Pitino Takes A Swipe At Gaston

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

Rick is already laying the foundation for his eventual exit: He's too
constrained by the Celtics budget to effectively rebuild the club.
Of course, bringing the $7 million highly flawed Anderson in; signing
McCarty; the Travis Knight contract; taking Eric Williams and his
inflated salary back - I suppose those were all Gaston's doing?


      Boston Herald

      Money forced Mercer to Denver 
      Celtics Notebook/by Steve Bulpett 
      Friday, October 22, 1999
      LEXINGTON, Ky. - Rick Pitino was talking money yesterday, saying the issue 
      was in the open with Ron Mercer and intimating strongly that budgetary 
      constraints have grown wearisome. 
      ``We have a budget,'' Pitino said after the Celtics practiced in Memorial 
      Coliseum on the University of Kentucky campus. ``The most hated word in my 
      life right now is that word budget. I hear it almost 10 times a day from 
      various people, the CFO and everybody.''
      The coach had spoken two days prior about his inability to keep David 
      Wesley, citing financial reasons set by the club - not the league - and 
      when local writers asked about the trading of former Wildcat Mercer, 
      Pitino was speaking in similar tones. While some around the Celtics 
      believe strongly there were basketball reasons behind the trade with 
      Denver, Pitino, while still liking very much what he received in the deal, 
      said it was money that mattered.
      ``Unfortunately we wanted to keep Ron,'' he said. ``It's sort of like the 
      Minnesota situation. They had (Stephon) Marbury, (Kevin) Garnett and (Tom) 
      Gugliotta and they wanted to keep all three. They wound up keeping one 
      (Garnett). You can't afford three large contracts and survive today to 
      make any money at all.
      ``The contract I was able to offer him (Mercer) was nowhere near what he 
      wanted. He was very honest with me. I made him an offer and he said, 
      `Coach, you said to me a long time ago at Kentucky that you'll be a friend 
      of mine off the court for life.' He said, `Would you take this, advising 
      me as a friend when knowing the market out there for me is $9 million or 
      $10 million?'
      ``I said, `Ron, I'm not going to answer that, so you know my answer.' So 
      he said, `If that's the case, coach, then you need to trade me and get 
      something for me because I won't be back. If you let me wait out the year, 
      I won't be back.' ''
      Surgery successful
      The Celtics reported that Danny Fortson's foot surgery was successful 
      yesterday. The power forward had a screw inserted into the bone on the 
      outside edge of his right foot to help repair a stress fracture.
      Fortson was scheduled to be released from New England Baptist Hospital 
      last night. He should begin rehab next week, with some eight weeks of work 
      until he is able to return to the lineup.
      Tony Battie (sprained left knee) and Wayne Turner (bruised toe) have 
      returned to practice, leaving open the possibility they will play here 
      against the Jazz tomorrow night.
      No regrets for Pitino
      The local media was still wondering how Pitino could leave perennially 
      successful Kentucky to struggle with the Celtics, but he defended the move 
      as his best.
      ``You're supposed to struggle when you take something on,'' Pitino said 
      before heading off for a day at the races (Keeneland). ``That's why I took 
      the job. I wanted the struggle. I wanted the challenge. I knew if I stayed 
      here we were going to be a Final Four contender. It was attractive. That's 
      why I stayed eight years here, longer than I've ever spent anywhere 
      else.''