Catching up on everything

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

1.	Brandon Hunter... Maybe he turns into Malik Rose. Let's face it. The
odds are against him. He was the 56th pick in the draft for a reason, and I
don't think it's just his size. But maybe he's that rare player who slips
through the cracks and becomes a real contributor. But I'm not going to hang
anyone if he doesn't make the team. I hope he wows everyone. My gripe with
Obie on this is relatively minor: He's close-minded. Instead of saying "This
guy has a great opportunity. We need rebounding and if he can provide it, he
can find a role on this team. It's all up to him." Obie says: "Our rosters
stacked; the odds are beyond long... " Give the guy a chance, Obie. Why send
the message to him that there's no room for him, regardless of how he plays
this week?

2.	The "crowded roster... " The problem is they need producers with
their new acquisitions because Wallace left the bench stacked with
non-contributors. You have Baker, Sundov, Kedrick, Blount and now Kendrick
all eating up roster spots without doing much. Plus, you have a rookie point
guard who may or may not be ready for significant minutes (we all hope he
is, but we really don't know). The sad truth is there isn't a lot of room
for another developmental player. If Hunter shows he can contribute
immediately, great. But, if not, Ainge probably needs to go out and find
someone who can. That's just reality.

3.	The Knicks still after Walker... It has to involve Thomas and
Sweetney if it's just Antoine... or it has to dump Baker along with Antoine
(for lesser returns). That's it. BUT... if the Knicks are researching Walker
by calling Pitino, that sounds to me like it's a little more serious than
just a quick phone call.

4.	Orlando signs Juwan Howard... Another East team got significantly
better.

5.	The Grizzlies are discussing a sign-and-trade with the Clippers that
would send Wesley Person ($7 mill left for one year) and his soon-to-expire
contract (and a future first-rounder) to LA for Michael Olowokandi on a
longer-term deal at comparable money. Would they do the same deal for Eric
Williams? That's an interesting idea.

6.	Summer roster... I know all these guys are long shots, but I've
always been intrigued by Toby Bailey. The guy was an unbelievable athlete at
UCLA and seemed to have a real feel for the game. But he never developed a
consistent jump shot and couldn't find a fit in the NBA. He's the longest of
long shots for the Celts, but I'll be watching him. One of those guys who
just caught my eye dating back to that freshman season at UCLA. Quick
scouting report on Brent Darby from Ohio State... He's a 6-foot shooting
guard who played a lot of point guard. Not an NBA player at all. 

	Mark