Celtics flying a new flag: Colors get passed to Pierce, new faces

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Celtics flying a new flag: Colors get passed to Pierce, new faces
By Mark Murphy
Wednesday, October 29, 2003

His picture may still be flying from lamppost banners from the FleetCenter to
Kenmore Square, but there won't be any mistaking the difference tonight.

     For the first time in seven years, starting with tonight's game against
Miami, the Celtics will open a season without Antoine Walker [news].

     Everything from the number of launched treys to the on-court chatter will
be different - definitely quieter.

     When Paul Pierce [news] looks for someone to take pressure off those
hacking double teams, the target will be Vin Baker. Or Kedrick Brown [news].
Or Eric Williams and Raef LaFrentz.

     Talk about a new look.

     Talk about a new attitude.

     ``It will be a different feeling to go out there and not see No. 8,''
Pierce said after yesterday's practice. ``But that's something that I have to
get used to. All of the pressure is on me right now.''

     Not so, if coach Jim O'Brien is able to reconfigure his rotation
following the trade last week that sent Walker and Tony Delk to Dallas in
exchange for LaFrentz, Jiri Welsch, an impending $7 million salary cap slot
otherwise known as Chris Mills and a 2004 first-round draft pick.

     Pierce surmised last week that he could be the only returning starter on
the opening night roster from a year ago, and he couldn't have been more
correct.

     Baker - the league's biggest comeback story as a result of his fight to
kick alcoholism - will take Walker's old spot at power forward.

     Mark Blount, off the strength of his grinding defensive work during the
preseason, has won the starting center spot.

     Brown, hoping for a breakout year while beginning his third NBA season,
was convincing enough in just about every area to nail down the starting small
forward job.

     Mike James [news], largely a tutor to rookie Marcus Banks [news] at point
guard, begins the year as the playmaker of note.

     Which brings us to Pierce, who figures he'll have to excel at a lot of
everything to push this team back into the playoffs.

     ``But all I can do is to try and go out and do the same things I've been
doing since Day 1 in training camp,'' he said. ``I'll have a lot of help. We
have a good combination of veterans and young guys who can really get up the
floor and get a running game going.

     ``We'll be a more competitive group, from top to bottom.''

     The Celtics, if not quite as talented on the top end this time around,
are certainly deeper.

     With LaFrentz, Williams, Walter McCarty [news], Banks and, eventually,
the injured Jumaine Jones bringing firepower off the bench, the Celtics are
less likely to fall into the prolonged scoring droughts that were so common
last season.

     ``We really didn't have to make a lot of adjustments,'' coach Jim O'Brien
said of the scramble following the Walker trade. ``When you make a turnaround
as quickly as this one, you can't change a lot, anyway.

     ``We didn't have to throw away a playbook,'' he said. ``As the season
goes on we'll find more ways to use Raef and Jiri's strengths.''

     Not to mention the strengths of a host of others, some of whom played
only peripheral roles during the Walker administration.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx