Re: espn draft news

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

< Douglas, what about Way's "sources?" Doesn't Egg have "sources" 
also? I seem to remember something about Egg mentioning "sources" 
when I came back on-list. > - PMaurice

Paul, may I consider your sarcasm a challenge?   

Prior to any of these issues being reported and/or officially confirmed 
in ANY newspaper or professional sports website, I posted that Wallace 
was gone, that owner Pagliuca was a meddling owner, that Cowens 
would not be the new GM or coach,  that Ainge would likely allow Obie 
to stay on, that Ainge had received permission to utilize the mid-level 
exception.

And yes, Paul, I also posted several times that your boy Walker was 
going to be shopped, had been shopped, and that worthwhile offers had 
not come through.  And I stand by that statement today.

Egg
-----------------------------------------------------------
Re: Trade Walker?

*   To: Celtics@xxxxxxxx
*   Subject: Re: Trade Walker?
*   From: Eggcentric@xxxxxxx
*   Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 20:34:25 EDT
*   Sender: owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx

Take this for what it is worth.  It came to me from a fourth cousin 
whose landlord's third cousin works with someone whose niece 
babysits for a neighbor of one of the new owners.  

- WALLACE is gone (and has privately been told so).

- OBIE is teetering on the edge, but likely gone (the owners are 
reluctant to make such a wave prior to the end of the season).

- WALKER is going to be shopped.

- COWENS may be brought in as Head Scout, but not as Head Coach or GM.

I guess I see Obie and Walker as sort of being attached at the hip.  
As Sean G. suggested, it is certainly possible that under a ''real coach 
and a real system'' we might see a new Walker. But how probable is that? 

It is also possible that without Walker, Obie would switch to an entirely 
different offense.  But that too, does not seem probable as I still 
have visions of Wallace and Obie smugly anticipating how their 7' 2'' 
find, Sundov, was going to launch a zillion 3's over the heads of all 
those helpless little perimeter defenders. 

Ironically, Walker has 15 points in the first half tonight, but few 
rebounds and assists.  Now back to the game.

Egg

------------------------------------------------------
Timing - distraction but future hope?

*   To: Celtics@xxxxxxxx
*   Subject: Timing - distraction but future hope?
*   From: Eggcentric@xxxxxxx
*   Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 10:52:33 EDT
*   Sender: owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx

Anyone else here think the timing of the Ainge announcement 
unfortunate?  I mean, here we are in the middle of an important playoff 
series, so couldn't this news have been postponed a bit longer?

The answer is - no, it couldn't.  And the reason is because of Ainge's TNT 
connection. It would have been a gross conflict of interest for Ainge to 
continue as a TNT color commentator for the Celtics-Nets playoff series
knowing he was at the same time signing on as head of bball operations 
for the Celts.  Something had to give.

Wallace's fate and Baker's fate were both sealed back in February when 
all the facts of the Baker trade came out ... albeit never to the public, 
not then and probably not in the future. 

Since those closed sessions, Wallace and Obi, Wallace and Baker, Baker 
and Obi, have not spoken a word to each other.  Remember reading (see 
full article reprinted below) that a former Seattle Supersonics 
assistant coach was suing Baker over being promised $1 million to 
massage the trade that sent Baker to the Celtics?  That lawsuit and 
all its ramifications, rendered both Baker and Wallace naked and liable, 
without a leg to stand on.  Neither has been heard from since. 

And remember Bob Ryan's dissing of Grousbeck et al? Well the new 
owners, before a sprinkling of common sense was sifted into their 
naive heads, were actually prepared to have their very own trustworthy
Steve Pagliuca placed in charge of the draft/trade decisions in lieu of 
inking a new head of operations guy.  After all, MBA's don't go gently 
into that dark night of swallowing three year contracts like Wallace's 
(even after informing him he was OUT) unless they feel the court of 
public opinion and their future revenue will shrink.   

In his morning column, Bulpett writes that the Celtics actually denied 
Atlanta permission to speak with Wallace and player personnel director 
Leo Papile about openings with the Hawks.  I do not understand this, 
because for all practical purposes, Wallace and Papile are now lame 
ducks so wouldn't you think that the Celts ownership would just love 
to rid themselves of their contracts?  But then I do not know how 
Wallace and Papile's contracts read, and wonder if Wyc et al are 
merely (albeit naively again) holding out for a 2nd round draft pick or 
a reasonable facsimile for their lame duckies before gleefully 
releasing them from their contracts.

On a POSITIVE NOTE -  Prior to signing, Ainge has allegedly forced the 
owners to reverse course and consent to at least shelling out $4.5 mill 
for a mid-level contract this coming season.  

On a IS THIS A GOOD OR A BAD NOTE-  I have been told that Obie who is 
perceived by many to have made lemonade out of Wallace lemons, will 
likely be allowed to stay on for at least one more season as long as he 
is willing to make a few concessions to Ainge.  Berry's contention that 
Obie and Walker are connected at the hip is right on, so my hope is that 
Obie's first concession will be to replace his 3-point, no-motion 
strategy with ''real'' and exciting bball, but that his second concession 
will be to agree with Ainge that trading AW for a player(s) who more 
fits into the Ainge concept will be good for our team.  

Sure Wallace made lots of moves which Obie felt forced to go along 
with.  But keep in mind that it was Obie who honestly thought he 
could get by with non-distributing, 3-pt. shooting PG's like Delk and 
Shammond, and even 3-pt. shooting big guys like Sundov and Wolko.  
When he found it was not working, he then implored upon Wallace to 
trade the disappointing Shammond, allow the ''I can't believe they 
signed me'' Wolko to exit, and permanently place the useless
Sundov on the IR.  Enter the discarded Blount, and practice players 
Long, Coles, and Bryant.  Oh the folly of it all.

Ainge will be faced with all our future $$$$ constraints and baggage 
that years of bungling from Gavitt to Carr to Pitino to Wallace have 
caused. Our hope is that gradually he will be able to bring about a 
return to real bball vs. the present 3-pt. sham we have been forced 
to endure.

I do not expect Ainge to be a Moses capable of parting the Red Sea. 
Yet the only way to resumption is to resume.  The mere addition of 
him to our team makes me more optimistic than I have been in 
many a recent season.  And that is good.

Egg