". . . you have to admit Wallace has stones" - RealGM

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

Wallace, Celtics take Huge Gamble



We wonbt go over the luxury tax. We canbt allocate a lot of money to just
four or five guys, because then webll have nothing left to spend on the role
players. We canbt resign Rodney Rogers to a contract because of the luxury
tax. We canbt resign Erick Strickland for the same reason. Blah, Blah, Blah.
Thatbs all we heard all summer long from the Celtics GM Chris Wallace. So
what
bs his solution? He trades for Vin Baker. Ok, Ibm slightly confused at
this
point.

Sure, they will actually save approximately $1 million this season to avoid
the dreaded luxury tax, but what about the next 4 years? Within that time,
about 75% of the Celtics salary will be tied up in three players (Baker,
Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce). While Pierce and Walker have been putting up
the kind of numbers (and finally the wins) it takes to deserve a maximum
contract, Baker has done anything but that.

While in Milwaukee, which was pre-lockout, Baker was a consistent 20/10 low
post force. Those numbers earned him a post-lockout maximum deal, which at
the time seemed reasonable. Since being shipped to Seattle, his stock has
fallen faster than WorldCombs. For the past 3 years, the Sonics struggled to
find any suitors to take on his huge salary and small production. They now
found their sucker, I mean suitor.

It is no secret that Baker has long desired to play in Boston, for his
beloved Celtics. He grew up in Old Saybroook, CT and went to college at the
University of Hartford. He grew up in a room wallpapered with Celtic posters
(particularly, Kevin McHale posters). And that my friends, is what the
Celtics
b selling pitch will be of Vin Baker. Youbll hear a lot of bhis career
will
be rejuvenated by coming home to play.b As if you havenbt heard enough of
it
already. But is it possible?

Itbs not like he had one bad year due to injury, or due to aberration. His
game has now been on the decline for four consecutive years. Granted, he has
been playing in the big-man dominated western conference, but he also has
off-court problems as well. If all these problems can somehow go away just
because he is playing for the team he has been so passionate for all of his
life, then the Celtics got themselves quite a trio. But I always thought that
was a weak excuse anyway. Please, I have loved the Celtics just as much as
Vin Baker. Pay me $13 million and Ibll be rejuvenated too. I hear they need
a
point guard these days anyway.

If Bakerbs problems (both on and off the court) continue, the Celtics may be
headed back to that hellish vortex of mediocrity. Even if he plays badly,
therebs no way he can be traded because the Celtics were the only team that
wanted him. Well, New York did as well, but they have players and contracts
that nobody wants, so the Celtics were essentially the only team.

Think of it this way. If the Celtics wanted him that badly, Ibm sure they
could have dealt for him at the trading deadline. Itbs not like 10 other
teams were in the Vin Baker sweepstakes. But, I can guarantee that more teams
would be interested in Kenny Anderson at that time due to his attractive
contract. Which leads to the next puzzling question: Who will play the point?


Message to all of you who hate Antoine running the offense: youbll see a lot
more of it this season. Not on paper, not on the television pre-game intros
with all those mug shots, but during the game, hebll sneak up on you. This
will mean more of Antoine on the perimeter, and yes, more three-point
attempts (is that really possible?). Do the Celtics have any better options?

Maybe they do, but as fans we wonbt know now for a good four years. We
waited
that long to get Kenny off the books just in time to land a big time free
agent right? Well we got one, according to the Celtics brass anyway. They
essentially added a third maximum contract to the team that could have been
offered next summer to players such as: Andre Miller, Baron Davis, Jermaine
Ob
Neal, Jason Kidd and perhaps Tim Duncan. However, thatbs assuming they
eventually traded either Vitaly Potapenko, Eric Williams or Tony Battie
sometime this season. With this trade, it basically means that the Celtics
front office felt that they had no real shot at getting any of the
aforementioned players. Either that, or they didnbt want to try that hard.

Maybe Seattle approached them with this offer and they salivated at it. One
thing for sure is that they wanted Baker. But not all members of team green
feel that way right now. From what Ibve read, it doesnbt seem that Jim
Ob
Brien (or any of the coaching staff for that matter) was thrilled about the
trade.

It took them 3 B= years to finally get Kenny to play point guard the way they
wanted him to. Now, with acquiring Shammond Williams, they got a point guard
who loves to dribble a lot, and shoot even more. Thatbs not what this Celtic
team needs from their point guard.

Potapenko will forever be a sign of just how bad the Trickster was when he
was here. He is the poster boy for the Pitino era. And it didnbt help his
cause that the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals without him
playing a single minute. Joseph Forte is a player that Celtic fans never got
a chance to see. He finally got some minutes in the summer league, and put up
impressive numbers, but it apparently wasnbt good enough. He didnbt even
need to be included in the deal, so he was just given to Seattle. He must
have done something really bad internally (oh yeah, he wore a Magic Johnson
jersey), otherwise, he could have filled in nicely as a backup point or two.

Anyway you slice it, it comes down to a few simple aspects. Baker must put up
big numbers and be a solid low post presence, or else hebll get ripped in
this town. Both he and Wallace know this. But also keep in mind that when he
was in Milwaukee, he played with two pretty good players in Glenn Robinson
and Ray Allen, and they found countless ways to lose. It wasnbt until they
traded Baker that they started winning. Also, his contract is so big that the
Celtics have absolutely no free agent flexibility for the next four years.
Wallace must think that with the addition of Baker, they can contend for the
NBA Championship. If Baker performs at his Milwaukee level, they may be atop
the east once the dust clears from the NBA playoff picture, but even then, do
they have what it takes to beat the Lakers? The Kings? The Mavericks? The
Spurs? I donbt think so.

This is a huge gamble on Wallacebs part. If it pays off, he will look like a
genius. If it doesnbt, the Celtics may be the Eastern Conferencebs 2003
version of the Miami Heat. Either way, you have to admit Wallace has stones.


Jason Ouellette can be reached at <A
HREF="mailto:jayhbk10@yahoo.com";>jayhbk10@yahoo.com.</A> Feel free to email
your
questions, comments, etc.

CeltsSteve

"Life Is a Bowl of Gumbo. Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much!"