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

["James A. Hill" <jahill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Giovanello [mailto:vze238de@verizon.net]
Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 10:56 AM
To: James A. Hill; Celtics (E-mail)
Subject: Re: Re: Top Five Most Important Things For The Celtics This
Season


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.

***You missed my point.  The Blazers weren't going to pay him anymore.  He
didn't walk from $25MM in guaranteed money.  He wasn't going to get anything
so he took what the Blazers would give him and skulked away.  He effectively
has "stolen" the money that has been paid to him so far and now the Blazers
have paid him a "get-out-of-town-loser" fee to just get rid of him.  His
payoff was structured so he could meet future support payments on his
multiple illegitimate children so he doesn't go to jail for non-payment.
The Blazers did more then they had too considering how he screwed them.

***Even at the prospect of 10 and 7 as a basketball player, he is a cancer
to society and the NBA, IMO.  I mean really, if the island of misfits in
Blazerland kick you out where can you go but to find an old friend who will
give you "one more chance" for old times sake?  The Celtics don't have a
relationship with him like the folks in Orlando do so it really wasn't an
option for him to come here.  It is just a matter of time until he crashes
and burns again/some more.  He didn't sacrifice any money and he doesn't
have any other income options but to try to stay in the league.  He bribed
his way into stealing someone else's money is all that he did.

***A positive story would be him just going away.  I liked him as a player
at one time but he has turned into everything that is wrong with
professional sports for most of his time in the league.

<Jim

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