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

["Josh O." <igtcjosh@xxxxxxxxx>]

OK, so what hard questions would you like to ask
Wallace?  Other than rhetorical questions of the "what
were you thinking" and "still glad you traded for
Baker" variety, that is.  I'll call him tomorrow and
pass them along.  Wallace is frustrating, but I don't
see how Shira, et al. are throwing him softballs.  He
says what he wants to, no matter what you ask him.

Josh

--- Eggcentric@AOL.com wrote:
> < ''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. 
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