A status report on what Ainge has to deal with

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A status report on what Ainge has to deal with


By Peter May, Globe Staff, 5/14/2003

hey held the Last Luncheon yesterday. The Celtics players, coaches, and team
officials gathered for a breakup repast at their training facility in Waltham.
All we can wonder is the following: What will Danny Ainge have for dessert?



It's now Ainge's team. He has a decision to make on his coach and assistant
coaches. He has a decision to make on his internal staff. And he has 14
players under his command, of which seven are free agents and an eighth, Vin
Baker, is in rehab. Here's a look at the player menu that Ainge has before
him, with the players listed alphabetically.

VIN BAKER

Contract status: Three years remaining at nearly $44 million.

The man who may have done more to bring in Ainge than anyone else -
involuntarily, of course - is still in rehab. We hear he's doing OK, but we
haven't heard that from Baker. So who knows? The Celtics' plan still is to
bring him back next year, provided he toes the line to the specifications
listed in the infamous suspension agreement from February. That includes,
according to league sources, completing a six-step recovery program before he
is cleared to play.

If Baker does all that, you soon will hear two words associated with his name:
expansion draft. If he doesn't return, or can't play, the Celtics may turn to
more Draconian options, among which are the following under NBA regulations:

A buyout: In this case, the two sides agree on a figure less than $44 million
and Baker goes his merry way. The Celtics would get some cap relief if this
were to occur. For instance, if the sides agreed on a $30 million buyout,
Boston would get $14 million of relief spread over the three remaining years.
But that still would leave Baker on the books for three more years at an
average of $10 million per - when he's not even on the team.

A retirement: This would be a simple case of Baker deciding he's had enough, a
la Bison Dele. In that event, if he filed retirement papers with the league
and the Celtics did the same, his money would come off the cap. All of it.

A retirement due to medical reasons: This would be a ruling that Baker's
condition prohibits him from playing. If that were to happen, then a date
would have to be assigned as to when the condition started. Then, depending on
the date, Baker's money would stay on the books for 11/2-2 years from that
date.

Termination: This is the most Draconian option. But this also might be the
option of choice if Baker goes into relapse and can't complete the terms of
his suspension agreement. The Celtics simply would terminate the contract,
ending their obligations, citing Baker's inability to live up to the
agreement. All the money would come off the books, which would be major cap
relief for the Celtics. You'd undoubtedly see a response from the Players
Association and the matter would end up in arbitration.

As it stands, the Celtics and the union still have not resolved all of their
differences over the language in the suspension agreement. There is a deadline
this week for the union to act or further extend the deadline.

TONY BATTIE

C ontract status: Three years remaining at $14.4 million.

Who knows how much his right knee really hurt? He'll soon get it fixed, and he
is one of the Solid Seven under contract for next season. At an average of
$4.8 million over the next three years, he could be considered a bargain at
the center position. He should be sticking around.

MARK BLOUNT

C ontract status: Free agent.

He was a big addition in February, especially after Baker was suspended. He's
a serviceable backup center, which means he could get some offers elsewhere.
The Celtics undoubtedly would like him back, but almost certainly at the NBA
minimum of around $875,000. It's hard to see him getting much more elsewhere,
and he's comfortable here.

J.R. BREMER

C ontract status: Free agent.

He played for the rookie minimum this year. He'll play for the second-year
minimum next year. Sure, he was a find of sorts, but only because the point
guard situation was a disgrace. Bremer walked into the ideal situation. If he
ever joined another team that actually ran an offense and didn't subsist on
3-pointers, he'd be lost in a hurry. And with Ainge needing to upgrade this
spot, Bremer becomes a backup-backup.

KEDRICK BROWN

Contract status: One year at $1.757 million, with team options for two more
years.

Here is where Ainge can put his stamp on the team. The Celtics have until
Halloween to exercise an option that would guarantee a fourth year for Brown
at more than $2.3 million. Based on what we've seen, why should he do it? If
Chris Wallace were making this call, it'd be a no-brainer because Brown was
his pick. Ainge has no such tie, and Brown has been a major disappointment in
his two years here. The fact that the Celtics were out-athleticized by the
Nets cried for someone like Brown to make a contribution. But he never got off
the bench. Maybe that's Jim O'Brien's fault; we don't see Brown in practice.
And we know Brown is a fave of new owner Steve Pagliuca, who played freshman
basketball at Duke. The risk of not extending him by Halloween is that Brown
decides to play in Year 3, and actually plays well. He then would be a free
agent. But he's already had two years to prove himself and he still can't beat
out Walter McCarty.

MARK BRYANT

C ontract status: Free agent.

Thanks for the time, Mark. Just a thought: With his time earlier this season
in Philadelphia, does he get two playoff checks?

BIMBO COLES

C ontract status: Free agent.

A nice stopgap late in the season when Tony Delk was hurt. Thanks for the
time, Bimbo.

TONY DELK

C ontract status: Three years at $9.4 million.

In one sense, he's a bargain. In another sense, he has three years left. But
Delk is a nice guy to have around. He had a tough year with injuries and with
family woes, but he played well in the postseason. But Boston also is his
fifth team in seven years. O'Brien likes him and Delk should be back.

GRANT LONG

C ontract status: Free agent.

He looks like someone who would make a good coach. At 37, that may be his best
shot to stay in the game, although he has expressed a desire to be back and
he's a great locker room guy.

WALTER McCARTY

C ontract status: Free agent.

He had his best season since his first year in Boston. He had a wonderful
playoff series against Indiana. Then the Nets proved something most people
know: If you guard McCarty, he's basically useless on offense. It will be
interesting to see if there's any action on this guy from elsewhere. O'Brien
would like him back. McCarty is comfy here and knows the system. But if I'm
Ainge, I go no higher than the veteran minimum and wish him well if he does
better elsewhere. Does he deserve more? Probably. But you don't blow through
the luxury tax threshold for him.

PAUL PIERCE

C ontract status: Five years at more than $69 million.

He's as safe as safe can be. Or should be.

BRUNO SUNDOV

C ontract status: One year left at $751,179.

Sundov has the option on the deal and has said he intends to invoke it. Given
how much time he played, and how much he was touted by Wallace and Leo Papile,
he is anything but a sure bet to stick around even if he does.

ANTOINE WALKER

C ontract status: Two years left at $28.125 million.

Here's the interesting rub. He's eligible for an extension that, under league
guidelines, could start at 12.5 percent beyond the $14.625 million he makes in
2004-05. Don't look for that to happen. But Walker also can exercise an escape
clause after next season, in which case he would look for a bigger, longer
deal and forfeit the $14.625 million. That would be risky and it would depend
in large part how he plays next season. He does represent the most tradeable
commodity in terms of talent (the Nets series notwithstanding) and contract
flexibility (he makes a lot, but he has only two years left, maybe even one).
But he's also the second-best player on the team, and any deal would have to
include a real good point guard or big man.

ERIC WILLIAMS

C ontract status: One year left at $5.5 million.

Williams wants an extension, but he isn't likely to see one, especially since
he'd command nothing close to $5.5 million in today's NBA economy. Players
like Williams, in the last year of a contract, are attractive to other teams
in trades, especially at the trading deadline. That's why it makes sense for
Ainge to hold on to him and see what gives. It may be that Ainge lines up with
O'Brien and sees Williams for what he is: a valuable mucker. Either way,
expect a market correction for 2004-05.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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