C's mull minor deals at deadline

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sport/celtics/cs02202003.htm

C's mull minor deals at deadline

by Steve Bulpett
Thursday, February 20, 2003








SAN FRANCISCO - With the prospects last night of doing nothing more than a
minor move at today's trade deadline, the Celtics will essentially be as they
are now the rest of the way. And with a 4-1 mark on the Western trip in tow as
they practiced at USF yesterday and flew off to Sacramento for the journey's
end tonight against the Kings, no one was complaining.



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``The team's playing well,'' said GM Chris Wallace. ``The wolf is not at our
door.''

Help could be forthcoming, however, in the form of backup center Mark Blount,
who left the Celts for Denver last summer. There are two scenarios in play -
Blount for Bruno Sundov and a second-round draft pick, or Blount and either
Mark Bryant or Donnell Harvey (Bryant is more likely) for Shammond Williams
and a No. 2. In both cases, the Celts would be giving up a pick to get Blount
as insurance for Tony Battie and a bit of financial help. (In the case of
Sundov, the C's would be getting off his option for next season.)

Wallace wouldn't comment on specifics, but he said, ``First of all, anything
monumental would be an extraordinary long shot at this point. If anything is
done, it's done around the edges.

``But it's been a very quiet trade deadline for us. There's always somebody to
call, but it hasn't been a two cell phone trade deadline.''

It's been one cell phone and a home line for Wallace, who has been working
from his house recently. There, he's been watching the C's clinch their first
winning post-All Star tour since 1990-91 (4-1). The success has left the club
more optimistic about its chances.

``I think we're fine,'' said Antoine Walker, who had 17 points and seven
assists in Tuesday's 125-117 win at Golden State. ``I think the thing with us
is more or less getting healthy. If we can get everybody playing for a long
stretch of time, I think we'll be fine. We're always missing a guy. We can't
get a set rotation.

``But I like our team. I think when you look at everybody in the East, I think
we match up well with them. There's nobody I fear going into a playoff series
- especially now that everything is seven games.''

Paul Pierce, who went for 31 points and 12 assists against the Warriors, feels
likewise, though he's not closing the door on something that would give the
C's an edge.

``I think a move now could be good, but it has to be something that definitely
helps us,'' he said. ``If it's not, then I'd just want to play with what we've
got and see what happens. If it's not going to be a major, major change to
where it can definitely help the team, then I'm not for it.

``We're in a good position now, because even the teams ahead of us, I don't
feel like they're that much better than us. In a seven-game series, I feel
like we can play with all those teams with what we've got now. It just depends
on how we're playing at the time. But I don't think there's one team that's
dominant in the East.''

Celtics notes

Zang Auerbach, brother of Celtics president Red Auerbach and an artist who
designed the team's logo, has died. He was 81.

He died of heart ailments last Thursday at a hospital in the Washington area.

Zang Auerbach, who also designed the logo for the Washington Senators baseball
team, served in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II. He later
became an editorial and sports artist and cartoonist, penning images of sports
heroes and entertainers for Washington newspapers. . . .

Jim O'Brien likes his offense for the most part (29 assists and a season-low
four turnovers Tuesday), but he isn't pleased with the fact his lads have
given up 102 (to Phoenix) and 117 points the last two games.

``I think our defense is a major concern for me,'' he said. ``Part of it is
we've been banged up and we don't get the consistency we need in practice.
Part of it is just not getting the job done when you're on the court. But we
feel there's defensive slippage when you don't drill it and practice it.''

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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