Re: No Love from Wal-TUH!

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Waltah,  Tommy H. was your biggest fan but then again who else could one
root for off our bench??

DanF


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "celtics list" <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 8:17 AM
Subject: No Love from Wal-TUH!


> Walter: Love affair over: Free agent McCarty vows days with C's done
>
> by Steve Bulpett
> Wednesday, July 9, 2003
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> You can still love Waltah. You just won't be able to love him as a Celtic
> anymore.
>
>
>
>
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>
> Walter McCarty said yesterday he is severing ties with the club after six
> years in Green. A free agent for a second straight summer, McCarty was not
> pleased by the fact the club is willing to offer him no more than the
veteran
> minimum.
>
> And after a season in which he established himself as one of the league's
more
> versatile players, he believes the offers will be greener elsewhere.
>
> ``I won't be here. I can tell you that,'' McCarty said yesterday. ``I
don't
> know where I'm going to be, but we've had a lot of phone calls. A lot of
teams
> have expressed interest, but you know how this goes.''
>
> McCarty understands interest levels can rise and fall depending on how the
> free agents above him on the NBA food chain fall into line, but he is
prepared
> to move on under any circumstances.
>
> ``I know there are teams that say they're willing to pay me more than the
> minimum, but even if they don't, I'm not going to play here,'' McCarty
said.
> ``I'm going to play somewhere else. I'll go elsewhere and play for the
minimum
> if I have to.''
>
> The Celtics wanted him to do that here, hoping McCarty would agree to the
base
> for players of seven years' experience ($876,000 - of which just $688,679
> would count on the club's salary cap).
>
> But the 6-foot-10 Swiss army knife played 23.8 minutes a game for the
Celts
> last season, averaging 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while handling a chunk
of
> the 3-point shooting load and various key defensive assignments (he even
> started some at center).
>
> ``I just don't think that for what I've done for the team and for the
> community I should be in this position where they'll only talk about the
> minimum,'' McCarty said. ``I feel like it's an insult. I think I'm worth
more
> to this team on and off the court. I would think the way I played last
year
> would have shown them what I was worth, but I guess not.''
>
> After coming in for the minimum last summer ($762,435), McCarty said he's
> already taken one for the team.
>
> ``I took the hit on my contract last year to stay here,'' he said, ``but
I'm
> not going to get screwed this year.
>
> ``Last summer was different. I knew we had a good team and we could make a
run
> in the playoffs. And when I saw Rodney (Rogers) leave and Erick
(Strickland)
> leave, I knew that would open up an opportunity for more playing time. It
was
> also a time in my life where there was change (he got married) and I
didn't
> think that it would be a good time to be changing teams and all that. So I
> took the hit and stayed here. I have no regrets about it, but I'm not
going to
> keep doing that.
>
> ``I just feel like I'm worth more, and I think I've proven that. I'm not
angry
> at anyone. They have the right to their opinion. For me it's about making
some
> money for my family (which now includes daughter Gabrielle) and getting an
> opportunity to play.
>
> ``And I feel there's an opportunity out there for me to go play and be
> appreciated.''
>
> Celtics notes
>
> The C's are more hopeful regarding their minimum offer of $688,679 to Mark
> Blount. Personnel director Leo Papile and general manager Chris Wallace
flew
> to Boca Raton, Fla., to meet with the backup center Monday and made the
pitch.
>
> The club is still sorting things out and by rule cannot sign him until
July
> 16.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
> sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>
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