May Says Rogers Gone Daddy Gone

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rogers too much of a luxury


By Peter May, Globe Staff, 7/17/2002

The moratorium is over. Free agency is upon us. Chauncey Billups($30
million from Detroit) and Malik Rose($40 million to stay in San Antonio)
appear to be the first beneficiaries.

 Somewhere, sometime, Rodney Rogers will cash in as well. It won't be
for the kind of money Billups and Rose are getting, but it will almost
certainly be for more than the Boston Celtics are offering.

You could find more auto dealers in Venice than NBA types at
UMass-Boston last night who feel Rogers will stay. Celtics general
manager Chris Wallace, trying to operate with both hands tied behind his
back because of the inflexibility of ownership, is still doing his best
to put a happy face on this sad story.

He has gone to bat for Rogers more than once. He has noted that the
Celtics are a better team with Rogers and, just as critical, that there
is no one else out there who can replicate what he does (read: play
three positions and score). He helped ease Rogers's transition here and
has made a vocal, if limited, pitch.

Not that it would matter. The Celtics aren't paying. They have drawn a
line in the sand, which means last year's feel-good story will have no
sequel, at least not with the same cast.

Rogers? All but gonzo, possibly to Philadelphia. Erick Strickland? Gonzo
as well; he wants a paycheck after playing for the minimum last year. He
also wants more playing time. Mark Blount? The Celtics hold his rights,
but don't expect them to match anything that Blount might get in the
open market. He's a long shot to return. Walter McCarty? Who cares?

''It's tough,'' Wallace said last night, prior to the Celtics' summer
league game against the Wizards. ''It's a unique year. In the past you'd
have your wish list and then you'd bring the checkbook. There's so much
concern about the luxury tax.''

So much, in fact, that owner Paul Gaston, who recently raised ticket
prices, has decided it's going to be the major force in the Celtics'
summer dealings. The team is close to what the dollar-for-dollar tax
level may be on total payroll. But it's also close to being a playoff
regular, assuming that at least a couple of the free agents are
re-signed.

Instead of Rogers, Strickland, and Blount, however, we could get Omar
Cook, Bruno Sundov (who should make a decision today), and rookie draft
pick Darius Songaila. That would make it a 12-man roster.

Rogers, meanwhile, made $2.6 million last year and the Celtics won't
come close to even matching that. They are believed to be dangling the
veteran minimum of $1 million, a 62 percent pay cut. (The average salary
is $4.6 million.) While it is a tight market, Rogers is a veteran talent
and should not have trouble finding a decent NBA wage.

''To the best of my situation,'' Wallace said, ''Rodney does not have a
concrete situation elsewhere. He does have suitors, so that could
change.''

Rogers's agent, Butch Williams, said yesterday that everything was still
''status quo'' regarding his client and Boston and referred to his
remarks in the Globe on Tuesday in which he asked Gaston to open his
wallet.

Blount's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said yesterday that the Celtics'
center, who is working out on his own, is waiting for the market to
clear. Blount is believed to be in the second tier of free agent centers
behind acknowledged leaders Jerome James(Seattle) and Rasho
Nesterovic(Minnesota.) Those two, like Blount, are restricted free
agents, meaning their teams can match any offer up to around the average
NBA salary.

Sundov has spent four years in the NBA doing a lot of watching and not
much playing. He's 7 feet 3 inches, turns 23 in February, and has more
of an outside game for his size. But he's buried at Indiana behind
Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller , Primoz Brezec , and even Jonathan Bender.

''I'm not sure what's going to happen,'' said Sundov's agent, Frank
Catapano. ''I'd like to get it settled soon so he knows what he's
doing.'' The Celtics would offer Sundov the veteran minimum for a
four-year player, or $637,435.