Bulpett Grades The C's

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

Homework wouldn't hurt C's: To be a study in excellence, Pitino & Co.
must go to drawing board
Celtics Report Card/by Steve Bulpett 
Friday, April 21, 2000

On one hand, the Celtics showed steady improvement over the course of
the season - both as a team and individually. Their willingness to play
hard when the season was lost stands as a strong testament to their
character in a league largely devoid of same. On the other hand, how
could the Celts have been so vain to overlook woeful Chicago and the Los
Angeles Clippers?


And why didn't losses against that flotsam slap them back into line?



On the other hand, ah, what's the use?



The Celts were what they were this season, and we'll see next season
whether they have learned from their errors. We'll see this summer
whether Rick Pitino & Co. can make a key move or two to elevate the
product.



Keep in mind, this is not your father's NBA.



Judging the Celtics in relation to the rest of the Eastern Conference,
the ability to take a giant step forward is well within their sneakers.



Unless, of course, they lose their way again . . .



(Grades based on performance relative to ability.)



KENNY ANDERSON - On the flight home from the dust-up in Orlando,
Anderson admitted he thought it was tough for him to speak up about
players staying out on the town too late because he had done the same
things. Pitino replied that the message of carousing ills would be more
valid from one with experience than from a priest. For his next sermon,
perhaps Kenny can tell the young players that there is a profound lack
of fulfillment in a career heavy on stats and light on wins. 



Anderson did much to reclaim his standing this season with solid play
and a full 82 games (most thought he'd never have an injury-free year
again). Now he needs to take a stand and be a leader with the ball.
Grade: B.



DANA BARROS - It wasn't until later in the season that he began to offer
his firepower off the bench on anything approaching a consistent basis.
He has a narrow role to fill, and he can still be of value down the
line, but Barros has to retain the hired-gun mentality. Grade: C.



TONY BATTIE - We're sticking the Batt Man with a low grade because he
has yet to realize that when you possess the skills he does, much is
lost if you don't bring them out every game. There were times when
Battie was splendid (11 points, 11 boards, five blocks against
Philadelphia) and times when he was simply absent. He can point to
inconsistent playing time, but three years into his career, he should be
leaving Pitino no choice. 



Battie has good size, great athleticism and a nice touch both inside and
out. So why isn't he a force? Grade: D+.



CALBERT CHEANEY - A queasy year for Cheaney between six games out with
an ankle problem and nine games out to help his wife through a difficult
pregnancy. Thankfully, all is fine at home, but things have gotten
strange on the court. 



The former slasher amazingly took just 21 free throws this season
(making nine). Pervis Ellison took the same number in 1,040 fewer
minutes. The Celts didn't get as much out of this free agent pickup as
they'd hoped, but Cheaney still has time left to right his way. Grade:
C-.



PERVIS ELLISON - What do we have for lovely parting gifts? He was a good
teammate and a nice guy to be around, but that pesky basketball matter
kept getting in the way. He tried to avoid being put on the injured list
until late in the season (not wanting to hurt his chances to hook on
elsewhere).



The club eventually saw him for possible value in making a trade work
this summer, perhaps using him in a sign-and-trade to help cap numbers
match up. Grade: WD (withdrawn).



DANNY FORTSON - It ain't always pretty, but Fortson came back after
missing the first 25 games (right foot stress fracture) to prove he can
rebound and score. To accept the good, however, you have to live through
some unnecessary fouls. The key issue here on re-signing him is whether
Pitino is willing to commit minutes. That would appear to be problematic
with Battie, Antoine Walker and Vitaly Potapenko crowding the power
forward-center space. But in that several teams are very interested in
Fortson (Seattle, Golden State, Milwaukee among others), it's possible
the Celts will do a sign-and-trade.



That would give Fortson better money and get the C's a return on the
commodity. In the best-case scenario, Walker gets into small forward
shape and Fortson steps in at the 4 to offer toughness and forgive
missed shots. Grade: B.



ADRIAN GRIFFIN - I think it's best we forget what we saw for most of the
second half of the season. The ankle injury affected Griffin long after
he came back, and all the uninterrupted hoop he had played trying to get
to this level finally caught up with him. It took strong self-belief for
him to make the NBA, and when that slid a tad, his game went along with
it. But no one on the club is questioning his game for next season.
Grade: A-.



WALTER McCARTY - He went from a regular part of the rotation to a cameo
role as a 3-point shooter. But he made just one of his last 10 treys,
and he was occasionally a fish out of water when the Celts cut down on
their pressing game.



McCarty should be praised for playing through a right foot stress
reaction when the team needed him, but there is a question as to how
much he can offer. Grade: C+.



DOUG OVERTON - A free agent who may find no room at the Celtics' inn,
but the club should want to squeeze him in. Overton is a strong locker
room presence who, by the way, can play a little. In a diluted market,
he can offer some of the veteran presence Pitino says is important to
the club's growth. Grade: B.



PAUL PIERCE - In many ways, this was an extended rookie season for
Pierce. But by this point he should be doing a better job at making
certain he is a larger factor in every game. And just because his jumper
looks smooth, it can't hide the fact that he was one of the main
practitioners of poorly timed shots (the same stuff for which Walker
regularly gets ripped). 



The belief here is that the Celtics should be running more plays for
Pierce, but that doesn't excuse him for drifting into the scenery on
occasion. Also, he has the ability to be a major defensive force, and he
says he will work over the summer to bring that to fruition. Grade: C+.



VITALY POTAPENKO - While many are bringing up Andre Miller's name in
Vitaly talk, slack is being cut for him here. Potapenko is not the
7-foot shot rejector every team covets (and few have), but he has
improved markedly in each of his four seasons. The same rebounds that
were clanking off his fingers at the start of the season were being
taken in at the end, and he is an unabashed worker.



It is not unreasonable to expect he will be better next year. As for
some of the rough outings in the last month, well, Potapenko played
1,797 minutes - more than 25 percent more than he'd ever gone before.
Grade: C+.



ANTOINE WALKER - The good Antoine gets an ``A.'' The bad Antoine gets an
``F.'' And a smart Antoine will get how important this summer is to his
continued employment by the Celtics. The feeling here is that the club
will try to move him if they look in on his June and July workouts and
find fault. Walker showed how much he can elevate this team when he uses
all his skills, and the largest obstacle to his return to the All-Star
Game is his own body. Instead of powering up on his last step to the
hoop, he was drifting and getting his shot blocked.



On defense, quicker players abused him. The future is now for 'Toine,
and if he grasps that fact, the Celts might actually be as good as
Pitino hopes next season. Grade: C.



ERIC WILLIAMS - He got a DNP in the season opener, then scored 18 points
the next night. It was that kind of year for Williams. But by the end he
was looking far more aggressive at both ends of the court and showing a
lot more confidence on his surgically repaired right knee. Grade: C+.



RICK PITINO - He kept them playing, which is a large accomplishment
these days.



But he also kept them guessing, and failing to zero in on his best
rotation hurt the cause. He still defends his negativity rant, but it
made him a caricature of sorts. The pressure is on him this offseason to
create a better roster. Then it's on him to derive the games he wants
from Walker, Battie and the rest. His plan to visit the players
personally this summer is a bigger step than you realize. Grade: C.