RE: RealGM compares the C's drafting Kedrick Brown to Joe Smith fiasco

["Ravi Singh" <kelticsfan@home.com>]

This article is ridiculous.  There is no comparison between putting into
writing an agreement between ownership, management and a player that he will
be taken care of in his next contract (which is blatantly against the rules)
and what the Celtics did by stating that they would select a certain player
with the 11th pick in the draft.  The agent and the player made the decision
to work out for no one else and to imply that the Celtics organization made
the decision for Brown and his agent is shear stupidity.  If Brown and his
agent felt that being picked 11th was the best they could do and where they
wanted to be, there is no reason to work out for any team.  If they were
confident in his abilities and felt he could have been drafted much higher,
they could have worked out for those teams. Every damn team states who they
would take if they there was a player available at a certain pick.  I'm sure
the Celtics promised Pau Gasol he would be taken with the 10th pick if he
was available.  I'm sure Tim Duncan was told by San Antonio that he would be
taken with the first pick when he entered the draft.  He could have easily
refused workouts with any other teams, after that. Did this writer stop to
question why most lottery picks don't even attend the predraft camps?  It is
because they have been told they will be picked in the lottery (and I'm sure
they or their agents have been told by specific teams they would be picked
no later than ____ by that specific team) and don't want to hurt their stock
with a bad outing or risk injury.

Even in the unlikely event that Boston did prevent Brown from working out
with other teams, it would be impossible to prove, as Brown and the agent
have clearly stated that he was injured with a bad case of turf toe for the
better part of the last several months and was unable to workout for teams
due to his injury.

Kudos for the Celtics, Wallace and Papile for  doing the due diligence
during the Juco season that so many other teams and supposed sports writers
failed to do with respect to Kedrick Brown.  It appears that many GM's and
fans around the league may start crying foul over a non issue because they
were bested by a very forward thinking GM and Director of Player Personnel.
It smacks of Auerbachian genius and frankly I love it.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-celtics@igtc.com [mailto:owner-celtics@igtc.com]On Behalf Of
CeltsSteve@AOL.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 10:58 AM
To: celtics@igtc.com
Subject: RealGM compares the C's drafting Kedrick Brown to Joe Smith
fiasco


RealGM says it is just plain wrong that the C's got off scott free and
nobody called them on this issue and that the C's have broken the rules just
like the T'wolves broke the rules. This could get interesting.



http://www.realgm.com/src_pump_fakes.php


Pump Fakes: Juking Defenders Out of Their Shorts

      Author: Jon Hamm


If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts…:
Let me get this straight: A wink-wink, nod-nod, secret handshake, "The Eagle
Has Landed", under-the-table agreement for future contracts is a big NBA
no-no. But promising to draft a certain player and keeping him away from
other teams isn't?

Don't get me wrong; the Minnesota Timberwolves raped the very spirit of the
NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement in the Joe Smith fiasco. Of course
there are "ifs" and "buts" from that whole episode, such as "If Smith didn't
like Minnesota, he had two chances to walk away" and "But the NBA made too
big a deal over a player such as Smith". Any way you slice it, very clearly
stated rules were broken.

It seems generally accepted that the Boston Celtics promised Kedrick Brown
that they would select him no lower than 11th overall. With that guarantee
in hand, what incentive was there for Brown to work out for any other teams?
It's pure speculation as to whether the Celtics "encouraged" Brown to turn
down other workout offers or if his agent, Arn Tellum, handled that chore.
What is fact is that Tellum held Brown out of the Chicago pre-draft camp.

Let's apply those same "ifs" and "buts" to Mr. Brown.

If Brown had worked out for other teams, is it not possible that another
team with a higher pick would have taken a liking to him? But I'm making too
big a deal over a Junior College player, right?

Just like the Timberwolves deprived the other 28 teams a chance to sign
Smith, the Celtics did the same deed with Brown by promising to select him
with the 11th overall pick. Just as Minnesota promised Smith a specific set
of contracts that would be signed in the future, Boston promised Brown a
specific contract that would be signed in the future. Perhaps there isn't
enough evidence to warrant a sniff from the NBA's lawyers, but I find it
strange that not a single word has been spoken of the backdoor maneuver the
Celtics successfully pulled off.

It doesn't matter if Brown's career looks as bright as Smith's once did, or
if he becomes the disappointment that Smith is today. Either way, it's
wrong.