Jersey Red: Eric Williams Will Start

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

The Herald News - Sports

      Wed, Oct 27, 1999 
      RED'S WORLD: Time to tie up some loose ends ... 
      By Ken 'Jersey Red' Ford 
      <snips>
      - - -
      The loss of Danny Fortson for eight to 12 weeks is a devastating blow to 
      the Celtics. I attended several practices and Fortson was unbelievable 
      --and the whole complexion of the team looked so much better with him on 
      the court. The good news is the rest of the guys are in shape and so far, 
      with Fortson out, are playing well in their preseason games. If the season 
      opened tomorrow, ex-Friar Eric Williams starts. Pitino loves him.
      - - - 
  
      - - -
      Here's the word on Chris Herren and it's not good -- it's great! He played 
      brilliantly during training camp. His teammates love him, his coach really 
      loves him and was quoted as saying "it looks like I've found my backup 
      point guard." 
      The Rocky Mountain News has been giving him rave reviews. The team is 
      trying everything possible to shop Corey Alexander, but he makes megabucks 
      and even though the new owner has billions, he is reluctant to let him go 
      and lose the money.
      That hurts Chris for now, but two things are certain. If he stays with 
      Denver, he won't be a backup for long, and if the owner doesn't smarten 
      up, there are a slew of NBA teams that want him. There are no secrets in 
      the league and everyone is buzzing about him. One GM told me on the phone 
      last week that "Chris Herren will be in this league for a long time."
      - - -
      You're going to think I'm nuts, but if I could have a choice of having 
      Vince Carter or Tim Duncan, I'd take Carter.
      - - -
  
      Yeah Pitino's my friend, but watching college hoops is so much better than 
      the NBA that it isn't even funny. And all of these NBA guys really think 
      they are something. Far too many of them have a "tude" and are flat out 
      "rude." By far, the best are hockey guys -- they really go out of their 
      way to be courteous to the fans, especially kids. 
    

    
          © 1999 ,The Herald News