Walter's "offer has been upped". Ainge bidding against himself...why?

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Final offer is on table for McCarty


By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 7/19/2003

he Celtics made their final offer to Walter McCarty last night. The proposal
is a three-year deal. Speaking before the final offer was made, McCarty said
he was optimistic about getting a deal done in the next 24 hours.



''We're still in negotiations,'' said McCarty, who was reached by phone
yesterday. ''We're trying to work everything out. We're actually still in the
process. We'll see. We're both putting in a good effort. We're trying to come
together. If things work out, it can be done.''

When asked to make a guess where he would play next year, McCarty added: ''Who
knows? I want to be playing here. And I think the organization wants me here.
They're making a good effort and they're really trying to make things work and
I appreciate that. We're trying to bring it together. I had a great meeting
[Thursday] with Danny [Ainge] and Jim O'Brien. I think we were both able to
let each other know where we were coming from.''

The Celtics have said McCarty is their No. 1 option, and the team believes its
final offer is very fair.

''We're in communication with Walter,'' said Ainge. ''The offer has been upped
from earlier this evening. It's kind of a final offer and we're just waiting
to hear from Walter. Walter's our first option. He's who we're trying to get.
We like who he is and we like what he represents. He's a character guy. He's
our first choice.''

Tip of the cap Thank you, Portland, New York, and Dallas. The three biggest
spenders in the NBA last season helped create a pool of cash for teams that
stayed below or close to the luxury tax threshold of $52.9 million. Teams
under the threshold received approximately $18 million. The Celtics paid
approximately $7 million in taxes, so their return equaled approximately $11
million. But the approximate $11 million is not a surplus, according to the
Celtics' accounting. According to owner Steve Pagliuca, the Celtics are
actually ''down $3 million on the net.'' He said the team made an investment
of approximately $7 million on the basketball side and there will be an
increase in player salaries of approximately $7 million.

''We're running the team slightly below break even,'' said Pagliuca. ''So,
we're investing the tax returns into the team.''

Big return for LeBron After flying cross-country for the ESPY Awards in Los
Angeles, LeBron James returned to action yesterday afternoon at the Reebok Pro
Summer League at UMass-Boston.

Playing before another packed house at the Clark Athletic Center, James did
not disappoint, finishing with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. James
thought he performed better in Cleveland's 77-69 win over Atlanta than he did
in his Boston debut. He gave his first performance a ''C''.

''Early on, I was just trying to get a feel for the game,'' said James. ''Me
being a point guard, I was just trying to see who was coming ready to play on
my team. I didn't shoot it well, but we were able to get the victory. I get a
higher grade every time we get a victory.''

The only time James struggled was when he stepped to the line, where he went 5
for 11. While fatigue may have been a factor, James said he was not as focused
as he should have been when shooting free throws. He planned to remedy that
situation tonight when the Cavaliers face the Bucks at 8.

When asked if he would compete over the weekend James said, ''Hopefully. Right
now, yeah, I'm probably going to play [today].''Celtics work late shift

The Celtics played the fifth and final game in yesterday's summer league
action, losing to the 76ers, 91-87. Boston's second-round draft pick, Brandon
Hunter, was impressive with a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. All the
starters reached double figures, a good thing considering the Celtics played
with a depleted bench. Toby Bailey did not dress because of right knee
tendinitis, Brent Darby did not dress because of a sprained right hamstring.
Martin Muursepp was out with a right ankle injury and rookie Kendrick Perkins
missed the game with a sprained right foot. Also, Luke Recker and Bruno Sundov
were not with the team. Sundov returned to Croatia and Recker is getting
married today . . . In other action, the Wizards defeated the Bucks, 93-70, in
the first game of the day. Washington had four players in double figures,
shooting 56.3 percent. Milwaukee depended heavily on T.J. Ford for offense.
The rookie point guard posted 17 points and seven assists . . . The Nets
dispatched the Knicks, 80-66, behind the high-scoring performances of Donny
Marshall (20 points) and Brian Scalabrine (17). New Jersey pulled away in the
third quarter with a late 8-0 run . . . In the night session, San Antonio
improved to 4-0 with a victory over Dallas. Nate Johnson (19 points) and
Kaspers Kambala (15 points) led the Spurs.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

[demime 1.01b removed an attachment of type image/gif which had a name of T.gif]

[demime 1.01b removed an attachment of type image/gif which had a name of Big.gif]