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| Tuesday, October 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last year: 19-31, fifth place in Atlantic Coach: Rick Pitino Arena: FleetCenter (18,624) Last NBA title: 1986 Record the last 5 years/NBA rank: 138-240 (22nd)
Outlook By Steve Bulpett Basketball News This shouldn't be a make-or-break year for a team three seasons into a new program and coming off a lockout-aided fiasco. But Rick Pitino has taken a gallon of green paint and brushed himself and his club into quite a corner. When Pitino came to Boston, he said the Celtics would contend for the playoffs in years three and four of his regime. But during last season's mess, he was asked if he still was guaranteeing the club would make the postseason in the third year. Pitino bit, and he is now fully aware of what he hath wrought. "Actually, when I made the original statement, it was before the draft," Pitino says, recalling the impetus for his optimism. "At that point, I thought I was going to have either (Tim) Duncan or (Keith) Van Horn-and maybe even both. So it wasn't really stepping (out) to say what I said. In essence, I was expecting to have a different team." Ultimately, Pitino lost out on Duncan in the draft lottery and missed out on Van Horn when New Jersey traded up with Philadelphia prior to the player dispersal. "I was talking about the playoffs, but I was thinking that if we had Duncan, we'd not only be in the playoffs, we'd be vying for a championship in the third year," Pitino says. "But even without him, I still figured we could contend for a playoff spot in the third and fourth years. As it stands now, we've had to speed up the process. I went along with what people were asking me last year because I understand that people become very impatient. "And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. We're just moving up our goals. It's what I call good pressure. It's the kind of pressure you want in life. Your back is to the wall and you've got to come out fighting. That's what we have to do if we're going to achieve our goals. But regardless of what I say, that's not going to make it happen. The players are going to make it happen."
Kenny Anderson remains a key figure, with the Celtics hoping they get the one they saw when he first arrived in February 1998 -- not the one who struggled last season. Anderson admits he didn't do his job properly in the condensed season, but he insists it was part and parcel of a disjointed team. Too many people were complaining about getting the ball, and he erred by giving in and failing to run the offense properly. It is important that Anderson is also talking now about career windows closing. If he plays with proper urgency, the Celts will be far better off. Rookie Wayne Turner figures to get serious minutes under the coach who recruited him to Kentucky. His lack of shooting ability is actually seen as a plus on a team with so many willing hoisters of the rock. Dana Barros is traditionally counted out at this point in the season, but he's always found a way to play an important role. Displaying theretofore unseen point guard skills last season boosted his stock and belied his image as simply a shooter.
Shooting guard The Celtics signed Calbert Cheaney as a veteran presence, while Cheaney comes to Boston looking to regenerate a sagging career. Things had gone south for him in Washington, but in choosing the Celtics, Cheaney declined to go south geographically. He could have made more money in a sign-and-trade deal sending him to Miami, but Bobby Knight, his coach at Indiana, spoke well of Pitino. It is interesting to note that another free agent, reigning CBA MVP Adrian Griffin, would have seen a good deal of playing time on last year's squad. But this season Griffin, though well appreciated by the coaches, will likely be looking at just spot duty.
Small forward As the preseason wore on, Pitino was looking at keeping Walker at the 4-spot, with Eric Williams and Walter McCarty manning the 3. Williams gives the Celtics a slasher who will get to the free throw line, a quality the club lacked badly last season. The fact he is also a great friend of Walker's from their initial Celtics days means two talented players could be pushing each other here. McCarty is coming off a season in which he missed games because of three different injuries. This time he's had a summer to find and develop his stroke, and if he gets minutes, he could prove to be more than simply a gangly body to use on the press.
Power forward Fortson should eventually serve in a complementary role to Walker, forgiving many of his misses with strong work on the offensive glass. On a team where seemingly everyone wanted to shoot on each possession last year, it is refreshing for the coaching staff to have someone who believes that missed shots are the plays being run for him. With a new six-year contract extension in tow and a stronger body from offseason work, Tony Battie claims he's ready to make those intriguing flashes from a season ago a more consistent part of his game.
Center Pitino isn't allowing himself to count on Pervis Ellison being available, but so far the oft-injured center has done well through camp. And while the coach says flatly that a healthy Ellison is the best center the Celtics have, the only ray of hope he has comes from the fact that this is Ellison's last year under contract. Expect Battie and even Fortson to see some pivot time as well.
Coaching There is no question he knows the game, but micro-coaching has worn thin over an NBA schedule, and Pitino knows he must cede more control to the players. If Anderson can handle the offense without much sideline help, it will go a long way to quieting the high-volume monologue from the bench. The biggest impediment for Pitino the coach may be Pitino the president. But while he's not putting anything into stone, he insists he is ready to go to battle with his current roster. Material from Basketball News.Visit their web site at http://www.basketballnews.com |