Ainge's quick trigger not for Best: Turns his attention to Mike James

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ainge's quick trigger not for Best: Turns his attention to Mike James

Celtics Notebook/by Mark Murphy
Friday, July 25, 2003







Say this much about Danny Ainge: The Celtics director of basketball operations
doesn't waste time.




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When free agent Travis Best balked at the team's minimum-scale offer on
Tuesday, Ainge changed direction, and yesterday made a minimum-level offer to
guard Mike James - ironically a player who came off the bench behind Best in
Miami last season.

Though Ainge said last night he was waiting to hear whether James had accepted
the offer, which would pay the two-year NBA veteran approximately $638,679
next season, Best's agent had little doubt that James would accept.

``Of course he will,'' said Forest King, who was caught off guard by Ainge's
crossover move.

``I was under the impression that when Danny got back from Utah (yesterday)
that he would be talking to Travis,'' King said. ``Instead, he told me that he
had made the offer to James, and that was it.

``Yes, we had asked for more,'' King continued. ``We were looking at the
Boston opportunity as a chance for Travis to return home, and also from the
standpoint of where the team was; you know, the fact that they wanted to be
deeper at the point position to go deeper in the playoffs.

``Travis and I both thought he could really go in there and help, but then
sometimes I think the objectives are different than winning,'' King said.
``Not to give a player a chance to consider an offer is puzzling.''

Best, a Springfield native who earned $1.4 million with the Heat last season,
hoped to sign a similar deal with the Celtics for next season.

Ainge, however, made it clear he was not budging from the team's bottom-line
offer of approximately $980,000 - the minimum amount for a nine-year veteran.
Anything more would have pushed the Celtics into luxury tax range.

On Monday, King and Best had dinner with a number of Celtics officials,
including general manager Chris Wallace, director of basketball development
Leo Papile, head coach Jim O'Brien and assistant coach Dick Harter - who was
an Indiana assistant during Best's time with the Pacers.

But King now feels he came away from that meeting with a false sense of
security. Ainge, he believes, had a different agenda. Ainge was in Utah at the
time of Best's two-day visit to Boston.

``What it boils down to is that the Celtics have a committee, and that can
really change things,'' King said. ``We thought they would give us time to
think about the offer, but the general manager and his staff don't make the
ultimate decision. That obviously comes from Danny.''

Ainge now will wait for James - a combo guard whose 7.8 points and 3.2 assists
per game last season mirrored Best (8.4 ppg, 3.5 apg) - to say yes.

``My feeling is that there's only five true point guards in the game today,
and everyone else is a combo guard,'' Ainge said. ``A big problem in this
league is coaches who try to take guards and turn them into point guards. I
think all guards should be able to run, shoot, dribble, pass and think
intelligently.

``We like Mike James,'' he added. ``He's a really good get for us.''

Brass can't hide

The new Celtics owners will find it more difficult today to defend their
insistence that they're under tight financial constraints.

The club has said it is limited in its free agent options by luxury tax
consideration (illustrated by the Best/James decision), but league sources say
the team will be getting a total of $14.45 million in rebates.

Broken down, the Celtics will receive $5.7 million from the escrow fund
(essentially a refund from the players), $6 million in per team share and
$2.75 million in other distributed funds.

Those figures are in addition to the $10 million the team will get in improved
ticket revenues (based on a significant price increase for the coming season)
and its share of expansion money from the addition of Charlotte.

Sky brightens for Baker

The news from Miami concerning Vin Baker is positive.

``(O'Brien) saw him and said he's working hard and looks real good,'' Ainge
said of the coach's visit to the troubled reserve center. ``He's very
encouraged.'' . . .

The Celtics are moving very close to a contract with second-round draft pick
Brandon Hunter. Details still are being worked out, but it is likely the
6-foot-7 power forward will come in for a two-year deal (the first year
guaranteed).

Steve Bulpett contributed to this report.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

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