Peter May Blasts Pitino & C's

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

In the end, it's probably best that the C's accomplished very little
this
offseason, as if there's a year to be in the lottery -- with
a top heavy draft, fat with Centers, Power Forwards,
and Point Guards  -- this is it....

Celtics have little to show for offseason deals
AUGUST 17, 2000  Print it

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/teams/celtics/


The Celtics finally succeeded in unloading Danny Fortson.

So when the dust settles, they will have received two No. 1 picks and
Eric Williams for Ron Mercer. Oh, and something else. Cash. That may be
the most critical element of all.

The overwhelming majority of trades are made to improve the team. In
Boston's four-way deal consummated this week, three of the four clubs
can walk away saying they improved themselves. Dallas got Howard Eisley.
Utah got Donyell Marshall. Golden State got Fortson.

Boston got cash. Oh, the Celtics also got Hot Rod Williams, who is
finished, and Robert Pack, a guard with Pervis Ellison's longevity
history. They also got a pick from Utah next year which, unless Karl
Malone decides to join a bike trip, will be in the mid to high 20s.

But Dallas owner Mark Cuban also sent $3 million to Boston and that is
now a must in any trade talks with the suddenly third-world Celtics. You
want to deal with us? You must give us cash.

Rick Pitino has blown a hole through his basketball budget, sellouts are
few and far between and, well, owner Paul Gaston is a businessman. In
each of the last three years, the Celtics have made major trades. There
was one constant to all of them: money.

When Kenny Anderson arrived, he did so with Paul Allen picking up some
of his outlandish salary. There was cash involved in the deal last
summer which sent Mercer to Denver and there was cash involved this
time. The difference in this latest trade is that it's so transparent it
almost is laughable.

The Celtics tried to make Fortson sound like Junior Griffey, expressing
fear that if the deal didn't get done, they'd have to see him in a
Knicks uniform. Whew! Good thing they avoided that possibility. Fortson
would have had to beat out both Larry Johnson and the re-signed Kurt
Thomas for minutes, but, well, you'd still just hate to see him in that
jersey.

Pitino has made many bad trades, but this one may top them all. They
will tout the draft pick as justification, but the bottom line is that
Fortson never should have come to Boston because Mercer never should
have left. The Celtics misread the marketplace in both instances.

Also leaving Boston is one of the classier, veteran voices in the locker
room in Dana Barros. The last time we checked, that was exactly the kind
of voice the Celtics needed and Pitino said he wanted. Pack will fight
it out with Randy Brown -- their recent free agent signee -- for backup
minutes behind Kenny Anderson.

The Celtics now have three point guards all nearing or older than 30 and
all with troubling injury histories (although Anderson did go wire to
wire last year.) Pack has been with about 65 teams as well, which tells
you something. Williams is not going to play, but the Celtics may get a
financial break there as well.

Both players are in the final year of their contracts and will thus be
history next summer. All in all, the Celtics touted the pick and the
placing of Fortson in the Western Conference as plusses. That's what it
has come down to.

The reality is that they got rid of a player, got nothing in return to
help them, but walked away with some cash nonetheless. That qualifies as
a big score these days.

PLAYER ANALYSIS

Robert Pack will be joining his sixth team when he opens camp with the
Celtics. He's 31 years old and hasn't played more than 54 games in any
of the last six years. In three full seasons in Dallas, he played in 66
out of a possible 214 games.

His best moments came in the 1994 playoffs, when he helped Denver upset
No. 1 seed Seattle, and in 1996, when he averaged 18 points a game for
Washington (but in only 31 games.) The Celtics will use him the same way
they said they'd use Randy Brown -- as an on-the-ball pressure guy on
defense in the second unit.

Pack is quick and has put up some scoring numbers occasionally. He came
to Dallas in the huge February 1997 deal with New Jersey, the key
players involved being Jim Jackson, Sam Cassell and Shawn Bradley. He's
a career 43 percent shooter, but is good from the free throw line.

He rarely shoots 3s. If/when he plays, he'll be asked to defend
vigorously and help the second unit. That's when Brown isn't asked to do
the same thing.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Celtics now have 15 players under contract, but two of them, Hot Rod
and Greg Minor, will be injured list occupants for the season. Thus,
there may be room for one more signing.

The favorite a month ago seemed to be Kris Clack, the second round pick
of the Celtics in 1999. But the Celtics also worked out Chris Robinson,
a client of agent Mark Bartelstein (who represents Hod Rod and Brown
among many, many others.)

Pitino hinted that the roster was still a work in progress, but,
frankly, there isn't much on there that anyone wants. The Celtics will
likely add a body or two in the coming weeks, but, basically, what you
see now is what you're going to see in October.