Wallace draws Ainge's attention

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wallace draws Ainge's attention


By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, Globe Correspondent, 7/17/2003

irector of basketball operations Danny Ainge brought a conspicuous guest to
last night's Celtics summer league game. It was hard to miss former Syracuse
star and six-year NBA veteran John Wallace. The 6-foot-9-inch forward is a
free agent being courted by Ainge, and the two plan to meet today to discuss
Wallace joining Boston for the veteran minimum.



After spending a year playing in Greece, Wallace said he would jump at any
opportunity to return to the league, especially since his overseas team did
not completely honor its contract.

''The Celtics and Danny wanted me to come in, and hopefully, talk about
something good,'' said Wallace. ''We'll see what happens. Last year, I played
in Greece, so I'd go for anything right now. If you love the game, it takes
you anywhere you've got to go to keep playing and to hopefully get back to
this point. I'd do it all over again if I had to. I'd love to play for
Boston.''

Boston is Wallace's first stop, though he plans to visit a couple other teams
over the next couple weeks. Ainge and the Celtics became interested in Wallace
when they watched him play for Minnesota at the Orlando summer league.
Minnesota, Miami, and Boston are the three teams that have shown the most
interest. ''We like John Wallace,'' said Ainge. ''Whether we'll be able to
sign him or whether he'll want to sign with us, we don't know. But there's
interest.''

He'd welcome return

If the Celtics are looking to add a veteran point guard through free agency,
Bimbo Coles is ready and willing to re-sign with the team for the veteran
minimum. He believes he could serve as a valuable mentor to the team's young
point guards and provide a tough practice opponent. ''I would love to come
back to Boston,'' said Coles in a phone interview yesterday morning. ''There
are other teams that are interested, but nobody's made an offer yet. I'd like
to play another one or two years, then call it quits. I think I can play that
mentor role and also contribute at times.'' According to sources familiar with
Coles's situation, Indiana, Orlando, Miami, New Jersey, and New Orleans have
also expressed interest . . . Rookie Kendrick Perkins did not play for the
Celtics against the Spurs last night because of a sprained right foot he
suffered in Monday's game . . . In addition to Wallace, there were other
intriguing spectators taking in the Reebok Pro Summer League. Rick Carlisle
chatted with Ainge. Carlisle said he was mulling job options as a broadcaster
with TNT or ESPN . . . Kenyon Martin also showed up, much to the dismay of the
soldout crowd. He was roundly booed but fans quieted down after he flashed a
4-0 with his fingers, reminding everyone the Nets swept the Celtics in the
second round . . . Paul Pierce was also taking in the action.

Spurs rout Green

The Celtics placed three players in double figures, but none reached that mark
in the rebounding column. They could've used it. San Antonio dominated Boston
on the boards and pretty much everywhere else as the Spurs rolled to an 85-57
win. Devin Brown (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Udonis Haslem (16 and 11) keyed
the Spurs (2-0) to a 42-26 advantage in rebounds, and the San Antonio defense
held the Celtics to 32 percent shooting. Kedrick Brown showed flashes for the
Celtics (1-1), scoring 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. J.R. Bremer, who scored
28 points in the win over Cleveland Monday, was scoreless in 27 minutes.
First-year point guard Marcus Banks was somewhat uneven, scoring 15 points on
6-for-16 shooting to go along with five assists (and 5 turnovers) . . . New
York used Frank Williams's game-high 35 points to rally from a 16-point
deficit to beat Dallas, 103-101, in triple overtime. New York received key
contributions from its rookie class. First-round pick Michael Sweetney scored
20 points and grabbed 13 boards and second-round pick Maciej Lamp scored 21 .
. . Kwame Brown scored 15 points and had 13 rebounds to lead Washington to an
88-74 win over the 76ers. Bobby Simmons scored 19 and Juan Dixon 14 for the
Wizards (1-2), who won for the first time at UMass-Boston . . . While LeBron
James was in Los Angeles at the ESPYs, his Cavaliers lost to the Nets, 71-63.
All New Jersey (2-1) starters finished in double figures, led by Donny
Marshall's 22 points.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

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