| | By Eric Karabell
ESPN.com
So how many years has Rick Pitino been here? The answer is the much-heralded former Kentucky coach has had three seasons in Boston, and he and the fans have seen nary a postseason game. And it's not like the Celtics have just missed, either. In three years, the Celtics have finished 10, 12 and 12 games under .500, safely tucked in the lottery. So what's going on in Beantown?
|  | | Antoine Walker led the Celtics in scoring and rebounding, but could he be better? |
On the heels of our spotlight on another team that played golf during the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks, we profile the Boston Celtics in our second offseason team spotlight. However, smile Celtics fans, your team appears closer to getting to the playoffs than the Hawks. We have our opinions, which are below, and we also wanted yours. Thanks for letting us know your opinion on the Celtics by e-mailing us. To see some of the comments, click here.
Why the Celtics were 35-47: It all starts with the star player, Antoine Walker. Is he supposed to be a perennial all-star stud, a guy who carries the team to wins by shooting, scoring and leading on a consistent basis, or is what you see what you get? Walker has nights when he looks fantastic, scoring in the 20s with good rebounding and passing totals. Then he has nights when he shoots 5 for 20. Also, Walker doesn't appear to have what it takes in the personality department to be a Charles Barkley-type leader. We won't ask if he wants to be a role model.
For better or worse, it's Walker and Pitino who bear the brunt of these lottery seasons. Not Paul Pierce, who the city of Boston has embraced. Not Kenny Anderson, whom nobody likes as person or player. And after actually seeing him play, fans expect very little of the harmless Vitaly Potapenko, who in a roundabout way cost the Celtics a shot to draft Andre Miller. The Celtics stunk again because they lack leadership, rebounding, passing, and to some degree coaching. Pitino has to be blamed for some of this. The Celtics were knocking on the playoff door in March until a 10-game losing streak settled the matter.
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Current projected top 6
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PG
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Kenny Anderson
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SG
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Adrian Griffin
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SF
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Paul Pierce
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PF
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Antoine Walker
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C
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Vitaly Potapenko
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6th
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Eric Williams
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Team MVP: Pierce. Team LVP: Calbert Cheaney. Talk about overrated. Averaged a meager 4 ppg. Surprise! We thought Danny Fortson would really help the team. But he battled injuries and Pitino, and now he's a free agent. Up and comer: A few choices. Pierce might overtake Walker as the first scoring option soon. Adrian Griffin should be well rested to make it through an entire season. And top pick Jerome Moiso should get an opportunity.
What they need: Every team would love a Tim Duncan manning the middle. Oooh, that one really stings Pitino, who probably wouldn't have this job had he known he was going to lose out on getting Duncan in the draft. Potapenko is serviceable, that's all. What the Celtics need is a big man who scores and rebounds and scares opponents when they drive the lane. The overly slender Tony Battie led this team in blocks with 70, and Walker was the only player who averaged more than 6.7 boards. This is a soft team. Maybe Armen Gilliam can be brought in -- he'd fit right in.
At the same time, Walker has to figure out if attempting 285 three pointers (and hitting only a quarter of them) is really what he's about. He has to be more consistent and not disappear in some games. Walker did shoot .430 from the field and .699 from the line this season -- below average percentages but both career highs, believe it or not. So maybe he's going in the right direction. That's what the Celtics need. A better point guard (Anderson averaged a lame 5.1 assists per) wouldn't hurt either.
What the plan is: The first thing the Celtics need to know is whether Pitino is staying. Of course, he has a contract, but that hasn't stopped coaches and teams from parting in the past. Every time a major college opening becomes official, Pitino's name is mentioned. And some of that has to be coming from Pitino.
Next, the team has to decide if Walker is staying. He won't be easy to deal, however. Moiso, a 6-10 forward from UCLA who looks and plays a little like Battie, could get time right away. The Celtics have three free agents (Fortson, Pervis Ellison and Doug Overton), and Pitino won't miss any of them. Huge salaries from Walker, Anderson and others handicaps the team from being aggressive on the free agent market (but Ron Mercer coming back is a possibility). So what you see now is pretty much what will start the season. And that's not entirely bad, since the Celtics appear to have the talent to win half their games. But why do they never seem to?
Direction heading: The Celtics should be better than 35-47, but not much better. In the average Eastern Conference, producing Pitino's best season isn't far-fetched, but the playoffs probably are.
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