Peter May's Celtics Retrospective

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

There's still work left for Celtics 


By Peter May, Globe Staff, 4/21/2000 


The Celtics joined 12 teams yesterday in making plans for that
wonderful, only-in-America teams yesterday in making plans for that
wonderful, only-in-Americaphenomenon known as the six-month paid
vacation.

OK, they have them in Vancouver, too.

But as the diaspora began, and as the bigwigs thrashed things out in New
York, the Celtics found themselves wondering how they can stay intact
and make the necessary upgrades. It won't be easy.

There are three free agents: Pervis Ellison, Danny Fortson, and Doug
Overton. Ellison is history. Overton probably is as well, although he
did what he was asked to do. Fortson? Who knows? The Celtics already are
overbudget for next season and over the projected cap by around $6
million. Fortson won't settle for short money here; he may have to if he
goes elsewhere.

Here's a look at the roster, who did what, and where he stands:

Kenny Anderson: He probably was the team's most valuable player. (Rick
Pitino's suggestion that Vitaly Potapenko was the MVP would be laughable
if it wasn't an insult to our intelligence.) Anderson went wire to wire
when durability was a big question mark. He was always upbeat and even
improved on defense. But can we get anything more than this? Anderson is
only 29 - he turns 30 in October - but next season will be his 10th. He
still doesn't get the ball up the court quickly enough to suit Pitino
and will never be a defensive hound. But without him this year, you're
looking at Chicago. He's also not going anywhere, not with three years
and $25 million left on his contract.

Dana Barros: Next season will be the sixth and final year of his big
deal engineered by M.L. Carr. To that end, he might be attractive to a
team that needs what he has and is looking to clear cap space for
2001-02. He never really found his comfort zone in Boston, which is too
bad. If the Celtics do get a bigger, more defense-oriented point guard,
Barros's days/playing time may be numbered.

Tony Battie: Here's what Pitino said about Battie Wednesday: ''He needs
to be more consistent. We need him to do it four nights out of five.''
That pretty much is what Pitino said about him at the end of last
season. You can be teased and even intrigued by Battie's skills, but
there are far too many ''off'' nights and he lacks a certain meanness.
Pitino said he's still bullish on Battie. He better be. Battie's
six-year, $25.2 million deal starts next season.

Calbert Cheaney: Let's see if this is still correct. He turned down more
money with Miami to sign with Boston? This was a tough season for him,
but he still is basically the same player he was the moment he left
Bloomington, Ind., seven years ago. He's a trouper - anyone who can
endure Bobby Knight for four years qualifies. He's also got two years
left on his contract and will likely play the same role unless he's
moved.

Pervis Ellison: Wonderful guy. Great in the locker room. Has been around
long enough to have played for Bill Russell. He stayed probably four
years longer than he should have. Ellison will be remembered here as the
guy who played the system better than anyone thought possible.

Danny Fortson: Can you still believe they traded him for Alvin Williams
and Sean Marks? All this guy needs is playing time. The problem is that
he's not likely to get it here, especially if Antoine Walker stays at
power forward. Pitino thinks 20-plus minutes is fine. Fortson thinks
that's about half right. The Celtics won't break the bank to re-sign
him, if they even try. Fortson wants to play and there has to be a team
that can use his toughness and effort. 

Adrian Griffin: He's got another year at NBA bottom wages ($423,000) and
is already planning to play in the summer leagues. He was the early
feel-good story of the season but tailed off, dramatically. If he can
maintain his November/December form throughout next season, the Celtics
will be a better team.

Walter McCarty: Let's hope he has a picture of Pitino hanging over his
bed at home. He's got two years left on his contract and will extract
almost $6 million of Paul Gaston's cash in that span. It'd be one thing
if he could play. But he can't even get off the bench. That's unlikely
to change.

Greg Minor: He's on the books for $3.24 million next season - thanks,
M.L. - but he may never play again. Almost a year after his debilitating
fall in Miami, he's still using a cane. There is no way he can even be
in the team's plans next season. The Celtics could use half of his
salary to sign someone else if they could get anyone for that price.

Doug Overton: If nothing else, he'll be remembered as the guy who told
Walker to ''shut up and play defense'' that memorable night last month
in Orlando. For that, he got picked on by Walker, which led to some
scuffling on the bench. Overton pretty much knew the situation when he
got here, and filled his role. He's a free agent, however, and the
Celtics will be looking to add players and Overton is eminently
expendable. He's a guy the Celtics should want to keep - professional,
does his job. He's also shown an ability to score, which doesn't hurt.
But the numbers don't add up for him.

Paul Pierce: He'd be up for a big hit this summer under the terms of the
old bargaining agreement. Instead, he's got a couple more years at NBA
short money ($1.6 million), which means he isn't going anywhere. At
times, he is easily the team's best all-around player. At other times,
he seems to lose track of where he is and what he's supposed to do. He
doesn't seem to be the kind who takes to Pitino's constant yakking from
the bench, which may be important if both are still here at this time
next year.

Vitaly Potapenko: He's improved, but still is what he is: a big,
immobile, nonshot-blocking, occasional-rebounding, backup center. He's
here for five more years and has a Nomaresque work ethic. In this day
and age of centerless teams, he's serviceable. You just have to wonder
why the Celtics paid so much to get him and then, without seeing him
play a game in a Boston uniform, gave him so much money. Two words:
David Falk.

Antoine Walker: Last week, Pitino compared Walker to a good stock. The
next day, the market fell 600-plus points. Walker was, undeniably, a
better player over the last 30 games. But he's been in the league for
four years now and still has the same questions surrounding him. When he
does pass the ball, the team is unquestionably better. But he still
makes head-scratching decisions on offense and his defense is virtually
nonexistent. At the beginning of the season, there didn't seem to be any
way he and Pitino would both be back after a 35-47 season. But here they
are.

Eric Williams: You know why Denver included a No. 1 draft pick in the
Ron Mercer-Fortson deal? To get rid of this contract. Williams is on
board for four more years at big numbers, numbers no other team would
touch. He's not a bad guy to have around, although he seems to think
he's a 3-point shooter now instead of what he should be: a slasher who
gets to the hoop and/or the line. Defensively, he's OK. But with Pierce
around, he's unlikely to ever get major minutes. of the Boston Globe on
4/21/2000. 
© Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company.