Re: Mike Fine: More Moves On The Way

[DJB <dajubo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Its insignificant to say that changes will be made in the future. Which team won't make changes in the future?

Also, Ainge says he received market value for 'Toine, but acknowledges that the team has taken a step back. How can that be? If he received market value, then why a step back? The team should be no worse off. If he couldn't get fair market value, then he should not have made the trade.

-David

-----Original Message-----
From: wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Oct 22, 2003 8:26 AM
To: celtics@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Mike Fine: More Moves On The Way

FIRST STEP: Ainge promises additional moves to improve Celtics
 Celtics head of operations Danny Ainge, left, and owner Wyc Grousbeck said the trade will give the Celtics some salary cap relief in the future. (Associated Press) 	
By MIKE FINE
The Patriot Ledger 
Every year for the past seven years, I've written two columns specifically about Antoine Walker. 
The first column expresses my opinion that Walker has turned the corner, that he's become an all-around team player, a player who ''gets it,'' who is willing to drive to the basket as well as judiciously shoot the 3, a forward who passes with precision and defends with aggression. 
A month later - sometimes a month before - I have a change of heart and write another column expressing my opinion that Walker is selfish, monopolizing the ball, throwing up too much junk, unwilling to head for the basket or to get out on the break. 
That's the Antoine Walker whom Danny Ainge saw as a national television analyst. It was just a matter of time that the controversial and enigmatic Celtics co-captain was shipped out of town. Yesterday, he became perhaps the most high-profile tradee in Celtics history. Ainge, who came to Boston as head of basketball operations last May professing his desire to get this team out and running for easy baskets, saw the writing on the wall. 
That Walker features one of the strangest, screwiest, nuttiest, hardest-to-peg and unconventional games in the NBA just didn't sit well. 
The trade, or a form thereof, was first proposed by the Dallas Mavericks in August and signals a shift in Celtics thinking. A team that was a game away from the NBA Finals two years ago struggled last season and was quickly dispatched by the New Jersey Nets in the first round. 
Saddled by Walker's contract, which has about $28 million remaining over the next two seasons, the Celtics could say they had two All-Stars - Wfsalker and Paul Pierce - but they could not say they could add viable pieces of the puzzle to get them to the next level. 
By adding Raef LaFrentz, they won't be able to do that, either. Nor will Jiri Welsch or Dallas' very low 2004 first-round draft pick, which was added to the deal. By shedding Walker and the $6.6 million in salary that they'll get back because Chris Mills, also thrown in, is injured and won't play for Boston, the Celtics will have some wiggle room, enabling them to make improvements. 
Mills' services aren't wanted by the Celtics, but his dollar numbers matched up for salary cap purposes, and he was added to the deal to make the trade work.
Ainge said he's not done. He can't be because this team is not very good. Ainge admitted that he's taken a brief step backward, but asked that you stay with him because improvements will be forthcoming. 
LaFrentz is a decent but not great NBA center/power forward. Again, Ainge asks that you bear with him, but know this: LaFrentz is a much better defensive player than Walker, a big man who has been among the league's top 10 shot blockers. He's a player who'll get after it and not loaf downcourt after missing a shot. He won't spend half his time complaining futilely to the refs. 
Pierce, who played with LaFrentz at Kansas, said he'll bring out the best in the big man. He said give him a chance. Every critic of the newcomer will soon understand that he was never able to showcase his talents in Dallas, where Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and others were the focal points. 
The Celtics are behind the 8-ball only a week away from next Wednesday's season opener. Throughout training camp they've had six players on the roster (rookies Marcus Banks, Kendrick Perkins and Brandon Hunter, plus added veterans Mike James, Jumaine Jones and Rusty LaRue) whom they're trying to integrate into the system. Now they've subtracted two veterans, Walker and Tony Delk, while adding two more. So there are eight newcomers, plus Vin Baker. 
The practice court already looks like a newcomer's club. Coach Jim O'Brien and his staff are going to be conducting what amounts to a three-ring circus. Management isn't worried. The emphasis remains on defense. ''Everyone knows I'm borderline obsessive about defense,'' said the coach. 
The Celtics have made many deals over the years. Red Auerbach traded Ed Macauley to get Bill Russell. He switched draft places with Golden State to end up with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. He sent Sidney Wicks out of town. He fleeced Phoenix for Dennis Johnson in exchange for Rick Robey. The team later traded Cedric Maxwell for Bill Walton and even sent Ainge to Sacramento for Joe Kleine and Ed Pinckney. 
This deal, though, might be the highest profile trade of a high profile player. Walker is a three-time All-Star. He was a great locker room leader. Walker is a nice kid who contributed much money, time and effort to charities and annually ran and funded basketball camps for inner city kids in Chicago and Boston. 
He also rubbed people the wrong way. His choice of shot selection and constant handling of the ball, resulting in turnovers, brought numerous boos his way. He always shook it off, even if it truly bothered him. 
Walker knows the league backward and forward. He knows every player. He knows schedules and trends. More important, he understands the game. It's just that when he stepped on the court, he all too often reverted to the Antoine who felt he was the show. He seemed to forget team concepts. He clashed with former coach Rick Pitino, once claiming he wasn't required to attend voluntary workouts because he was a ''veteran All-Star.'' That was after his second year in the league. 
Two days ago, when O'Brien stated that he might not have set lineups, Walker begged to differ, saying the team would, indeed, keep a set lineup. Two weeks ago, after O'Brien said that roles would change in light of the fact that the team would be running more this year, Walker said that he'd continue doing the same things he'd always done. 
Whether that was some kind of last straw or not, it's obvious that Walker didn't fit into Ainge's plans. He bit the bullet Sunday evening and made one of the most shocking trades in the team's history. Given that the Celtics were never going anywhere with Walker, they're taking a shot at making something happen eventually without him. 
Mike Fine may be reached at mikefine@xxxxxxxxxxx
Copyright 2003 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Tuesday, October 21, 2003