Re: Departing captain saluted

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well guess what? We we're only 1 Super Star Team anyway....considering Toine
a Super Star is laughable. Pierce carried him for too long....

DanF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "celtics list" <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 7:30 AM
Subject: Departing captain saluted


> Departing captain saluted
> Spotlight grows hotter on Pierce
> By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 10/21/2003
>
> WALTHAM -- Paul Pierce certainly did not present himself as the player now
> carrying the future of the Celtics franchise. He walked into the Hall of
Fame
> room at the Celtics' training facility yesterday, taken aback by the
reporters
> seeking his reaction to the Antoine Walker trade. But Pierce will have to
get
> used to the added attention, because, for now, the Celtics are a
one-superstar
> team.
>
>       ADVERTISEMENT
>
> "I've got mixed emotions about it," said Pierce. "For one, I lost a good
> teammate, somebody who helped build up this organization. But I also lost
a
> friend. Just like I told the guys in the locker room, that's the nature of
the
> business. You can't come in today and mourn about what happened this
morning.
> As we try to move forward and build for the future, we trust in one
another,
> we trust in the management, we trust in the coaches that eventually
everything
> will work out."
>
> In general, Walker's former teammates were surprised by the news. Coach
Jim
> O'Brien met with each player individually before practice in the morning,
> informing them of the deal. While the players publicly put a positive spin
on
> the deal, it was clear the departure of the cocaptain left at least a
> temporary void.
>
> "It's shocking to hear news like that, but it's a part of the business
> sometimes," said Tony Battie. "I'm going to miss his trash talking. He
gets
> you fired up. He was a great leader for us while he was here. He got to
play
> his first seven years with the Celtics. I'll just miss his big head around
the
> locker room. Everything. You develop a camaraderie with these guys because
> you're with them so much during the duration of the season. You form
somewhat
> of a brotherly bond with these guys."
>
> Eric Williams had the closest bond with Walker. They were friends,
teammates,
> and business partners.
>
> "We were on the phone till, like, 2 o'clock in the morning last night and
we
> reflected a lot," said Williams. "He was here when I got traded. Now, it's
> funny how I'm here and he was traded. We're always going to be there for
each
> other one way or another.
>
> "It's a tremendous opportunity for us, at the same time, as players. Now,
> we're totally written off. It's a tremendous opportunity for us a team and
> it's a tremendous lesson for the young players to understand. Cherish the
time
> that you're here. Put everything you can on the court. Those are some of
the
> lessons I try to get from it. As far as understanding it, I can't because
I
> don't know what's next."
>
> Asked about the timing -- with the season starting next week -- Williams
> added, "When is the right timing? The players that remain with the Celtics
and
> the new arrivals will have to adjust to different roles, no one more so
than
> Pierce. He will be saddled with more responsibilities on and off the
court."
>
> "It definitely puts all the focus on me," said Pierce. "But I think with
the
> talent that we have around here, the number of guys stepping up this year,
> we're going to be fine. I think we have a number of talented players whose
> games are just going to have to open up a little bit more this year.
>
> "And we can really see what everybody's made of and what everybody's all
> about."
>
> The Celtics' remaining captain wants to make sure the trade does not
become a
> distraction, especially with the season so close at hand.
>
> "When you try to mold two new guys [Raef LaFrentz and Jiri Welsch] into
the
> system that haven't been here, it's going to take some time," said Pierce.
> "We're going to have to be able to work with these new guys. Now, we have
to
> accept them as teammates. The two guys have good basketball minds. So I
think
> the adjustment will come a little bit faster for these guys."
>
> It remains to be seen how quickly the rest of the Celtics will adjust.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
> sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx