----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2000 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: Holley Lama: Mercer Could Be
Back
I would love to have Mercer back, Pierce can't play the 2-guard and all
others who tried to play the position sucked big time. All Mercer needs to do
is improve his defense, play the way he played in his rookie year, he would be
a force. Your starting lineup looks good with the exception of Kenny Anderson,
we just need to ship him out. - Mishra
Josh Farber <nbaj2k@home.com> wrote:
Seriously,
would anyone mind seeing Mercer back?
Especially, if we could have
him come off the bench?
I think if we could sign him with our $2.25
million dolar exception, I'd
love to have him back.
If we traded
to get him back, or signed him to a big contract no.
Well, if Duncan
doesn't go to Orlando, Mercer probably would stay wouldn't
he? Of course
that's if McGrady doesn't come too.
If so, we'd probably have to hope
for Duncan to sign (that sucks) or Hope
the Magic just sign McGrady and
Mercer wants to leave.
What does everyone think? I know everyone has
talked about Mercer being a
ball hog, but how about maybe coming off the
bench?
If he gets back how he was before, we could shift Pierce backt
o SF and have
a starting lineup of this. If we could convince him to pass
of course.
PG Anderson
SG Mercer
SF Pierce
PF Walker
C
Potapenko
Much like before, but now with Potapenko.
Josh
F
----- Original Message -----
From: "Way Of The Ray"
Newsgroups:
alt.sports.basketball.nba.boston--celtics
To: "Celtics"
Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2000 7:23 AM
Subject: Holley
Lama: Mercer Could Be Back
> Holley takes a shot at Croshere
in the article too. Well, he probably
> doesn't have to worry about
it, as the Indinapolis Star is reporting
> that the Pacers want/plan
to re-sign their free agents. Fortson gone,
> Mercer back, sure why
not...
>
>
>
> Courtship has some
questions
>
>
> By Michael Holley, Globe Columnist,
7/9/2000
>
>
> The four played basketball like competing
contractors, stumbling over
> each other for the same assignment. They
knew about the Big Three, often
> drove by the Big Dig, and performed
on the court as if they were
> auditioning for the lead role in the
Big (Shooting) Gig.
>
>
> Sometimes you can feel a breakup
coming long before it happens, like the
> quake you feel minutes
before the earth splits. Ron Mercer, Kenny
> Anderson, Antoine Walker,
and Paul Pierce were like that. You watched
> them and felt the
tremors. They were all in love with shooting. It was
> obvious one
would have to leave the Celtics, and since Mercer was the
> easiest to
move, he was traded last August.
>
>
> He wouldn't mind
returning.
>
>
> ''I never wanted to leave Boston in the
first place,'' he said Friday.
>
>
> As easy as it is to
sense breakups, it's almost impossible to predict
> reconciliations.
Mercer? Back in Boston? It was just over a year ago
> when the camps
of Mercer and Rick Pitino were slinging everything but
> ''Yo' Mama''
jokes at each other. The Celtics offered the 6-foot-7-inch
> guard a
contract worth $4 million per season, a deal Mercer found
> laughable.
He was dealt to Denver and was then moved to Orlando in
>
February.
>
>
> There have been whispers here and in
Denver that Mercer was a selfish
> ball hog.
>
>
>
''People always have something to say when you're gone, don't they?''
he
> said. The problem with the chaotic Celtics of 1999 was ''you had
four
> guys who were all playing like they had something to prove.
That's what
> I think it was. I think we could have worked that
out.''
>
>
> Mercer became a free agent last week, meaning
he could begin next season
> with his fourth team in four seasons.
Even Isaiah Rider, the NBA's
> instant headache, hasn't been traded as
much as the 24-year-old Kentucky
> product.
>
>
>
''I'm sure someone is going to look at how much I've moved around
and
> think something is wrong with me,'' Mercer said. ''But I think
I've been
> unlucky the last few years. With the Celtics, I was traded
because the
> team had cap problems. I never wanted to be in Denver. I
like Orlando a
> lot and love playing for [coach] Doc [Rivers]. But I
think they want
> big-name players on that roster. I'm just like
everyone else, waiting to
> see what Grant Hill and Tim Duncan are
going to do.''
>
>
> Whatever the Magic decide, they know
they don't have to pay Mercer as
> much as he was seeking last summer.
He is a free agent guard at a time
> when free agent guards are easy
to come by. Eddie Jones and Tracy
> McGrady are the most coveted.
Reggie Miller isn't what he used to be,
> but he still averaged 18
points and shot 45 percent. Jalen Rose is a
> free agent guard who
spent last season playing small forward. And if a
> team is desperate
for guard help and indifferent to chemistry, it can
> always sign
Rider for just over $1 million.
>
>
> That means, once
again, Mercer has the luck of some Internet start-ups.
> There's a
chance he peaked with last summer's $4 million offer,
> described as
insulting by Mercer's former agent. He could be ''stuck''
> (remember:
it's all relative) with a middle-class exception of $2.25
>
million.
>
>
> ''If that's what happens, that's still a
lot of money,'' he said. ''I'm
> not the kind of guy who sits around
thinking about money. My point [last
> year] was that I wanted what
was fair.''
>
>
> This time last year, the story was that
the Celtics could not afford to
> sign Mercer. Now they can. But with
the perplexing way they have done
> business lately, they probably
wouldn't want to. Mercer had a bad
> shooting year (42.6 percent), an
indication he didn't drive to the
> basket enough. At his worst, he
relies on his jumper without as much as
> a tiptoe through the lane.
But he still elevates as high as anyone on
> his shot. And even in a
year in which he went from New England to the
> Rockies to Disney
World, he averaged 17 points and 3.7 rebounds.
>
>
> If
the Celtics were to sign Mercer using the $2.25 million exception,
>
they would have the option of bringing him off the bench to
stabilize
> their dilapidated second unit or putting him in the
starting lineup and
> shifting Pierce back to small forward. After
that, they could re-sign
> power forward Danny Fortson - they can pay
him more than anyone else -
> and begin looking for a reliable backup
point guard. (If they had
> drafted Mateen Cleaves this year or held
on to last year's pick that
> became Andre Miller, they wouldn't have
this problem.)
>
>
> The moves the Celtics make in the
next three weeks will tell you how
> serious they are about winning.
If they sign Austin Croshere, a forward
> who can shoot but can't play
defense, to a large contract, they are not
> serious. They also aren't
serious if they use small-market baseball
> euphemisms such as
''budget constraints'' as an excuse.
>
>
> At least they
have a free agent who wants them.
>
>
> ''Under the right
circumstances, I would love to come back,'' Mercer
> said. He was
asked what he considers the right circumstances. ''Antoine
> would
definitely have to be there,'' he said. ''I'd have to play with
>
'Toine. I really want to go to a place where we can
win.''
>
>
> The Celtics could win. But Mercer should know
that mending breakups is
> all about timing. It's about reciprocity.
He says he is serious about
> wanting to win. Before doing anything,
he should wait to see if the
> Celtics are serious,
too.
>
>
>
> This story ran on page E01 of the
Boston Globe on 7/9/2000.
> © Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper
Company.
>
>
Do You Yahoo!?
Get Yahoo! Mail
- Free email you can access from anywhere!