More Trades Possible Says Wallace

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

http://www.bostonherald.com/sport/basketball/cs09062000.htm

Celts aren't set in stone
by Mark Cofman
Wednesday, September 6, 2000

When it comes to the Celtics roster, general manager Chris Wallace has
never been one to offer predictions. In fact, Wallace has a pet saying
for the personnel end of his business: ``Never say never.''

Celtics general manager Chris Wallace feels top draft choice Jerome
Moiso will be a key addition to the team. (Herald file photo) With that
in mind, it remains to be seen whether the Celtics' recent lack of
activity on the trade front after a busy monthlong stretch should be
viewed as a calm before the storm. Do Wallace and Rick Pitino have
another move in mind? Or are the changes they've made to the roster this
summer, all involving complementary talent, the last of their wheeling
and dealing?

``Anyone who has watched us operate for three-plus years knows that
we're always open to talking with other teams,'' Wallace said last week.
``We're always talking, and we're always exploring scenarios which could
help our team. That will continue to be our approach.

``I'm not saying that something's going to happen, or that we feel
compelled to do anything more than what we've done before training camp.
But obviously we're always looking to see what we can do to improve our
team.''

How much the Celtics have improved themselves this offseason is open to
debate. They've traded away Danny Fortson and Dana Barros, while bidding
farewell to free agents Pervis Ellison and Doug Overton. Added to the
roster are Robert Pack, Randy Brown, Chris Carr, Mark Blount and
first-round draft pick Jerome Moiso.

None of the newcomers are expected to start. And, though the Celtics
have improved their bench, their fortunes this year are still riding on
the ability of the primary talent - Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Kenny
Anderson, Vitaly Potapenko and Tony Battie - to improve on last season's
disappointing performance.

Walker, for one, is on record with his belief Pitino and Wallace have
done the right thing this summer by keeping the nucleus intact. But is
that by design, or simply the result of trade possibilities that didn't
materialize? There are still four weeks before training camp - ample
time for Wallace and Pitino to burn phone lines as they did for much of
August.

The August moves netted two point guards in Brown and Pack, a shooting
guard in Carr and a CBA hopeful at power forward in Blount. Lots of
moves, but not the type that involve household names.

``We've used the ($2.25 and $1.2 million) exceptions on Randy Brown and
Chris Carr, we've got our obligatory minor league guy trying to make his
mark in the NBA (Blount) and the Fortson issue was finally resolved,''
said Wallace, reviewing his team's work the last month. ``I think most
of our avenues have been exhausted at this point.

``But you can't honestly rule out something happening before camp,'' he
was quick to add. ``I've seen too many things in this business change
with one sudden move.''

Wallace need only look back to the dizzying Fortson negotiations, which
finally ended in mid-August with a four-way deal that included Dallas,
Utah and Golden State.

``The Fortson deal heated up over one weekend,'' said Wallace. ``If you
had called me prior to that weekend and asked me about how things were
going, I would have told you, `No way we've got anything going right
now.' Then all of a sudden, a deal came out of the sky for us.

``That type of thing could happen again. If something interesting comes
our way, we're always listening.''