C's Looking For Cheap Talent, And Perhaps A Young Player In The Draft

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

Celtics hope to strike it rich in talent
by Steve Bulpett 
Friday, June 2, 2000

The Celtics were spinning the free agent wheel yesterday, hoping to get
lucky again with a late blooming talent. The club invited several CBA,
IBL and fringe NBA types to HealthPoint for two sessions of drills and
scrimmaging.

While the initial instinct is to downplay such an exercise by a
franchise needing more at the high end of the player spectrum, history
shows this camp is one of the few moves of the new regime that has been
almost universally successful.

``At these things in the past, we've come up with Bruce (Bowen) and
Adrian Griffin,'' said general manager Chris Wallace. ``You really never
know what you can find. What this is mainly is a chance for us to work
out some free agents. It's an early look at some of the better players
in the CBA and the IBL. We want to get an early look, because July
becomes very cluttered. You've got 28 other teams putting these things
on.''

The Celtics did well last summer with reigning CBA Most Valuable Player
Griffin, and this camp featured the guy who assumed that role this past
season, Silas Mills, a 6-foot-7 wing player from Yakima.

Others at the camp who have a good chance of finding their way into the
NBA this coming season are small forward Tremaine Fowlkes, small forward
Rodney Elliott and 6-6 shooting guard Damien Owens. Fowlkes and Owens
played this past year for Connecticut in the CBA, the same club that
produced Griffin.

With an eye toward coach Rick Pitino's desire to add a tall point guard,
the camp had three such players, including 6-5 David Vanterpool from CBA
champ Yakima.

``This is part of the overall evaluation process,'' said Wallace. ``You
want to make sure you get a good look at everything that's out there. It
can really help you when it comes time for the draft.

``You can save yourself a pick. You can get to a position where you say,
`Why are you drafting so and so when you don't have to waste a pick on a
guy from the CBA you like better?' ''

Regarding that draft, the Celtics are growing even more convinced they
can find a player of quality with the 11th pick. But in this case, as
with the more recent drafts, it has become a futures market. Few players
are ready to step in and help right away.

``That's what the upper reaches of the draft have become to a certain
extent over the last few years,'' Wallace said. ``It's strictly an
upside proposition, and you have to be careful. A lot of people sneer at
that, but if you catch the right young player, it can be like a delayed
bomb. It can just explode somewhere in year two or three and the guy
could have a tremendous impact.

``Just look at Rashard Lewis - and Tracy McGrady's another example. You
look back on his first year, he was kind of choppy and was criticized by
his own organization. Then, boom, two years later he's an A-list free
agent.''