RE: Will Strick come back?

[Kai_Brunnen_G@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

With Bremer and Delk, you already have your third guard compliment
filled to the brim. What the Celtics truly need is a legitimate starting PG like 
Ridnour.
Ray


> ** Original Subject: RE: Will Strick come back?
> ** Original Sender: "Stephen Beauregard" <sb@maine.rr.com>
> ** Original Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 05:56:43 -0700 (PDT)

> ** Original Message follows... 

>
> Guard has all the moves
> 
> Strickland would rather settle down
> 
> By Michael Vega, Globe Staff, 5/2/2003
> 
> ll he's ever desired from his NBA career, really, is a place to call home. A
> place to settle down, plant some roots, and spread his wings as point guard.
> 
> 
> 
> ''That's all I've ever wanted,'' said Erick Strickland, the former Celtic who
> last night found himself in the visitors' locker room at the FleetCenter
> dressing with his Indiana teammates before Game 6. ''A home.''
> 
> When he was with the Celtics last year, Strickland rented in Waltham. He now
> owns a townhouse in downtown Indianapolis, about five minutes from Conseco
> Fieldhouse. ''The last house I bought was when I was in Dallas,'' he said. ''I
> probably won't buy again -- for a while.''
> 
> Unless, that is, he can find a home with another NBA team.
> 
> ''Given what I think I give to a team, I'm going to give you all I got every
> night,'' Strickland said, sounding like a player on a job interview. ''I'm
> going to give you all I got, every night. I'm all about winning and I don't
> have any agendas. I just want to win. I just think that somebody would want
> someone who could play multiple positions.
> 
> ''But, you know, the NBA is in a luxury-tax, cash-strapped situation, and
> teams can only do so much, given what the circumstances are on their team. But
> that's all I really want, man, is a home.''
> 
> Strickland, who has led a vagabond's existence in his seven years in the
> league playing for Dallas, New York, Vancouver, and the Celtics, thought he
> had carved a niche for himself in Boston, where he was given the opportunity
> to contribute at the point as a tough-minded guard who had no qualms about
> diving for a loose ball or drawing a jaw-rattling charge.
> 
> He was the prototype defensive-minded player Celtics coach Jim O'Brien was
> happy to have. Problem was, the Celtics did little to retain Strickland,
> offering him a one-year contract for the league minimum. Tired of being strung
> along by the Celtics, who tried in vain to pursue Travis Best, Strickland
> signed with the Pacers for the same terms the Celtics were offering.
> 
> Asked if he was disappointed how things never worked out with the Celtics,
> Strickland said, ''Well, yeah, but given the circumstances with the ownership
> situation, I understood [Celtics general manager] Chris [Wallace] and those
> guys in upper management were strapped. It wasn't much they could do about it
> and so I didn't look upon it as a slap in the face or anything like that.
> 
> ''I just knew the situation. Indiana came to me and made me feel welcome, and
> I saw I had a great opportunity to play on a great team and I took that up.''
> 
> Last night, with his team on the brink of elimination, Strickland again was
> beset with questions about his future. After Pacers coach Isiah Thomas brought
> in Tim Hardaway last month -- ostensibly to bolster his guard rotation with a
> proven veteran -- Strickland's role has seemingly been diminished.
> 
> ''I've been a starter in the league, I've been a role player, I sat the
> bench,'' said Strickland, who last year played in 12 playoff games with the
> Celtics and hit 11 of 39 field goals and 4 of 20 from 3-point range, averaging
> 2.9 points. ''I've played about every role probably anybody could play . . .
> Given an opportunity, that's pretty much what I'm going to provide for a
> team.''
> 
> Asked if he would entertain a chance to return to Boston, Strickland said, ''I
> think, to sum it up, I could come back here, because of what the organization
> is about, how they treated me, the relationship I have with some of those
> players. I saw it as good a fit as any situation I've had. I'd definitely feel
> comfortable being in a Boston Celtics uniform again, and I can see it. It's a
> definite possibility.
> 
> ''Those are things I'll have to consider with my agent [Joel Bell], but I
> don't even know if they want me back and to what extent, so we'll just have to
> wait and see.''
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Steve
> sb@maine.rr.com
> 
> [demime 1.01b removed an attachment of type image/gif which had a name of A.gif]

>** --------- End Original Message ----------- **