Fenton, Brockton Enterprise Checks In

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Ainge makes his move
By Jim Fenton, Enterprise staff writer
WALTHAM  Grady Little can thank Danny Ainge for moving the attention of Boston-area sports fans away from him on Monday.
The stunning five-player trade  featuring Boston Celtics' co-captain Antoine Walker  that Ainge finalized with the Dallas Mavericks took the spotlight off the beleaguered Boston Red Sox manager.
"I guess he might be the happiest guy in the valley right now,'' laughed Ainge, the Celtics executive director of basketball operations.
The second-guessing of Little's Game 7 decision to leave Pedro Martinez in for the eighth inning against the New York Yankees was placed on the back burner.
The new decision up for discussion was Ainge's deal that sent Walker and guard Tony Delk to the Mavericks for center-forward Raef LaFrentz, guard Jiri Welsch, forward Chris Mills and a 2004 first-round draft pick.
The fact that Walker was traded by Ainge was not exactly a stunning development, given the rumors that have been in the wind since the summer.
The fact that the best the Celtics could come up with for the versatile power forward was an underachieving former lottery pick was a head scratcher.
When all is said and done, the trade boils down to Walker for LaFrentz, and on paper, it is a swap that doesn't make the 2003-04 Celtics a better team.
The Celtics hit fans with a considerable ticket price hike in the summer, and taking a step back is not something those paying customers were looking to get with the hefty increase.
Welsch played only 37 games as a rookie with the Golden State Warriors last season and needs work, and Mills will likely be on the injured list all season due to an ankle injury.
That means the Celtics need LaFrentz  and other newcomers to the rotation  to make up for the versatility and production Walker provided.
Walker averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game a year ago and through seven years is averaging 20.8 points and 8.7 rebounds. LaFrentz, the No. 3 pick in 1998 by the Denver Nuggets, is averaging 12.2 points and 7.1 rebounds through five years.
Ainge said the hope is Kedrick Brown, whose minutes will increase in his third season with the Celtics, newcomer Jumaine Jones and point guards Marcus Banks and Mike James can help offset the loss of offense provided by Walker.
LaFrentz, who was buried in the Mavericks' deep rotation last season when he scored 9.3 points, will get prime playing time. The Celtics hope he can block some shots (after finishing second in the league in 2001-02) and provide more accurate shooting than Walker.
"Antoine Walker has been an excellent Boston Celtic,'' said Ainge after making his first major move since behind hired last May. "He's been a leader in the locker room on this team and an All-Star the last two years.
"We feel we needed to go in a different direction with this team. We feel Raef LaFrentz is a quality center in this league. Those guys are hard to find, seven-foot guys who can block shots and shoot 40 percent from the 3-point line. We're excited about it. We think it's a good direction to make us a better team.''
Walker was likely not going to be re-signed by Ainge in the summer of 2005 when his contract is up. Walker attempted to get a contract extension at the maximum salary this summer, but was rebuffed by Ainge.
He will make $13.5 million and $14.6 million the next two seasons in Dallas. LaFrentz signed a six-year extension worth $69 million before the 2002-03 season, and the Celtics will owe him $62.7 million between now and 2009.
For Ainge's sake, the 27-year-old LaFrentz had better be a valuable contributor throughout the course of that deal or else this trade is going to set back the Celtics.
They are already saddled with one bad contract in Vin Baker and can't afford to be handicapped with another for the long term.
By trading Walker for LaFrentz, the Celtics will have $5 million exception available to sign a free agent next summer, something they couldn't do this past offseason.
Ainge said the Mavericks approached him in August about the trade, which was revived last week before getting agreed upon on Sunday night. 
The Celtics look at the trading of Walker as a step that had to be taken to make them a better team down the road. Ainge said he studied the situation throughout the summer and in the preseason and decided it was best to move Walker.
"I think Antoine has had a grasp on this franchise because he's been the best player here for quite a while,'' said Ainge. "We're going a different direction. 
"Both teams are in different scenarios. I can't sit here and tell you we are an NBA championship team right now. I just don't see that. I'm not satisfied with winning 44 games in the regular season. I don't think that's a great accomplishment.''
Since so much of the offense went through Walker, things will look different this season. Banks, the rookie, and James will have to carry the load in setting up the offense and Paul Pierce will find himself getting even more attention.
"It puts all the focus on me, but I think with the talent we have, the number of guys we have stepping up this year, I think we're going to be fine,'' said Pierce. "I think we have a number of talented players who will have to open up a little bit more this year. They now have a chance to really expand their game and we have a chance to see what everybody's made of.''
Coach Jim O'Brien said it will take time for the offense to find its way. LaFrentz has little time to get adjusted since the season begins a week from Wednesday.
"Certainly we're moving in a different direction,'' said O'Brien. "There would be no other way to look at it. But it's a direction I'm comfortable leading the team toward.
"The offense ran through Antoine because we didn't feel like we had strong enough point guard play. We feel we can develop strong point guard play this year. It's going to be different.''