Re: Re: Top Five Most Important Things For The Celtics This Season

[Sean Giovanello <vze238de@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, if you are looking for a guy with some potential to round out your bench, he is an intriguing possibility, especially when compared to the Bruno Sundov's of the world.

If you had asked me this last year, I would have said hell no just look at his contract, his conditioning, and his personal baggage.  However, when you remove his monster deal from the equation and replace it with the veteran minimum, it makes him more attractive (although with some huge question marks).  But, if you consider that all he had to do was sit back and collect his millions over the duration of his contract and he instead walked away from what, 25 million in guaranteed money for his freedom, it again raises further questions.   Personally, when I read this, I thought he would be out of basketball, smoking crack, and living like a hermit somewhere far from the public eye.

However, it appears he did this to get a shot somewhere else around the league.  In selecting Orlando, he and his agent did a nice job to land him in a good spot.  All indications point to me that he not only wants to play, but that he was willing to sacrifice millions to do so.  Even if he ends up being a 10 and 7 guy this year, I would consider him a positive story, especially if he puts his past troubles behind him.  Bruno Sundov wont be a 10 7 guy.  Kemp has the potential to be more, especially on a team in the East and one that lacks a solid big body on the court.
> 
> From: "James A. Hill" <jahill@leasingservice.com>
> Date: 2002/09/06 Fri AM 09:33:31 CDT
> To: "Celtics \(E-mail\)" <celtics@igtc.com>
> Subject: Re: Top Five Most Important Things For The Celtics This Season
> 
> Sean was being nice to Kemp here:
> 
> >Orlando signed Kemp today, most likely for basically nothing. Not a bad
> deal for them. If he has any gas left in the tank,
> >he can help them. Leaving all the money on the table in Portland to get out
> of town indicates he is concerned with more than >collecting a paycheck.
> 
> Sean,  It may have more to do with the threat of having his entire contract
> voided for substance abuse.  At the very least, he would be too old to make
> a comeback by the time Paul Allen allowed it to be settled in court.
> 
> Kemp needs any cash he can get his hands on to pay all the different child
> support/maintenance payments he is court ordered to make.
> 
> IMO, he is only about himself first, second and third and his team isn't
> even on the list.
> 
> >I wouldn't have minded the Celtics taking a flyer on him for short time and
> short dollars...
> 
> He is the poster boy for what is wrong with the NBA collective bargaining
> agreement.  No thank you.
> 
> But, just based on past basketball skills he was a player at one time and
> could help a team if he did a personal 180, so I understand your thought
> process.
> 
> <Jim