He may be as tall as a center should
be, but Battie is no banger, and that's
where Potapenko came to the rescue.
''It was tough last year, me being
undersized, underweight, playing against
the Shawn Kemps and Alonzo Mournings,''
Battie said. ''There were guys who
outweighed me by 40 pounds. Don't get me
wrong, I can hold my own, but we needed a
true center. I'm lacking in the weight.
But V can hold his own. Now, if V beats
'em down a little, I can take the fight
from there.''
He may have more fights than he'd like,
but that's the nature of the business and
the new rules changes. Battie started at
center for the Celtics Friday night
against the Dikembe Mutomobo-less Atlanta
Hawks and undoubtedly will see more of the
middle than he might otherwise like, given
Potapenko's tendency to accumulate fouls.
The Celtics want to keep him around
wherever he might play and signaled that
affection with a six-year contract
extension Friday. The man once labeled
''El Busto'' in Denver (by now Nuggets
coach Dan Issel) is laughing all the way
to El Banco in Boston.
''I've always been a winner in
basketball,'' he said, temporarily
forgetting last season's 19-31 submission
by the Celtics. ''The situation in Denver
was just hard. I was going to work my way
through it either way, either to turn that
team around or be a more positive player
myself and not let what was going on with
the wins and losses get me down.''
Battie earned points for being a summer
stalwart, first in the California Summer
Pro League and then in Boston at the
Shaw's Pro Summer League. Over 11 games,
all Boston wins, he averaged 17.6 points,
5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. He averaged
27.9 minutes a game, most of any Celtic in
the two leagues.
''Personally, I thought I needed to play
just to stay in shape and work on my
game,'' Battie said with a shrug. ''And
the club wanted me to stay, help them out,
polish off my skills. I thought that was
fine.''
That is precisely what Rick Pitino and
general manager Chris Wallace wanted to
see. Pitino's only beef with the lanky
Battie is consistency. He'd like to see
the good stuff more often. Bill Fitch saw
the same flaws in a young Robert Parish,
wondering why the Chief could do it in
some games and disappear in others. The
Celtics believe Battie, while still a work
in progress, is on the right track and
will be around for a while.
''We were pleased to acquire Tony,
encouraged by his development, and now
comforted by the fact that he's going to
be in the fold,'' Wallace said yesterday.
''The comforting fact also comes from
looking over the list of potential free
agents next summer. If his development
continues through this season, it was
obvious Tony could become a prime target
of many teams throughout the league.
There's a shortage, leaguewide and in the
college pipeline, of players with that
size, athleticism, and upside.''
Dana Barros, who missed the first two
exhibition games because of an illness in
his family, was back at practice ... The
team worked out for more than 2 1/2 hours,
although Pitino said a large part was
watching film ... Eric Williams may emerge
as the starting small forward, which is
what he was two years ago before Pitino
dumped him to Denver. Said the coach,
''The big question mark is, should we
start Eric or bring him off the bench and
help the second unit because he's instant
offense? Or make that first unit really
powerful? That's a big decision we have to
make. When you come off the bench with an
Eric Williams, you've got a guy who can
really help your second unit. But Walter
McCarty is playing really well, also. It's
a nice dilemma to have at this point.''
... The Celtics will hold a public
practice tonight in Portland, Maine,
something the NBA is ''asking'' all teams
to do. They leave for Charlotte and a
weeklong road trip tomorrow night.
This story ran on page D03 of the Boston
Globe on 10/17/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.