[no subject]

Ainge knows better than most by now that as invaluable as Walker has 
been to the Celtics' rise over the last two seasons, the Celtics' co-captain 
also has too many league-wide detractors to ever bring equal value in a 
trade. Two years from now, when Walker is in his final year, the dynamic 
will be different.

But moving him now would not only be difficult on the basis of matching 
up salaries, it would also, at best, bring two or three players of mid-level 
or lower ability into the fold.

Pierce needs a player of Walker's proven game-breaking ability on the 
other side of the floor to force a modicum of honesty out of opposing 
defenses.

Depending on what filters down to the 16th and 20th picks in the draft, 
Ainge will be looking for a minimum level point guard - certainly not 
anyone in the salary ballpark of a playmaker like restricted free agent 
Andre Miller.

That could mean making another pitch for on-the-move-again Travis Best, 
or checking into more expensive propositions like restricted free agent 
Jason Terry, or Portland's Antonio Daniels. Even Erick Strickland or 
Kevin Ollie, a proven journeyman, may not look that bad for the right 
price.

Kenny Anderson or Brian Shaw, anyone?

By resolving O'Brien's extension early, all of these matters move onto the 
front burner.  And besides, Ainge also had to know what kind of loyalty he 
would have challenged if the O'Brien situation had dragged on. Part of the 
reason the Celtics responded so well in their first-round upset of the 
Pacers - just as during their run to last season's Eastern Conference finals 
- 
is because they buy into the coach's plan.  Mutiny would have been a distinct 
possibility if a new coach had followed O'Brien.

Stern stuck in the middle
While the end of the Lakers' reign brought several players to tears, 
including Kobe Bryant, commissioner 

David Stern probably doesn't know how to react.

As the unbending arbiter of salary cap purity - and thus parity - Stern has 
to love the fact that the Spurs knocked the Lakers out of the loop last 
Thursday night.

On the other hand, his ratings-starved playoffs now lack that prime 
drawing card.  Tim Duncan? He truly is the NBA's MVP. But compared to 
Shaq and Kobe, he has the appeal of dried plaster.  But so be it. The Spurs' 
second-round dismissal of the Lakers stands as further proof that the 
NBA, ever so slowly, is moving more in the direction of NFL-style parity.

San Antonio's accomplishment may be just as rare as the Lakers' ability to 
win three straight titles. Indeed, their elimination keeps them from 
becoming the only team other than the Celtics of the 1960s to win four 
straight titles.

The last team that eliminated the Lakers? The Spurs, on their way to the 
1999 title.  The Lakers' playoff victory run was thus stopped at 13 
straight series wins. Up until Thursday, the team was also 4-0 under 
Jackson when facing elimination in a playoff series.

Elbow room for Mutombo
Thanks to their sweep of the Celtics, it seems as if the Nets haven't 
played a game in a month.  And when they finally re-emerge in the Eastern 
Conference finals, rested and as cocky as ever, don't be surprised if their 
look changes slightly from the group that so soundly roasted the Celtics.
The sight of Dikembe Mutombo ceremoniously pushing a broom on the 
parquet following Game 4 was apparently the start of something bigger 
for the big guy. New Jersey coach Byron Scott has indicated that Mutombo 
may actually play in the next series.

``I believe and respect everything my coach says,'' said Mutombo. ``Coach 
and I haven't sat down and talked yet, but the moment will come when 
we talk. But I'll definitely get a chance to play more. I can see myself 
having a chance to play more.''

He certainly appears to be ready. Mutombo punctuated a practice last week 
by elbowing Kenyon Martin in the neck and knocking him out of practice.

Rogers back on track
An addendum on the Celtics/Nets series, which found Rodney Rogers 
playing some of his best basketball of the year - which may not be 
saying all that much considering his problems over the first two-thirds 
of the season.

``In the first round, we were 1-1 with Milwaukee, and then he won 
Game 3 with that jumper, and things just rolled on from there,'' Nets 
general manager Rod Thorn said of the former Celtic. ``I think the 
problem was that he was not in top flight condition when he came here, 
he missed a month, and that affected everything. But right toward the 
end of the season he played good for us, and then he became a real plus.

``The problem was that he couldn't make shots,'' he said. ``You start 
missing, and then other bad things start happening. But that's finished. 
He's making shots again.''