OK, I've collected my thoughts...

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

Jerome Moiso is fine by me. I wanted no part of Courtney Alexander. No
defense and selfish, not to mention a thug. He would have been terrible for
this team. Haven't we learned that yet? At least Pitino has.

As soon as Przybilla went off the board, I resigned myself to the fact that
the draft pick would not make a significant difference in this team. Having
said that, if you're going to gamble in the draft, I would think you could
do a lot worse than taking a shot on an athletic 7-footer who runs like a
deer, is left-handed (always a plus for big guys) and can play three
positions if needed. He is a big-time talent. The question is, can he do it
every night. If he can, he'll go down as a steal. 

I was shaking in my shoes when Vecsey mentioned the O'Neal offer. Three No.
1 picks is too much. I'll take Moiso, thank you.

Let's stop the Battie comparisons. They have vastly different games. Moiso
is infinitely more talented than Battie. Hopefully Moiso finds the "on"
switch, because Battie doesn't have a clue. Moiso will be a factor this
year, and he could turn out to be a real force. The thing you know you get
with Moiso is the measurables: He's big enough, athletic enough, runs well
enough and shoots well enough to play the power forward spot offensively and
defensively. If he adds a little polish and consistency, he's a pretty rare
commodity. Would anyone be that surprised if he is a better player than
Marcus Fizer or Chris Mihm three years from now? Not me.

Now, I'm not just looking through green-colored glasses. I was frustrated
last night because I thought there were deals to be made to make us better,
and we didn't make them. Milwaukee added Jason Caffey and Joel Przybilla to
a team that only lacked interior defensive presence (sound familiar?), and
they only gave up Jason Collier and a future first-rounder, while dumping
unwanted Tractor Traylor and J.R. Reid. Watch out for the Bucks. That's the
kind of deal I would have liked to have seen the Celts make. Of course, it
sounds like Przybilla wasn't even a consideration for Pitino, who said he
would have taken Moiso even if Przybilla were still there (I would have been
shopping for a new television set if that had happened).

By all accounts, it sounds like the Euroshooter we traded for in the second
round can fill a role. He's a shooter with good size and some experience
playing the point. He's weak defensively, so he'll fit right in. One of the
Celtics' really overlooked weaknesses is perimeter shooting, and this guy
may be the best shooter in the draft. He's not a starter, but he should help
in a well-defined role.

More good news: Pitino said Gaston wants him to be aggressive in bringing a
winner to Boston. I'm hoping their lack of aggressiveness in the draft means
they are after bigger game. Here's hoping, again, that Pierce moves off the
untouchable list and we can bring in some more help in trade.

Finally, on Walker playing point guard: Why not? He basically handled the
ball when Barros was in there anyway. He has the ability, and he could
present tremendous matchup problems. Can he guard Stephon Marbury? No, but
who can?

Sorry so long, but I tried to summarize a lot of stuff swirling through my
head. My evaluation of the draft? Not bad, with the potential to be very
good. And I'm hoping Aug. 1 is when the real fun starts.

Mark