Cleveland game, Rasheed trade, etc.

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Strange game last night. Kind of all over the place. There are some good
things happening right now. Carroll is trying to get Pierce to give up
the ball and run off screens/move without the ball in order to get more
open shots. And it's working some of the time. Unfortunately, Pierce and
the team revert to old/bad habits down the stretch. Still, if Jiri hits
a couple of those shots down the stretch - shots he usually makes - the
Celts probably win that game.



The problem continues to be rebounding and point guard play.



On the point guards - You really feel it at crunch time, when you
desperately need to get a good shot, you need your point guard to make
sure you get that shot. The Celtics have two guys who don't do that.
Yes, Banks plays good defense. I'm seeing little progress in running the
team. Check that - I'm seeing no progress in running the team. And James
is what he is. He's a good backup point guard. The Celtics have two guys
who probably should be backup point guards. I know everyone is going to
throw Chauncey Billups out there when I'm criticizing Banks, but let's
get a few things straight about Billups - 1. He was/is bigger than
Banks; 2. He was/is a better shooter than Banks; 3. He was/is a better
passer than Banks; 4. seven years later, he's still not a point guard.
So if Billups is your argument for having patience with Banks, then I
think that's a flimsy argument. Unfortunately, there aren't many
upgrades out there. Brent Barry would be an upgrade.



The rebounding problem is more difficult. As long as Mark Blount is your
starting center, you're going to have rebounding problems. You'd need
Dennis Rodman at power forward to make up for those rebounding problems.
But, until Kendrick is ready, it looks like Blount is the guy. Let's
face it... the team is going to have to pay either Mihm or Blount after
this season. Who is more likely to get paid? My guess is Blount. As much
as I like what Mihm brings, he hasn't been able to stay on the floor.
I'm obviously not advocating over-paying for either guy, but unless you
want to go into the season without a center, one of them has to be back.
If it's Mihm, you'd better have a darn good backup, because Mihm wakes
up in the morning with two fouls. If it's Blount, you're back to your
rebounding problems. Power forward is the area we all agree needs to be
upgraded. Raef comes back next season, but he's not the answer to the
rebounding woes-but he'll help. They really need a banger. Good luck
finding one in trade or with the mid-level exception. Short of trading
Pierce, I'm not sure how you get that guy. Maybe you wait it out for
Kendrick, who looks like a double-double guy in a couple of years.
Kendrick-Raef could be a pretty good C-PF combo.



The thing Ainge can't do - and I don't think he will, because he has a
great grasp of the big picture - is overpay to fill a need for this
year's team. This year, I'd just continue to push for more time for Mihm
and Hunter - the two best rebounders on the squad. In fact, the best
move Ainge could make this season probably would be finding a taker for
Walter. That would force Carroll to play Hunter more of those minutes (I
think).



As for the Rasheed trade... Very interesting deal. The Blazers got great
return in terms of talent in Shareef and Ratliff. This is a good example
of the value of an expiring contract and the willingness to take on
contracts someone else doesn't want. In terms of talent and baggage, you
wouldn't think Rasheed would command Shareef and Ratliff. But with the
Hawks looking to dump salary and the Blazers willing partners, they were
willing to send out a ton of talent for two players (Rasheed and Wesley
Person) they won't re-sign after the season. That's why I think Ainge
would be selling short if he did Mills for just Jahidi White. That's not
helping the Celtics at all. The Suns have to give up something valuable
- Vujanic, Cabarkapa, Lampe, a first-rounder, something. Remember,
Mills' contract is especially valuable because not only does it come off
the books after the season, but this season it's being paid by
insurance. A team can save a fortune and clear considerable cap room.
That should be worth something valuable. The key is finding a team
desperate for that cap space.



Sorry so long and dense. I wrote this in a rush.



Mark