SHIRA officially named VP of PR firm Springer, Coffman, Bulpett and May.

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

< ''However, there are realities that you have to deal with in today's 
NBA, which is that virtually every team in the league wants shorter 
contracts coming back than they're sending, or at worst equal. >
-Chris Wallace

< ''We're using our time on all these fronts,'' >
 -Chris Wallace

Except for Baker and the European market?  How can this silver-tongued 
devil talk such sense yet act so senselessly?  The ''Ask me anything 
about the current 16 yr. old Boston upwardly mobiles" Papile influence?

Egg
--------------------------------------
Good deeds not rewarded 
A few positives for Celtics on 1-3 trip
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 1/15/2003  

The NBA schedule-makers always provide the Celtics with an 
opportunity for midseason evaluation in the form of a brief swing 
through the Western Conference. Last year, the Green traveled to 
Utah, Phoenix, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Sacramento at the end 
of December, coming away 1-3 with more than a few lessons learned 
the hard way. Yesterday, the Celtics returned from a four-game trip 
to New Orleans (an Eastern Conference representative), Dallas, 
San Antonio, and Houston. They again went 1-3, learning a few hard 
lessons. 

There were positive aspects of the trip (the emergence of J.R. Bremer 
and Kedrick Brown) and negative ones (rebounding deficiencies and 
the breakdown of Vin Baker following his DNP against Dallas). Bremer 
and Brown were pleasant surprises, giving the Celtics much-needed 
depth and lineup flexibility. But the obvious shortcomings on the 
glass against Dallas and Houston, and Baker's sensitive psyche 
were nothing new. 

''The one thing I caution everyone about is we lost every game in 
Texas last year, too,'' said general manager Chris Wallace. ''It's much 
more difficult to win on the road than it is at home. The stats bear 
it out. Second, it was a very difficult trip because those are probably 
three Western Conference playoff teams. 

''So, on the barometer side, I thought we did a pretty good job in 
San Antonio and Houston. Basically, we did a lot of good things, 
just didn't win the games. And I thought we played better in those 
games than we did last year in those locations. 

''It's very encouraging to have a player like J.R. draw a starting 
assignment [against Houston] and respond the way he did. We 
outrebounded San Antonio, got Kedrick going with some playing 
time, and that was positive. So I take more positive than negative 
out of the trip. 

''I would love to have the wins and `steal' some games that maybe 
people didn't expect you to win. That takes a little pressure off you 
down the road. Even though we're 1-4 in the last five games, I think 
we've played better basketball as a whole than we did in the five 
games prior to that. I think we're playing better and the bench is 
expanding.'' 

With the NBA trading deadline a little more than a month away, 
an opportunity for self-evaluation could not come at a better time. 
There are 45 games remaining in the regular season, and the Celtics 
must figure out whether they can round into playoff form with what 
they have or whether they need reinforcements. Last year, Boston 
brought in Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers, practically at the 11th hour. 

''You are always looking to upgrade your team,'' said Wallace. 
''However, there are realities that you have to deal with in today's 
NBA, which is that virtually every team in the league wants shorter 
contracts coming back than they're sending, or at worst equal. There 
are not too many teams that are looking to take on more financial 
burden than what they already have. With that in mind, there's a 
situation in the NBA right now which is like gridlock on the highway, 
because you can't have everybody accomplish that. 

''We'll approach it as we do every year. We'll go out around the league 
and see what's going on and canvass the other teams and basically 
see if there are any opportunities out there for us. I wouldn't say 
we're definitely doing something, nor would I rule it out. It's very 
difficult to handicap the odds.'' 

The shorter, more movable contracts the Celtics currently hold 
include those of Brown, Bremer, Shammond Williams, Eric Williams, 
Bruno Sundov, and Ruben Wolkowyski. That said, Eric Williams is a 
favorite of coach Jim O'Brien and a defensive leader, so he's not
 going anywhere. Bremer and Brown are just beginning to tap into 
their potential; why give them up now? 

Bremer scored 13 points against San Antonio Sunday night, then 
followed with 22 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals against Houston 
Monday night in his first NBA start. Brown, too, made strides during 
the trip, displaying the defensive intensity and overall energy that 
will earn him more playing time. 

The emergence of the youngsters might soon be complemented by 
the presence of veteran Grant Long. The 10-day contract given to 
Mikki Moore expires tomorrow. Long, meanwhile, continues to rest 
the left hand he broke during a pickup game about three weeks ago, 
and he remains on the short list of candidates to fill the 13th roster 
spot on a more permanent basis. 

''We're using our time on all these fronts,'' said Wallace. ''I don't want 
to rule Grant out and I don't want to rule him in.'' 

The stretch of games between now and the All-Star break offers 
another opportunity for the Celtics to evaluate where they stand. 
Tonight against Atlanta is a prime chance to snap the losing streak 
at three. Then the Celtics face Eastern Conference power Indiana 
for the first time Friday. With the exception of games against 
Denver (Jan. 24) and Seattle (Feb. 5), Boston will have a steady 
diet of Eastern opponents. 

Paul Pierce will have his college number - 34 - retired at Allen 
Fieldhouse Jan. 25, at halftime of Kansas's game vs. Arizona. Jo Jo 
White will have his Kansas number - 15 - retired Jan. 27, at 
halftime of the Texas game. Each will attend his ceremony.