Is it going to be Doc Rivers?????

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

the Orlando Sentinel is speculating there is interest on the part of the C's in today's edition . . . 
                                     
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Williams could be back in familiar spot

Pat Williams knows a thing or 2 about NBA lotteries, having won 3.
Published April 5, 2004


Finally, the Orlando Magic might be striking fear into the rest of the league.

They likely will call on Pat Williams and all his mystical powers to win the NBA draft lottery.

Who else would you chose but Pat to represent the Magic in hopes of changing their luck?

Williams, a senior vice president, says that Magic GM John Weisbrod has approached him about presiding over the club's most significant lottery moment in 11 years.

Other teams surely don't want to see the affable, long-time league exec on May 26 in Secaucus, N.J., site of the annual televised event.

Pat has won three lotteries -- two of them for Orlando.

Williams was on hand as general manager when the Magic won the 1992 lottery (Shaquille O'Neal) and the 1993 lottery (Chris Webber, later dealt for Penny Hardway).

What made '93 so special (and galling to the league) was that the Magic -- who had just missed the playoffs with a 41-41 record -- had only a 1-in-66 chance to win.

"[Commissioner] David Stern couldn't wait to embrace me after we won it and got Shaq," Williams said. "But then next year, he did not want to see my face. And you knew that new legislation was going to get passed before the end of the day."

Because of the Magic's improbable victory, the league tweaked the rules to help the worst teams.

As GM of the Philadelphia 76ers, Williams presided over the Sixers' lottery win in 1986. They beat out the Celtics and curmudgeon Red Auerbach to pick.

"Red kept blowing cigar smoke at me," Williams said. "The air was so polluted, I chipped a tooth."

The Magic are on track to finish with the worst record, thereby having the best chance (25 per cent) to win the lottery.

Williams doesn't know what sort of good-luck charms he'll be taking with him this time. "I've taken Lucky Charms cereal, horseshoes, sacks of ping-pong balls, family heirlooms [from fans] and rabbit's feet," he said. "The thing about rabbit's feet is that they're lucky for everybody but the rabbit."

Pot of shots

Post-It to the Sacramento Kings: That loud construction work you hear outside your door is the Lakers building a championship run. . . .

One of Allen Iverson's favorite tricks to ward off reporters is to hold his cell phone to his ear and pretend he's engaged in a conversation. He was busted recently when it rang while he was "talking." . . .

Rumor mill: The Boston Celtics will see if Doc Rivers is interested in coaching them. Rumor mill II: Don't rule out Doc investigating the Golden State Warriors if a coaching vacancy opens. . . . Doc not only is playing co-ed flag football to stay in shape, but his in-laws recently gave him a kayak. We can only assume he's not up the Rivers without a paddle. (Sorry).

First fooled

On April Fool's Day, Magic rookie Zaza Pachulia's prankster teammates arranged to have his car moved from its original parking spot at practice. They also hid his gym bag.

Told later he had been traded, Pachulia, who hails from the Republic of Georgia, laughed, "Is this one of those first of April jokes?"

Talk the talk

Miami Coach Stan Van Gundy, after the Heat's Caron Butler scored 30 points in a win over Chicago only hours after the birth of his first child: "The hard part for Caron is the team decided he had to have a baby every day." . . . Detroit Coach Larry Brown on San Antonio defensive ace Bruce Bowen: "He's a lot like Eddie Haskell of Leave it to Beaver, and we mean that as a compliment. He's a pest." Score that as our first "Beav" reference of the season.

Magic mailbag

Brian: Great column ("Minor League System Would Help Young Guys"). I've been talking about the same thing with friends for a couple of years since all the high school players have hit the NBA. I've never understood why the NBA allows the overall product to fall apart due to inexperience. . . . Maybe David Stern or some other muckety-muck will be reading your article and a thought will be instilled.

Mike Kerry Oconomowoc, Wis.

T-Mac hangs it up early

The Magic announced that Tracy McGrady's season effectively was over last Wednesday.

The club had been saying that T-Mac was, ahem, "day-to-day" with a sore left knee. But McGrady told Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal that he was shutting it down when the Pacers were in town six days earlier.

Apparently, folks with the Pacers knew it first after O'Neal broke the news to the crew that televises Indiana's games.

Mike: As a matter of fact, Stern revealed last week that the NBA is planning an upgraded minor league system, although I doubt he took my advice. See, I had also asked Stern if a running clock could be used for the rest of the Magic's games this season, and I haven't heard back.

Brian Schmitz can be reached at Bschmitz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx He can be seen regularly on the Magic Television Network's pregame shows. Join him tonight at 7 p.m. on Sporting News Radio AM 660 and each Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. on the Terry Bowden Show on AM 1080 ESPN.