Re: Chris Wallace On WEEI

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

Every time Chris Wallace says the Celtics' centers are in the top half of
the NBA, I lose all faith in his ability to run this franchise. Guys like
Greg Ostertag or Bryant Reeves would start for the Celts. Hopefully he's
talking about depth, because I can see an argument that the Celts have three
NBA-quality backup centers. But they don't have one starting center. You
can't combine them. That kind of thinking is silly. The Celts are always at
a disadvantage in one or more aspects of the game when any of these centers
are on the floor. Geez, I'm getting mad just typing this...

I agree with Joe H. that there is no conceivable reason to roll over that
Denver pick. It's top-three protected next year, so you not only are forced
to settle for wherever Denver finishes (certainly not more than a spot or so
lower, if you look at the standings and rosters of the lottery teams), but
you give them this year's pick and a chance to win the lottery next year
(and thus keep their own pick) to improve significantly. And with teams like
Seattle, Phoenix and Minnesota aging and/or hamstrung in what they can do,
it's not inconceivable that Denver could make the playoffs. If the team
plays even a little better on the road, it is in the running for that last
playoff spot. Plus, this draft is loaded. Next year could be more like last
year.

"Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker are our free agents"... what crap. I
understand we're not going to have cap room to sign a premier guy, but don't
blame it on Pierce and Walker. Orlando signed McGrady and Hill this year,
and will have significant cap room next year because the rest of their
roster isn't tied up in long-term deals. Eliminate Kenny, Vitaly, Battie,
Stith, Walter, Eric Williams and Randy Brown, and this team is swimming in
cap room. They won't be players because of those bad deals and contracts. 

The fact that Wallace and Co. even considered the Kenny and picks for
Laettner deal and the McCarty and a No. 1 for $3 million deal means either
he's an idiot or the bottom line is all that matters to the Celtics (or
both). Neither deal alone provides any cap room, the free agent market is
shrinking, and no one wants to play in Boston anyway because the team sucks
just as bad as the weather. The more I learn about this braintrust, the more
I worry that we're going to give these picks away to clear money or add a
stop-gap veteran-or both. I'm getting mad again...

Sigh... I just get discouraged every time I listen to this. Maybe Wallace
and Papile didn't have a voice with Pitino, as they seemed to suggest
yesterday... but don't take credit for Pierce/Griffin/Blount etc. unless
you're willing to accept blame for Kenny and Vitaly. I guess we'll see what
these guys know soon enough.

Mark