Projo article 18/7

[kevin.lok@lycosmail.com (kevin)]

Celtics playing a few longshots
By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/story.pl/celtics/03980922.htm
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We lose two free agents, so we have room on our roster," Pitino said, referring to Danny Fortson and Pervis Ellison. "I think some of these guys have a chance. I really do."
This is the path that Adrian Griffin followed a year ago. After shining in an MVP season with the Connecticut Pride of the CBA, he played well on Boston's summer league team. That earned him a contract with the Celtics that he parlayed into earning second-team all-rookie honors last season.
There is no clear-cut Griffin type playing for the Celts this week. But it's no mystery that the Celtics need size. That's why they drafted Moiso, a long, lanky 6-10 forward who gives Pitino a different look than lead-footed Vitaly Potapenko.
It's also why the Celtics' brain trust seems excited about Mark Blount, a 6-11 New Yorker who physically resembles Moiso. Blount is not as explosive but he's stronger and can run the floor well. He had 15 points, three blocked shots and two rebounds yesterday. Moiso contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
"I think Mark Blount will be with us in training camp," Pitino said. "He's put 20 pounds of muscle on in the last year, and you can't teach a 7-footer like him to run like he can. He's as good a prospect you can find at this level who wouldn't be drafted."
In a perfect world, Blount would have been a first-round draft pick last June. However, he left the University of Pittsburgh after just two seasons, a decision that was downright amazing at the time considering his lack of production on weak Panthers teams. Blount was picked in the second round by Seattle in the 1997 draft but did not make the team. He's spent the last three years bouncing around the underbelly of the basketball world, playing for short stints in Europe and in both the CBA (with the Sioux Falls Skyforce) and the IBL (Baltimore Bay Runners). This year he averaged 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for the Bay Runners.
"I've worked on my game by myself in Florida," Blount said. "I gained 15 to 20 pounds of muscle, and I'm playing with more confidence now. I think this is a perfect situation for me. It's a good system for me."
While the Celtics' staff rates Blount's chances to help the frontcourt, the other gaping hole on the roster comes at point guard as a backup to Kenny Anderson. Pitino is looking at NBA veterans Haywoode Workman and Jerome Allen this week, and yesterday Allen "played very well," according to the coach. A former star at Pennsylvania, Allen played the last three seasons in France and Turkey.
"I have two children and a wife, so I'm picking my opportunities very carefully," Allen said. "I think Boston is my most legitimate opportunity to make a team. Boston didn't promise anything except a chance to be seen this week by them and the other nine teams here. I couldn't ask for anything more."
While the Blounts and Allens fight for a chance to make a club, Moiso is simply getting used to life in the pros. The 22-year-old UCLA sophomore says he's "trying to learn the Celtic system and have some fun. I'm learning the NBA game, the illegal defenses and stuff."
Asked how his contract negotiations were progressing, Moiso smiled. "I don't know. Thanks for reminding me. I have to call my agent right now."