Re: Thoughts on Knicks/Sixers games (long)

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Dan Forant wrote:

> Moving KA for a front court player (a real one) will help
> solve our problems, and at least give us some hope for this season. Then
> wait for draft time for a point guard.

Assuming the Celtics don't pick in the top three which would be another story, I
doubt it will be a point guard draft (unless you love Duke's Jason Williams) but
rather a power forward draft. Make that a GREAT power forward draft, starting
with names like Eddie Griffin, Zach Randolph, Troy Murphy, Loren Woods and
Brendan Haywood (maybe he's a center) available between 3-10. If the Celtics
somehow land a top two pick (I don't see how), then watch out Fakers because
Boston could get a dominant center prospect and maybe the next Shaq/Duncan in
either Eddie Curry or Yao Ming or Tyson Chandler (if they are worth even 80% of
their hype). The fact that this is almost definitely not going to happen barring
a miracle (Boston winning the lottery) is no reason to underrate the value of the
Denver protected lottery pick or our own.

A late top-ten pick is probably going to be more valuable than any pick at that
stage has been in years. Having two picks in that range would be even better.
Troy Murphy might not even be good enough to be a top-ten pick, even if he makes
first team All American. Same with Terrence Morris or Brendan Haywood in the ACC.
Even impact rookie collegians from last season might end up dropping out of the
top-ten for one reason or another (Joe Forte, Gil Arenas, Jason Gardner, Jason
Williams of Duke, Casey Jacobson of Stanford, and the Chris Mullin-esque Jason
Kapono) due to the strength of this years power forward rich 2000 freshman
college class and even more dominant 2001 prep class. The Jazz pick could
possibly land Boston an eventual starter given the (potential) depth of this
draft. As outrageous as it sounds on the face of it, next year shapes up to be a
monumental year and I'm sure everyone in scouting including Wallace/Pitino can
see it coming  from a mile away. If the Celtics were to dump our picks in a
mid-season trade for a fifth starter of Potapenko caliber, it needs to damn well
be for a better reason than making a run at 40-wins and the 8th playoff seed. I
think we should have the patience as fans to enjoy this season for what it is
even if it doesn't lead to an 8th seed, particularly with the comeback kids
making a strong effort,  playing hard, and having likeable young players for one
reason or another. The fact that we have those three first rounders, plus two
competitive and potential franchise-caliber starters, makes the risk of a
mediocre 2000-01 year a little more palatable. It gives us an opportunity for
hope. Think of it as the noble Hank Finkel year or the Eric Fernstein/Bob McAdoo
transition year. It is a kind of sandwich season (chicken salad sandwich) between
mediocrity and business as usual- which means 16 banner and counting for the
Boston Celtics .

In fact I prefer that the Celtics further roll the dice already and trade a top
asset for a reasonable chance at Eddy Curry (Atlanta and Chicago look like
frontrunners, but other teams could suck as bad) because this is the kind of
draft that changes the balance of power in the NBA if everything falls into
place, and the Boston Celtics shouldn't be the team left out of a
once-in-a-decade draft just so that Slick Rick can fulfill, or try to fulfill,
his playoff pledge. Let's go for broke, I say. That's what Red probably would
have done back when he had 110% of his faculties, intuition and grasp of timing
going for him.

Joe

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