Commenting On Sunday's Articles

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

- May wants Pepe. Can Meme be far behind? Well, someone tell Peter, 
that Sanchez just signed with Alicante in the Spanish ACB. 
Sarunas Jasikievicius would be a much better International PG option.
He's with Maccabi Elite in Tel Aviv, having left Barcelona for them.
Now, while it's difficult at times to pry these guys out of recently
signed contracts, it's not impossible, especially if the foreign club
is having financial difficulties. 

- May wants Barry. Fine by me. I think I already suggested trading for him.

- May high on Fortson. Well the Celtics do need a genuine tough guy, yet they 
likely already have one in Hunter. Perhaps they should uninjure him
and give him some playing time.

- Bulpett thinks LaFrentz may possibly be shut down for the season. 
Makes sense. Preventative care. A chronically injured LaFrentz
severely affects the Salary Cap.


- Vecsey criticizing O'Brien for not using LaFrentz in the second half against
Phoenix.  Exactly right, unless was hurting so badly he couldn't play.

- Vecsey says Ainge may think that O'Brien was showing him up. Could be,
but LaFrentz's injury may be the problem. Vecsey may have the right idea though, 
but the wrong particulars. Think of O'Brien not using Jones and Perkins.
  
- Mark Heisler ranks the Celtics 24th:  "24) Blowing 29-point lead over Suns at 
home could start countdown on O'Brien. (20)"  We can only hope, but with
both Ainge and Auerbach singing Jimbo's praises, it's very hard to ditch him at 
this moment.

- Ainge scouting in Utah. I knew who he was checking out. His wife's a Mormon
volleyball player.

- Ira Windeman talks about the Celtics in decline:  
"To put the decline of the Celtics into perspective, consider a team that two seasons ago featured the likes of Antoine Walker, Rodney Rogers and Kenny Anderson now has settled on a starting lineup of Paul Pierce, Jiri Welsch, Mike James, Vin Baker and Mark Blount. For now, new operations chief Danny Ainge is seeking an expanded role for Baker. ..."
Yeah, well poor management will do that to a team.

marc j. spears
LaFrentz warming to role with Celtics (Evidently written pre-tendinitis flare-up)
By Marc J. Spears
Denver Post Sports Writer
After playing in the Dallas Mavericks' preseason victory at San Antonio on Oct. 19, Raef LaFrentz flew back on the team plane to Dallas as if it were just another game. 
It was about 1 a.m. on Oct. 20 when he arrived at his Dallas home. As the former Nuggets center walked to his front door, his wife, Joie, came outside with a look like "something was wrong." She had just talked with her husband's agent, Michael Higgins.
"(The Mavericks) didn't say anything," LaFrentz said in a phone interview last week. "I got home and my wife was on the front steps. She said: 'Do you know anything that is going on? We got traded.' "
LaFrentz was stunned. He was traded from the comfort, winning and warmth of Dallas to a work-in-progress situation with Boston. The Mavericks acquired 2003 all-star forward Antoine Walker and guard Tony Delk from Boston for LaFrentz, guard Jiri Welsch, forward Chris Mills and a 2004 first-round pick.
LaFrentz was a key reserve during the Mavericks' run to the 2003 Western Conference finals. He averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds last season. But considering Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's history of making deals, LaFrentz knew that his Dallas career could be in jeopardy. The first move that caught LaFrentz's attention was when Nick Van Exel, who was the Mavs' MVP in last season's playoffs, was the headliner in a trade to Golden State on Aug.18 for forward Antawn Jamison, among others. And with the sharpshooting and versatile Walker on the market and too hard to pass up, Cuban dealt LaFrentz not long after signing him to a seven-year, $69.9 million contract July 30, 2002.
"It's what happens in this league," said LaFrentz, who believes the only Maverick safe from a trade now is all-star forward Dirk Nowitzki. "It didn't really surprise me. Mark is always changing the look of the team and rolling the dice with other players. We made a nice run, but we didn't get it done. If this group doesn't get it done, there will be some changes."
It wasn't long ago that LaFrentz's career seemed stable in Denver. The Nuggets selected him with the third pick in the 1998 draft, and he, Van Exel and forward Antonio McDyess were supposed to be the building blocks for the franchise's future.
During the summer of 2001, LaFrentz was expected to sign a long-term contract with Denver. In December 2000, however, Van Exel made it public that he wanted to be traded. Van Exel's wish ended up including LaFrentz, guard Avery Johnson and swingman Tariq Abdul-Wahad, all of whom were dealt to Dallas on Feb. 21, 2001, for forwards Juwan Howard and Donnell Harvey, guard Tim Hardaway and a first-round pick.
Immediately, LaFrentz went from being on one of the NBA's worst teams to one of the best. But the 6-foot-11, 240-pounder's time in the lap of luxury lasted only 1 1/2 seasons.
"Raef did everything we asked of him and was a big part of our success," Cuban said via e-mail. "He worked his butt off, played hurt last year and was passionate about his role with the team. We didn't look to trade him, but when Walker came available, (coach Don Nelson) really wanted a point forward, so we made the deal."
The Mavericks entered Saturday with a 12-7 record. The Celtics are 7-12 with four consecutive losses. Even so, LaFrentz seems happier with his new role in Boston than in Dallas.
"In Dallas, your game and role changes from game to game, quarter to quarter," LaFrentz said. "Here, it's a set plan and the plan doesn't change."
While LaFrentz still has a lot of years left in his career, he is hoping for a much smoother ride the rest of the way.
"Ups and downs is exactly the way to put it," said LaFrentz, who has averaged 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds during his NBA career. "The NBA is a roller coaster full of emotions. It's definitely been a roller-coaster ride for me. Three different teams. Two teams I've enjoyed, but I'm getting to know a third team. I'm sure I'll enjoy it."

SPOTLIGHT ON VIN BAKER  (The feel good blurb of the month)
Vin Baker had scrap heap written all over him.
A 2002 trade from Seattle to Boston was supposed to get him closer to his New England roots. Instead, he suffered the worst of his 10 pro seasons, averaging 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds, a long fall from making the all-NBA second team in 1997 with Milwaukee.
Baker checked into a rehab clinic this year to treat alcoholism. The move appears to have saved his life and his career. The power forward's numbers are back up to 14.8 points and seven rebounds per game.
"He's going through a bit of a change rebounding from an off year," teammate Raef LaFrentz said. "A lot of people are saying that the old Vin is back."