Bulpett's Celtics outlook on ESPN.com

[Bruce Allen <ballen007@yahoo.com>]

Outlook 
By Steve Bulpett
Basketball News

This shouldn't be a make-or-break year for a team
three seasons into a new program and coming off a
lockout-aided fiasco. But Rick Pitino has taken a
gallon of green paint and brushed himself and his club
into quite a corner. 
When Pitino came to Boston, he said the Celtics would
contend for the playoffs in years three and four of
his regime. But during last season's mess, he was
asked if he still was guaranteeing the club would make
the postseason in the third year. Pitino bit, and he
is now fully aware of what he hath wrought. 

"Actually, when I made the original statement, it was
before the draft," Pitino says, recalling the impetus
for his optimism. "At that point, I thought I was
going to have either (Tim) Duncan or (Keith) Van
Horn-and maybe even both. So it wasn't really stepping
(out) to say what I said. In essence, I was expecting
to have a different team." 

Ultimately, Pitino lost out on Duncan in the draft
lottery and missed out on Van Horn when New Jersey
traded up with Philadelphia prior to the player
dispersal. 

"I was talking about the playoffs, but I was thinking
that if we had Duncan, we'd not only be in the
playoffs, we'd be vying for a championship in the
third year," Pitino says. "But even without him, I
still figured we could contend for a playoff spot in
the third and fourth years. As it stands now, we've
had to speed up the process. I went along with what
people were asking me last year because I understand
that people become very impatient. 

"And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that.
We're just moving up our goals. It's what I call good
pressure. It's the kind of pressure you want in life.
Your back is to the wall and you've got to come out
fighting. That's what we have to do if we're going to
achieve our goals. But regardless of what I say,
that's not going to make it happen. The players are
going to make it happen." 

 Player to watch  
 
  
 
 Potapenko 

If Antoine Walker scores and Danny Fortson rebounds,
things should open up in the middle for Vitaly
Potapenko, a big, slow player who has shown
improvement in his career and does match up well with
top-shelf centers. Is Potapenko a legitimate 16-point,
8-rebound guy? Probably not, but he may not be too far
away. 
 



Point guard
Kenny Anderson remains a key figure, with the Celtics
hoping they get the one they saw when he first arrived
in February 1998 -- not the one who struggled last
season. Anderson admits he didn't do his job properly
in the condensed season, but he insists it was part
and parcel of a disjointed team. Too many people were
complaining about getting the ball, and he erred by
giving in and failing to run the offense properly. It
is important that Anderson is also talking now about
career windows closing. If he plays with proper
urgency, the Celts will be far better off. 
Rookie Wayne Turner figures to get serious minutes
under the coach who recruited him to Kentucky. His
lack of shooting ability is actually seen as a plus on
a team with so many willing hoisters of the rock. 

Dana Barros is traditionally counted out at this point
in the season, but he's always found a way to play an
important role. Displaying theretofore unseen point
guard skills last season boosted his stock and belied
his image as simply a shooter. 

Shooting guard
There is much uncertainty here after the departure of
Ron Mercer, but a lot of the remaining questions arise
from versatility. Paul Pierce proved to Pitino in the
L.A. summer league that he was ready to step in and
handle this position -- which made it easier to move
Mercer -- but it is fair to believe Pierce will also
see time at small forward. Pierce worked much of the
summer on his ball-handling to complete a true
shooting guard package. 

The Celtics signed Calbert Cheaney as a veteran
presence, while Cheaney comes to Boston looking to
regenerate a sagging career. Things had gone south for
him in Washington, but in choosing the Celtics,
Cheaney declined to go south geographically. He could
have made more money in a sign-and-trade deal sending
him to Miami, but Bobby Knight, his coach at Indiana,
spoke well of Pitino. 

It is interesting to note that another free agent,
reigning CBA MVP Adrian Griffin, would have seen a
good deal of playing time on last year's squad. But
this season Griffin, though well appreciated by the
coaches, will likely be looking at just spot duty. 

Small forward
Last year Pitino gave Antoine Walker a choice. His
body stuck in Tweenerville, the captain was asked to
either muscle up and be Karl Malone or trim down and
be Scottie Pippen. Walker chose the Pippen model, but
he has yet to get where he needs to be shape-wise.
Still, for the Celtics roster to truly fit, Walker
must be the small forward. 

As the preseason wore on, Pitino was looking at
keeping Walker at the 4-spot, with Eric Williams and
Walter McCarty manning the 3. Williams gives the
Celtics a slasher who will get to the free throw line,
a quality the club lacked badly last season. The fact
he is also a great friend of Walker's from their
initial Celtics days means two talented players could
be pushing each other here. 

McCarty is coming off a season in which he missed
games because of three different injuries. This time
he's had a summer to find and develop his stroke, and
if he gets minutes, he could prove to be more than
simply a gangly body to use on the press. 

Power forward
The man making the biggest splash here was newcomer
Danny Fortson, until a fractured right foot was
expected to put him out for the first couple of
months. Everyone knew about his redwood arms and the
fact he was fourth in the league in rebounding last
season. But even Pitino got a little surprise when, on
physicals day, Fortson measured 6-7½ barefoot. That
makes him more than 6-8 in sneakers -- and Pitino
insists he will not put Fortson into a game without
his shoes on. 

Fortson should eventually serve in a complementary
role to Walker, forgiving many of his misses with
strong work on the offensive glass. On a team where
seemingly everyone wanted to shoot on each possession
last year, it is refreshing for the coaching staff to
have someone who believes that missed shots are the
plays being run for him. 

With a new six-year contract extension in tow and a
stronger body from offseason work, Tony Battie claims
he's ready to make those intriguing flashes from a
season ago a more consistent part of his game. 

Center
Vitaly Potapenko is the incumbent, and there is every
reason to believe he will again be solid, if
unspectacular. What the Celtics sought when they
traded for him last season was someone who could stop
opposing centers from kicking sand in the Bostonians'
faces. The biggest challenge for Potapenko this year
will be using his toughness while avoiding foul
trouble. 

Pitino isn't allowing himself to count on Pervis
Ellison being available, but so far the oft-injured
center has done well through camp. And while the coach
says flatly that a healthy Ellison is the best center
the Celtics have, the only ray of hope he has comes
from the fact that this is Ellison's last year under
contract. 

Expect Battie and even Fortson to see some pivot time
as well. 

Coaching
Pitino started off the preseason by admitting that he,
too, had made mistakes last year. It was a positive
step. 

There is no question he knows the game, but
micro-coaching has worn thin over an NBA schedule, and
Pitino knows he must cede more control to the players.
If Anderson can handle the offense without much
sideline help, it will go a long way to quieting the
high-volume monologue from the bench. 

The biggest impediment for Pitino the coach may be
Pitino the president. But while he's not putting
anything into stone, he insists he is ready to go to
battle with his current roster. 



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