Globe: Pitino to Speak with Wahad

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

A few days ago, wasn't Wahad all but signed with the Nuggets?  Personally, I
would rather have him then Mercer due to his defensive and team play skills.
Then again, if Mercer can be a team player and a good defender for us, I'd
rather have him.

Here's a real quick quote from the NY Post about Wahad before I get to the
Globe article.

>>>Tariq Abdul-Wahad, offered $35M by the Nuggets, is expected to reject the
offer. The Nets, Celtics and Raptors are expressing sincere interest in his
defensive services and exemplary, role-playing reputation <<<<
Hopefully that means we still have a shot.

Now here's the article

Josh

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

CELTICS NOTEBOOK
He's next on schedule
Pitino hopes to meet soon with Abdul-Wahad
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 7/21/2000
The Celtics' recruiting program goes back into gear this weekend. Team
president/head coach Rick Pitino is hoping for a meeting with Tariq
Abdul-Wahad, the free agent guard of the Denver Nuggets.
While the Celtics still dream of snagging Austin Croshere, the team has yet
to contact the Pacers about any sign-and-trade deal. Neither has anyone else
and that will probably be the case until there's a number that everyone can
use as a starting point.
Indiana general manager David Kahn said yesterday that any team hoping to
snag Croshere via a sign-and-trade deal is wasting brain matter.
''We don't want to trade him and I don't think we will. We want to sign him
and keep him here,'' Kahn said. He added that three teams Croshere has
visited - Boston, Atlanta, and Houston - all are over the cap and, thus,
would make a deal even harder because of the dreaded base-year compensation.
''But we want the guy back,'' Kahn said.
The Celtics' best hope is that Croshere gets insulted by Indiana's offer and
takes the $2.25 million exception, a long shot. But he is represented by
agent Dan Fegan, who last year steered Shandon Anderson to Houston even
though Utah offered him twice as much money.
Abdul-Wahad also is looking for a deal larger than the $2.25 million that
most teams, including the Celtics, have available. That would also require a
sign-and-trade and a similar scenario would unfold for the Celtics.
Good first impression
Jerome Moiso completed his July assignment for the Celtics, capping an
impressive week with his least impressive game of the week. Moiso had 7
points, 6 fouls, 5 turnovers, and 3 rebounds in 25 minutes as the Celtics
dropped their third straight Shaw's Pro Summer League game, 81-78, to the
Sixers. Over the four games, the rookie out of UCLA averaged 11 points, 6
rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 25.5 minutes. He shot 58 percent from the field.
''I'm more impressed with him every day,'' said associate head coach Jim
O'Brien. ''In the NBA, the ability to take a player, one on one, facing up,
off the dribble is something so valuable. He showed me he could do that.''
Moiso is off to France to attend a cousin's wedding and plans to be back in
the Boston area next month. ''Just don't let the Foreign Legion get you
while you're there,'' cracked Celtics GM Chris Wallace. Moiso said he
enjoyed the competition but understands that it will be very different in
October. ''It's getting ready to play against the bigger guys, the best in
the world,'' he said. ''I have to be ready to match the intensity every
night.'' The Celtics were waiting to hear from Tony Battie as to his
availability for the remaining four games ... Kris Clack was the star of
yesterday's game, scoring 21 points in 22 minutes. He, center Mark Blount, a
Generic Point Guard (Haywoode Workman, Ira Bowman, Kevin Ollie), and the
as-yet-unsigned free agent should account for most of the team's training
camp roster. The Celtics have 11 players already under guaranteed deals, 12
if you count the disabled Greg Minor ... Bimbo Coles stopped by and is
believed to be seeking a four-year deal, which, given his age (32), may be a
reach. The Celtics also don't want to use their $2.25 million slot on Coles.
Hawks president Stan Kasten, meanwhile, said the team has not given up
retaining Coles.
Wrong place, wrong time
So, what is it like to be the victim of a robbery at 4:15 a.m.? ''The only
thing you're thinking about is, `It's only material things.' You give up
what you got and hopefully you don't have anyone who's trying to be stupid
and shoot or anything like that,'' said Nazr Mohammed, who, along with
Antoine Walker and some others, was held up three weeks ago in Chicago.
Walker told the Chicago Sun-Times, ''It's a scary thing to find yourself
staring down the barrel of a pistol like I was.'' Asked about his $55,000
Rolex watch, Walker told the newspaper, ''A lot of people expressed surprise
that I had on such an expensive watch. I feel I should have the freedom to
enjoy the finer things of life just like anybody else in America.''
Mohammed, in town with the Sixers' summer league team, said the incident
lasted about a minute. ''We tried to stay calm and give up what we had and
that was it,'' Mohammed said. ''Nobody panicked. We just wanted to come out
of it safe. I never thought I'd be in that type of situation, but I know it
can happen to anybody. No one sees themselves in that type of situation. You
always take more precautions. You watch where you are, watch what time
you're out, just kind of watch your back. But you don't have to be paranoid
about it.''
Shira Springer of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.