Re: [Celtics' Stuff ] Digest Number 1172

[PScottman@xxxxxxx]

If you slept in yesterday (or were out of the country watching the Tour de France or something) you probably awoke to a VERY different NBA to what we just finished the previous season with - and Free Agency just started. To recap the biggies...

LA - now a powerhouse with Malone and Payton joining Shaq and Kobe.

Det - fired R. Carlisle and hired L. Brown.

NJ - Added Mourning to a resigned Kidd

Ind - Larry Bird named new VP of Basketball Ops.

NO - resigned PJ Brown

So what does this mean? I dunno, none of us do, but on the surface it means to me that standing pat won't cut the mustard this year. "More of the same" won't produce the same results. I don't necessarily prescribe to the "raze and kill em all" philosophy that some do, but I do believe that some key things have to happen for the Celtics to be able to be in the top three next year in the East.

1. New offense. This is by far the most imperative. We have avoided major injury the past two years by sheer luck with the amount of minutes and pounding our current offense demands from AW and PP. It is a must that we spread the offensive load through a running/motion offense.

2. Rookie contributions. I expect nada from Perkins - he's a high schooler. I expect he plays in about six games max - all blowouts - all in the last two minutes. Banks however is a different story. He must play 15-20 min. per game minimum and drive a running offense. Otherwise it will be more of the same "spot up shooters at the PG position" meaning offense running exclusively out of the SG and PF. Today's newspaper sounds ominous as to the fate of Hunter. He's the PERFECT foil to AW as he's a rebounder that can likely play the 3 and do the PF dirty work AW can't/won't. According to the Herald article this morning OB has already stashed the kid in Europe no matter how he plays in the summer league. Way to leave your options open Jimmy. If we have more of EW playing most of the minutes at SF we'll not have the rebounding needed to run a more fast break offense no matter who is the PG.

3. Resign Blount. He's a better rebounder then McCarty and began to show glimpses of fire and passion he didn't have previously. For the min. or just above it he's a solid backup Center.  Sundov is a waste and we would've cut him if it had been our contract option and not his and Battie needs a true center back up (not Baker or McCarty or Sundov). Now if we can sign Skinner instead that would be fine as well but I don't count something like that yet.

4. Something or nothing from Vin Baker. Yes, I'm waffling, but not a lot. Basically either Baker plays and plays the whole year as an actual part of the team at his actual position (PF) or he doesn't play at all. No middle ground. No "we don't run plays for him" or on again, off again soap opera about depression and other distractions. In or out - no middle ground. If he sucks bench him. If he doesn't suck, include him. It's that simple (but keep trying to trade or retire him Danny!).

If we do those three things I think we'll be in the hunt regardless of the changes other teams have made.  Unlike some I don't count "potential trades" as a factor until they're consumated. Same with FA signings. "We'll be great if we sign Antonio Daniels" for example is a non-starter with me. I'll think about the impact of such a thing when it actually happens.