Ainge adds to braintrust

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ainge adds to braintrust
By Steve Bulpett/Celtics Notebook
Sunday, October 19, 2003

MANCHESTER, N.H. - John Niednagel made his first appearance with the Celtics
yesterday, and if you don't know who he is just know that Danny Ainge wouldn't
be running the club today if he weren't available for consultation.

     Niednagel studies ``brain type'' and has developed a strong reputation
throughout sports for being able to determine a player's capacity to perform.

     Just how important does Ainge think he is? He was ready to pay Niednagel
out of his own pocket before the Celtics agreed to put him on the roll.

     ``He's as good an evaluator of talent as I know in professional sports,''
Ainge said last night before the Celtics edged the Pacers, 84-80, in a
preseason game at the Verizon Wireless Arena. ``He looks at the same things
you and I would look at in a player, and then he adds to that what he refers
to as brain type. It's a very important way of being able to project what a
player will do and what kinds of things you can do to get him to maximize his
abilities.

     ``I've known John for 15 years, so he's had an influence on me in
understanding that we're all made different. Some guys are feelers, some guys
are thinkers, some guys are intuitives, some are extroverts, some are
introverts. How we're raised and all of that stuff are factors.

     ``I think he's one of the brightest minds in sports. I think he can help
people in their lives. But what he does doesn't have as much of a bearing as
what coaches do.''

     Ainge is still formulating plans for how Niednagel will be used here.

     ``I may give him a special assignment if I feel there's a need,'' he
said. ``I'm not going to put him in front of our whole team. I may give him
one player that I think he might be able to help. He's basically my
consultant. I think that sometimes people get nervous or don't understand it,
so quite honestly I haven't talked to my coaches about John at all. John helps
me.

     ``I wouldn't have taken the job with the Celtics if I wouldn't have been
able to use John's help.''

     Early Pacers slowed

     With seven Pacers unable to go (Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest and Reggie
Miller among them), C's coach Jim O'Brien said last night's affair ``was as
irrelevant an exhibition game as could possibly be played.''

     Vin Baker did have his best night with 11 points and eight rebounds in 24
minutes. But even though Indy shot just 34 percent, O'Brien didn't like his
team's defense (33 fouls were too many). . . .

     Eric Williams (strained back), Jumaine Jones (strained hamstrings) and
Tony Delk (strained calf) didn't dress for the C's. Jones is expected back at
practice tomorrow.

     Bird follows Rocket

     New Pacers director of operations (and, oh, yeah, Celtics legend) Larry
Bird wasn't happy that Roger Clemens was pitching on the Yankees' side against
the Sox.

     ``I've been following Roger's career all along,'' said Bird, who got the
biggest ovations of the night when spotted by the crowd. ``I thought it was a
shame that he had to leave Boston. I thought he was the perfect fit. . . .
I've always admired him.'' . . .

     C's fans will want to be on the lookout for the just-released, ``High
Above Courtside: The Lost Memoirs of Johnny Most,'' written by former Herald
scribe Mike Carey.
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx