[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Battie & Williams

Everyone and their grandmother (in the Boston press) seems to be chiming in this morning about how either Battie or Williams or both may be gone next.

Ainge said Monday he's not through dealing. Who's next? Tony Battie?
Williams? He'd hate that. Absolutely hate it. "Antoine and I were the
oldest Celtics," said Williams. "That bond was broken. In the back of
my mind I'm thinking, I'm on the last year of my contract. Maybe
they're totally going in a new direction."

Listen to coach Jim O'Brien and you'd think Williams didn't have
anything to worry about. That he'd be around for a while. "I told Eric
the other day, 'You give me confidence when you're on the floor,"' said
O'Brien. Williams had 18 points in 19 minutes in the Celtics' 96-80
cruise over the Timberwolves last night at the FleetCenter.

While I'd personally like to see the C's hold onto both (see previous post on Battie), if I had to choose, I'd like to see Eric Williams stay. It's obvious OB sees him as the leader, and I've often thought EWill would make the perfect 6th/7th man to anchor the 2nd unit and provide off-the-bench energy/hustle/leadership. I think he's comfortable enough with his role to not care about starting too.

I'd like to see the C's resign him this summer to a reasonable contract -- a tad over the Vet. min. -- since i doubt he'd get much more elsewhere. However the writing certainly looks to be on the wall with Kedrick & Jones the SF of the future.

The rumor that Boston and Toronto were talking about Battie (+ Mills) for Antonio Davis really perked up my ears. I had suggested earlier this year a Walker for Davis trade, so if they could get AD for Battie it's an example of one of those "true" PF's i'd trade Battie for. Heck throw in Dallas' 1st rounder if you have to. AD wants out of Toronto and may unleash himself on the EC if he gets his way -- and he'd fit right into the renewed running C's.

I'd love a lineup of:

1/  Banks
2/  Pierce
3/  Brown
4/  A. Davis
5/  LaFrentz

and a 2nd (3rd) Unit of:
1/  James
2/  EWill (Welsch)
3/  Jones (McCarty)
4/  Baker (Hunter)
5/  Perkins (Blount)

The other nice thing about AD is that his contract runs 2 more years (Like Baker's) when he'll be 38. With 2 expiring nearly-max salaries (AD + Baker) it seems we'd be in a great position to add a premium FA to go with our core of Banks/Pierce/LaFrentz/Perkins/Brown/(hopefully a reasonably resigned)Ewill/Welsch.

(the other) Mark