Moving up to take Gasol?

["Josh Farber" <nbaj2k@home.com>]

I have a feeling the Celts r not gonna end up holding on to all 3 picks.
Are they going to package 2 together to move up to take Gasol?  Who would be
in favor of that because then we would only have 1 pick this year and we'd
have to probably wait a year on him.

Here's the article from the Boston Globe,

Josh F

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/154/sports/Celtics_lining_up_a_three_for_d
raft-.shtml

PRO BASKETBALL NOTES
Celtics lining up a three for draft
By Peter May, 6/3/2001
In nine days, the Celtics will have to make their decision on whether to
take Denver's first-round pick in this month's draft. All indications are
that they already have made it and will take the pick, in part because they
are enthralled with this year's draft class.
There's one other reason: League sources say they would like to package the
picks and move up to draft Pau Gasol, the 7-foot Catalonian playing in
Barcelona who has become ultra-hot as the draft approaches. The Celtics were
aced out at the last moment three years ago in their supposedly covert bid
to snag Dirk Nowitzki. (They ended up with a pretty good consolation prize
in Paul Pierce.) They don't want that to happen again.
The Celtics have the 10th pick and, assuming they take the Denver pick, the
11th as well. They also have the 21st. Three picks in what some, but not
all, consider to be a decent draft gives them enormous flexibility and some
leverage as well. That is probably the strongest argument for taking the
Denver pick now: They can be major players in the draft.
No one expects Gasol to be around at 10. The Celtics would have to target
Vancouver (picking sixth), Chicago (fourth), or the Warriors (fifth) with
their two choices. Golden State also owns the 14th pick.
Coach Jim O'Brien made a not-so-veiled reference to Gasol last week when he
said the club wouldn't pass on someone who might be among the top three next
year if it meant having to wait a year for him. Gasol is under contract for
next season, but there is a $2.5 million buyout. His agent, Herb Rudoy, said
recently that Gasol would likely stay overseas next season unless he goes in
the top five. If he were to remove himself from the draft, Gasol easily
would be a top three pick next year.
If you're the Celtics, it really doesn't matter. If you have to wait a year,
you have to wait a year. Think how many trips to Barcelona you could make in
a year to check on the goods. You wouldn't even get tired of the paella at
Los Caracoles. And if the kid is worth it - Nowitzki's success certainly
hasn't hurt the cause - then it's a no-brainer. It's not like the Celtics
are going to challenge the Lakers next season.
By taking the Denver pick now, you also have the option of actually drafting
at 10 and 11 if the Gasol gambit falls through. But do the Celtics really
want or need three rookies on their roster next season when they still have
behind-the-curve players like Jerome Moiso and Mark Blount? Youth serves in
the NBA; it just doesn't win.
The Celtics also could try to package the picks to move up and get a pick
and a player as well. Vancouver (No. 6) would be a natural target, given the
presence of Mike Bibby. The problem there is that Bibby is (a) in the same
draft class as Pierce, meaning he's eligible for an extension this summer
and (b) represented by David Falk, who tends to get his way in these kinds
of things and can make life miserable for a team. The Bulls, picking at No.
4, would gladly part with Jamal Crawford, who this time last year was a hot
commodity. His value slipped immediately, precipitously and, apparently,
irretrievably when he couldn't beat out Khalid El-Amin.
''We're going to be open-minded,'' O'Brien said regarding a trade. ''But he
would have to have an immediate and long-term impact. We're not going to
bring in someone on the downside of his career.''
By not taking the pick, you still have 10 and 21, but you don't have Gasol.
What you might have, however, is the Next Best Thing down the road, given
that Denver isn't likely to do much of anything over the next several years.
The one good player the Nuggets have is Antonio McDyess. They also have to
face up to Falk in terms of re-signing Raef LaFrentz, who has had his
moments with coach Dan Issel. He, too, is eligible for an extension this
summer.
The Nuggets, in all likelihood, are going to go down in the West. It's hard
to imagine them displacing any of the playoff teams in the conference. It's
hard to imagine them staying ahead of Houston, a healthy Golden State, or
the intriguing Clippers. By 2004, they may be 15-67 and the pick would be
unprotected.
The Warriors had the same time frame with the Pacers' pick, but they took it
now (at 14) because all indications are that Indiana will get better in a
weaker conference. All indications are that Denver will do the opposite,
especially if Issel remains in charge. He may be the only NBA executive in
the last three years to be blitzed by Rick Pitino.
There's one additional argument for taking the pick now: These guys made the
trade and they want to reap what they've sown. The last thing they'd want is
for a new regime to come aboard and get the next Tim Duncan in the 2004
draft.