Re: Perspective

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My prediction: 8-7 playoff spot maybe. Use draft picks and whoever to
upgrade after season is over.

DanF

----- Original Message -----
From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 11:17 AM
Subject: Perspective


> As bad as the Celts have played lately, they're still fourth in the
> conference and second in the Atlantic. And as for the doom-and-gloom
> thoughts that they might actually miss the playoffs... check out the
> standings. There's a pretty big gap between the top eight teams in the
East
> and the rest of the conference. Sure, things can change, but it's going to
> take a pretty severe collapse to miss the playoffs.
>
> Of course, backing into the playoffs isn't what any of us want. We want to
> see this team improve and be a threat in the playoffs. We're not, and it's
> not. There's no magic fix for what's wrong. The team is lacking in areas
of
> defense, toughness, depth and shot selection. You can't really put
Band-Aids
> on those kinds of problems.
>
> Mikki Moore, of course, isn't the answer. But neither is Grant Long. The
> implication, however, is that the "braintrust" is admitting that the
answer
> also isn't Vin Baker. That's no surprise to most of us. It was obvious
> before the trade was even made. Obvious to everyone but Chris Wallace and
> the "braintrust."
>
> There aren't any answers on this roster. Wallace faces two choices-take
his
> medicine this year and try to use the two draft picks and Kedrick to add
> talent in the offseason; or package the picks now, maybe with Kedrick, and
> try to get help for this year's team. Unfortunately, the picks right now
> don't have much value and neither does Kedrick. But they might gain value
by
> the end of the season when the Celts may be a borderline playoff team. So
to
> trade them now would be trading them at the wrong time.
>
> No, the best course of action is to take their medicine and regroup in the
> offseason with those assets. I'm afraid Wallace will take the
short-sighted
> approach, however. He hasn't shown a lot of foresight to this point.
>
> Anyway, I don't think this team is going to continue to spiral like this.
I
> think they'll get some things squared away and settle into the
lower-middle
> pack of Eastern Conference playoff teams. That's my prediction.
>
> Mark