Fwd: Earnest Brown to the rescue.-Herald

[JB <jim_metz@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: JB <jim_metz@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: April 6, 2004 6:35:50 AM EDT
> To: Celtics' Stuff <Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Earnest Brown to the rescue.-Herald
>
> Banks earns more playing time
> By Steve Bulpett/ Celtics Notebook
> Tuesday, April 6, 2004
>
> MIAMI - John Carroll is keeping a closer eye on his point guard
> situation these days. With Marcus Banks  [news] playing much better
> the last two games, the interim coach has to decide whether the rookie
> can handle a bigger role as the Celtics seek to clinch a playoff
> berth.
>
>      The club clearly would not have turned the corner toward
> prosperity without the February addition of veteran Chucky Atkins, but
> Banks had 13 points against Golden State and 24 against Washington
> over the weekend, shooting 17-for-22 in the two games with a total of
> 13 steals.
>
>      He still lacks Atkins' court savvy, but his individual defense is
> an upgrade.
>
>      ``I think Marcus has earned tremendous respect from his
> teammates,'' Carroll said. ``That's the most important thing. And I
> think that his performance the last two games has been wonderful.
>
>      ``As for working Marcus and Chucky, I think it's a team game and
> we've got to understand that. We've got to be able to put our best
> players on the court, whoever that is at the moment.
>
>      ``I think it's a combination of the two of them, and I have to
> monitor that.''
>
>      Ernest goes to camp?
>
>      The Celtics are working on getting Ernest Brown in for a 10-day
> contract, according to sources. The club would like to have the
> 6-foot-10 post player under contract at the end of the season so they
> could have the first shot at him over the summer.
>
>      Brown is a New Yorker who was drafted by Miami out of Indian
> Hills (Iowa) Community College in the second round in 2000. He got
> into three games with the Heat in 2001-02 and has since played
> overseas and in the NBDL.
>
>      He averaged 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 19.0 minutes in nine
> games for the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBDL this season.
>
>      Radio switch
>
>      Sean Grande will likely be on ice for two of the remaining three
> games on the Celtics' road trip.
>
>       The team's radio play-by-play man will definitely miss
> Saturday's game in Atlanta because he's working the NCAA Frozen Four
> finale for Westwood One radio, and he'll probably be out for tomorrow
> night's game here against the Heat because it would be tough for him
> to guarantee being back for Thursday's early game in the hockey
> tournament.
>
>      If, as expected, he doesn't work here, predecessor Howard David
> will man the microphone with former partner Cedric Maxwell. David, who
> lives in the area, does a morning show on sports radio and is the
> voice of the Dolphins.
>
>      Grande will fly to New Orleans for Friday's Celtics game, and he
> will charter with the team to Atlanta that night so it will be easier
> for him to catch a direct flight back to Boston early Saturday
> morning.
>
>      Miami heating up
>
>      The Miami Heat can clinch a playoff berth if Cleveland loses to
> Toronto tonight. Such a decision would also knock the Celtics' magic
> number for the postseason from 3 to 2.
>
>      Miami has won 13 of its last 16 games, overcoming a slow start
> (0-7) after Pat Riley handed the coaching reins to Stan Van Gundy
> before the start of the season.
>
>      ``I just think that Stan has been with the team a longer time
> now, and he's a wonderful coach,'' Carroll said. ``The players knew
> who he was and had tremendous respect for him as an assistant coach,
> but it's a little different when you're running things. He was in a
> situation like me a little bit, where it happened and the beginning
> was very tough because it's just a shock to the whole team. But once
> they got through that process, they got themselves back on course.
> They had some injuries, obviously, but I think that they're an
> extremely talented team. If you look at Eddie Jones and Caron Butler
> and (Dwyane) Wade and (Lamar) Odom and Brian Grant, they've got really
> good players. I think they have a good system that a lot of those guys
> have played in for one, two or three years, so the new guys like Wade
> and Odom were able to fit in with guys who knew what they were doing.
>
>      ``I think they're like our team a little bit in the sense that
> they just play hard, and they know what their jobs are, and they go
> out and get the job done. And in the East this year, if you can do
> that you're in good shape. If they hadn't gotten off to such a slow
> start, they'd obviously be even farther ahead.''