LaFrentz gets into the flow

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

LaFrentz gets into the flow
By Mark Murphy/Celtics Notebook
Thursday, October 23, 2003

For a guy who was just getting his feet wet in a new city, Raef LaFrentz
probably couldn't have asked for much more out of the Celtics' 96-80
exhibition win over the Timberwolves last night at the FleetCenter.

     The new Celtic big man, after just one morning of practice, chipped in
nine points and five rebounds in 19 particularly active minutes.

     ``I expected to play just about as much as I did, and it felt really good
to get out there and do some things,'' he said. ``I'm pleased with the way
things went.''

     In one respect he was also surprised.

     ``One thing that took me by surprise is the intensity on this team, from
the top to the bottom,'' said LaFrentz.

     ``I'm coming into a good defensive team, which I didn't necessarily
leave.''

     LaFrentz obviously already knows how to please his defense-obsessed
coach.

     ``Hard to believe that he was just here for one day, and didn't start
practicing until (yesterday) morning,'' said Jim O'Brien. ``He certainly paid
attention for the 3 hours we were together. I thought he played really good
basketball, did a lot of good things defensively, and was a smart offensive
player. He did some really nice things.''

     LaFrentz was also clearly moved by his reunion with Kansas teammate Paul
Pierce [news].

     After watching Pierce nearly record a triple-double in 29 minutes of
work, one thing was abundantly clear.

     ``Paul is such a different player now,'' said LaFrentz. ``He does so many
different things easily. A player like that makes it easier for everyone.''

     Baker impresses

     Yet another big exhibition game from Vin Baker (eight points, 11
rebounds, 25 minutes) impressed a coaching staff in need of good signs.

     ``Vin is playing great,'' said O'Brien. ``You can't play any harder than
Vin is playing - it would be impossible. And I think the fact that he got 11
rebounds in 25 minutes is something I would love to see every night.

     ``Twenty-five minutes of play might be a little light in how much you
have to play Vin,'' O'Brien said. ``I think Vin has to be on the court as much
as possible. He's doing some solid things, and letting the game come to him.
He's also passing the basketball.''

     Knee no big deal

     The tempest in a particularly small teapot that briefly rose over the
tendinitis in LaFrentz' right knee is not a big deal, according to director of
basketball operations Danny Ainge.

     ``All it is is tendinitis,'' he said. ``Many of us play with that. That's
what a `hot spot' is.''

     Consider the MRI that Dallas doctors probably saw of Antoine Walker
[news]'s knees, for example.

     ``I'd venture to say that Antoine's knees would look a lot worse than
Raef's,'' said Ainge.

     LaFrentz, however, allowed that he had ``dinged'' the knee in training
camp.

     ``It's fine - a little dinged, but everyone is a little dinged right
about now,'' he said. ``It's just a type of tendinitis.''
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx