Herald: Summer Leagues Serious Business

["Josh Farber" <nbaj2k@home.com>]

This article makes it sound like the Celtics roster may change throughout
the week.  I hope that Rush plays next Sunday when I go!  I'll try to report
back my thoughts on the game for everybody!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Summer leagues serious business
NBA Notes/by Mark Cofman
Sunday, July 16, 2000
NBA summer leagues are no longer glorified pickup games for wannabes,
journeymen and playground legends donning a pro team's practice jersey for a
week. They've become serious business involving talented players competing
in structured games with an eye toward making the big-time.
These leagues have become as much an integral part of the NBA scouting and
developmental landscape as training camps and pre-draft auditions. Moreso,
in some cases.
Which is what makes the Shaw's Pro Summer League worth keeping tabs on for
the next seven days. The second-year league, which begins play tomorrow with
afternoon and evening sessions at UMass-Boston, is certain to produce a
number of interesting and unlikely success stories.
That was the case for the Celtics and many of the teams they hosted last
year during the inaugural season of the league. Some team officials came
away from Boston with surprise additions to their roster, while others
simply cultivated the talent they already had.
Adrian Griffin, who had slipped through the cracks of the system for four
years while he played overseas and in the CBA, signed with the Celtics after
his strong summer showing and emerged as a solid starter last season. Rueben
Patterson and Rashard Lewis starred in the Shaw's League before making their
marks in Seattle last season, while another Sonics summer-league invitee,
Shammond Williams, made the team as a backup point guard.
The biggest winner from last year's games at UMass-Boston was Austin
Croshere, who had struggled through two injury-plagued seasons with the
Indiana Pacers. The former Providence College star led the Shaw's League in
scoring and rebounding, giving Larry Bird a glimpse of what he could expect
if given increased playing time during the season.
Croshere went on to have a breakout season in helping Indiana reach the NBA
Finals, and he's currently a highly sought-after free agent.
``Whether it's getting some of your (regular-roster) players to participate
or it's taking a look at players hoping to make the league, you just can't
afford to overlook any opportunity to help your team,'' said Celtics general
manager Chris Wallace, who has been out scouting other summer leagues and
camps for much of the past month. ``With so many teams (salary) capped out
and unable to land a (high-priced) free agent, you have to explore every
other avenue available to improve your team.
``Summer leagues are one such avenue. You try to exhaust every possible
resource.''
Which is not to say the Celtics are running a dog-and-pony show this week
for anyone who believes themselves an NBA-caliber talent. On the contrary,
the hosts' summer roster has been carefully chosen with an accent on
experience. The only significant rookies on the Celtics' squad are Jerome
Moiso, the team's No. draft pick from UCLA, and JaRon Rush, a college
teammate of Moiso who went undrafted last month.
``It's not a priority for us to see every player who went undrafted,'' said
Wallace, referring to a strategy previously favored by teams in building
summer-league rosters. ``Those (undrafted) players - there will be just a
very small number of them who will make an NBA team this year.
``You let them sort of go out and find their own level through minor league
play, and then you go out and get the best ones from that pool at a later
date.''
That's precisely what the Celtics have done with this year's summer roster,
which is loaded with CBA, IBL and overseas talent. Like Griffin last year,
nearly all of the players on this Celtics edition are hoping their decision
to polish their skills the last few years can finally produce an NBA ticket.
Tony Battie is the only member of the Celtics' regular roster currently
scheduled to play, though personnel can be adjusted throughout the week.
Teams are allowed to carry up to three members of their regular roster in
summer-league competition. Battie, a talented athlete who can block shots
and score, continues to be an inconsistent force after three NBA seasons.
As for Moiso and Rush, both will be among the most-watched players on the
floor - by fans and Celtics officials. In Moiso's case, he's a 6-foot-11
power forward, the 11th overall pick, and was billed as one of the draft's
best athletes - though he is raw. In Rush's case, the Celtics went against
the pattern of their experience-oriented roster to give him a shot.
``He was the most intriguing guy who wasn't drafted,'' said Wallace,
explaining the team's decision to add Rush to the roster. ``JaRon is a
first-class athlete, one who could really flourish in our system.
``He simply had too much upside for us not to bring him in. We felt he could
have been drafted anywhere from late first through second.''
Rush played small forward at UCLA, but he's projected as a shooting guard at
the NBA level. He waived the final two years of college eligibility to enter
the NBA draft.
C's should hold the Fort
Although it appears a foregone conclusion Danny Fortson will be playing
elsewhere next season, the Celtics should reconsider their decision to turn
the free agent power forward loose through a sign-and-trade. They should try
to re-sign him and plug him into the rotation.
Coach Rick Pitino is already on record with his belief that Moiso will have
little impact on the Celtics' frontcourt this season. If that's the case,
Fortson could get ample playing time as Antoine Walker's backup and as a
part-time center. He was more effective than starter Vitaly Potapenko in the
middle against certain teams last season and can easily handle the
physicality of the position.
Fortson's No. 1 priority in his search for a new NBA address is playing
time. And while he would prefer to log his minutes as a starter, the bottom
line is he could get 25-28 minutes per game coming off the Boston bench and
starting at power forward in the event Walker shifts back to small forward.
For a rebounding machine like Fortson, 25-28 minutes is a double-double
waiting to happen. NBA rebounders don't grow on trees.
The Celtics know that. That's what makes Fortson a valuable asset.
The Knicks, hoping to add a rebounder and some inside toughness to their
frontcourt, are one of Fortson's chief suitors. But Fortson's fate in New
York will likely rest in the Knicks' quest to lure free agent Brian Grant
away from Portland. Grant is New York's first choice to fill its power
forward slot.
Like Fortson, Grant feels he is starting material and isn't thrilled coming
off the bench as he did for the Blazers last season in spotting All-Star
Rasheed Wallace. But also like Fortson, Grant can only go to the Knicks in a
sign-and-trade arrangement with Portland.