Wrapping it up and looking ahead (long)

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

First, looking back at the series and how it ended...

1.	I can't decide if we learned something about Pierce and Walker or if
we learned something about this abomination the Celtics call an offense.
Actually, that's not exactly right. I'm certain we learned something about
the "offense." I'm not sure if we really learned anything about Pierce and
Walker. The offense? They don't have one. Five guys standing in the same
spot, occasionally waiting to receive a cross-court pass in the event of a
double-team does not constitute an offense. If you want to see an offense,
look at New Jersey, Sacramento or the Lakers (not that they score a ton of
points, but look at the supporting cast-they make the Celts' role players
look good).

2.	Pierce and Walker... It's not that they didn't deliver down the
stretch in Games 4-5-6... it's that they really didn't try. There are a lot
of guys in the league who put up big numbers but don't really want the ball
when it matters. Sacramento seems to be full of them, with the notable
exception of Mike Bibby. But I'm surprised Pierce and Walker showed that
trait. Antoine, especially, always seemed fearless. But he was MIA in crunch
time. Pierce, too. I thought we had two players who, when the pressure was
on and the defense knew they were going to get the ball, still could deliver
(either by scoring or creating a score for someone)-and wanted that
pressure. Now, I'm not so sure. I'm hoping this was a learning experience
and they'll know better the next time, but we'll have to wait and see.
Also... Obie convinced them to play defense by allowing them to do whatever
they wanted on the other end. Will they realize that the team needs a
different approach offensively and that may mean a dip in shots and points?
And if they realize it, will they accept it?

3.	Kenny... Courageous performance in Game 6, but let's face it... Kidd
destroyed him in this series. Nothing to be ashamed of, because Kidd should
have been the MVP of the league, but it's a fact.

4.	Ewill/Delk/McCarty/Strickland... Great to see the effort from
Strickland, but has any team ever tried so hard to fill a weakness and come
up so empty? I may be the only person on the list who still believes Tony
Delk can be a nice contributor off the bench (but Obie has to use him
right!!!). Ewill's intangibles just can't overcome the fact that the Celts
play four-on-five on the offensive end when he's on the floor. Considering
the fact that Kedrick Brown should move into the regular rotation and
McCarty and Strick are free agents, this should be the Ewill/Delk/Kedrick
show next season.

5.	Battie... Still frustratingly inconsistent, but I've come to
appreciate the role he plays in Harter's defense. Battie's lateral quickness
allows him to jump out and blitz the guy with the ball on the pick-and-roll.
That's the advantage Battie has over Vitaly at that spot. But it creates
something of a catch-22. We all agree the Celts need an upgrade there, but
will the team defense be as effective if a bigger (but slower) center is
asked to trap the pick-and-roll? I don't know. They need to get better at
center, but it's not going to happen this offseason, so I'm not going to
waste too much time worrying about it.

6.	Rogers... Here's the $64,000 question-or will it be $4.5 million?-I
doubt he'll get the full exception anywhere just because not many teams can
do it without going into luxury tax territory. But the Celtics can't even
approach that number. If someone offers him $3 million annually and the
Celtics can't go over $2 million, why would he stay? There seems to be a
popular opinion forming that we don't really need to resign Rogers, but I
couldn't disagree more. He's the backup center, the backup power forward,
one of the backup small forwards, he gives you offense off the bench or a
legitimate scoring option should Antoine or Pierce ever spend any real time
out of the lineup due to injury. He is the team's best counter to the
Mutombos of the world because he can pull them away from the basket. He's
another guy Obie didn't really use very well (would it kill Obie to design a
play or two for guys like Delk or Rogers so they get the ball in better
positions to score? All Obie lets them do is be spot-up shooters.), but he's
still incredibly valuable.

7.	Obie... Can he keep them playing as hard as they did most of this
season? It doesn't happen often in the NBA. I know the Celtics' brass seems
to believe this is only the beginning, but these playoffs showed that the
team has to be playing at a peak level defensively to win. They can't
outscore anyone. They're still young-will they treat this season as an
"arrival" and lose some desire? They can't afford to do that. And most
importantly, can they add just a touch of offense to the Harter Defensive
Show? And one more thing... Obie absolutely, positively has to get Pierce
and Walker more rest next season. All those minutes took their toll in the
end.

OK, so looking ahead...

1.	Kedrick Brown... The X Factor. If he can play and take away Ewill's
minutes, that immediately improves the talent level. If he can't, then the
2001 draft was a monumental bust (considering they really went 1-for-3, I'd
say it already falls into bust territory), and the team loses its only
chance to improve via personnel changes. Personally, I saw enough flashes to
be optimistic.

2.	Omar Cook... The only other new face we know about now... I'm
excited about his potential, but I have several reservations... He's the
polar opposite of Kenny Anderson. The positives to that are his pass-first
mentality, sturdy frame to defend and effectiveness in the open floor. The
negatives are... exactly the same. As much as I wish they would, Obie and
Co. are not going to drastically change the offense. That means large doses
of the "your turn/my turn" show between Pierce and Walker and a lot of
standing around for the point guard. There's no reason to believe things are
suddenly going to change when Omar comes in the game. Unfortunately, I see
this kid being asked to do the same things-get it across halfcourt, hand it
to Antoine and spot up at the opposite elbow. What a waste.

3.	Joseph Forte... The writing is on the wall. He could have been Tony
Parker or Jamaal Tinsley, and instead he's going to be a salary dump. I'm
expecting a Moiso-like deal, only without the first-round pick coming back.
If they can dump him for a second-rounder, they probably will.

4.	The draft... I hope they don't treat this like a throwaway, because
it's not. Todd MacCulloch was a second-rounder. Loren Woods. It seems like
Seattle's entire frontcourt was made up of second-rounders. Wallace has
thrown picks away on Ben Pepper and Josip Sesar (two picks for Sesar), not
to mention Kris Klack, when better players were available. It's unlikely
they get any kind of contribution next year from a second-rounder, but it's
not unheard of to find a diamond in the rough.

5.	Trades... One of the many upshots of making the Finals would have
been the national exposure for the Celtics' role players. You never know how
someone might overpay for a guy if they see him shine just a little on the
national stage. As it is, the Celtics have very little of value on the trade
market. Vitaly would have been a prime trade candidate, but he's hurt. Forte
will be given away. Pierce and Walker are going nowhere. Kedrick has zero
value at this point. The one guy who has the most value is Kenny, but the
team can't afford to trade him because he is the only legit point guard. Too
bad. We waited through all those miserable seasons when Kenny was
untradeable, and now that he finally has real value (for his play and his
large expiring contract), we can't afford to cash in.

6.	Free agency... Rogers is the key, but maybe not the only target.
There will be very few options for free agents this season, so maybe another
Strickland falls in the Celts' laps. Stranger things have happened.

So the hopes for improvement next year rest on Kedrick Brown and the
implementation of a real offense. Of course the potential is there for
regression. If the defensive intensity slips even a little, there will be
plenty of teams there sneak past the Celts-Milwaukee, Philly, Toronto,
Indiana, Orlando, etc. Just ask Milwaukee how easy it is to go from
THISCLOSE to the lottery in a single season.

Sorry for the length. A lot to say after this unbelievable season.

Mark