I never got around to grading last years picks.  I really
wanted to but I ran out of time.  I bring this up because 
this years Celtics GM (who was also last years Celtics GM)
 
  Ellie Cutler

had the best pick in the draft.  She selected Michael Finley with the
14th pick (who was really picked #21 by the Suns).  Finley went on to
have a great rookie year.  Way to go Ellie!!!

This year Ellie (and the Celtics) select:

  Antoine Walker, SF, 6-8, Kentucky

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Once the pride of the NBA, the Boston Celtics continue their run
bringing up the almost-rear of the league's weakest division. 

This was the year the Garden was demolished (although the parquet and
the banners made the move to the new Fleet Center).  It was time to
start a new tradition -- a tall order for a mediocre team. Reality was,
not much was expected of the Celtics this year. ML Carr debuted as
coach, much to the amusement of many NBA fans, including several in
Boston. So sure were the hoopgods that the combo of ML and the current
Celts roster would be a disaster that no less than (ex beat writer,
current SI writer) Jackie MacMullan herself said she would lick ML's
shoes at midcourt if the team won more than 30 games.

The Good:
She'd better hope ML has some nice flavored shoe polish. The Cs ended up
with a 33-49 record, far better than expected. Rick Fox had a
breakthrough year, Dino Radja was solid at PF, and the undrafted
David Wesley blossomed into a bonafide point guard. Pervis Ellison had
flashes, when healthy, of the player he could have been. Cedric
Maxwell resurfaced in town to do the color commentary on the WEEI radio
game broadcasts (hoist his number!). Eric Williams proved a good pick
(when he got the minutes), and played in the all-rookie game. The Cs
have a young roster. Other than Alton lister, Pervis Ellison and Dee
Brown are the elders (6 and 5 years in the league, respectively).

The Bad:
Dana Barros never produced as he did in Philly, Todd (Night and) Day
played up to his MO, and Dee Brown was still inconsistent and looking
to be traded (this from the Captain yet!). Montross had a season-long
slump. Doug Smith spent most of the season on IR.  Cups of coffee
included Larry Sykes, Charles Claxton, Thomas Hamilton, and Todd
Mundt.

By position:

PG: Wesley is the guy. Undrafted by the NBA, followed by stints on the
Wichita Falls Texans and the New Jersey Nets, he has come into his own
after a year of injuries. He can penetrate, shoot the three, and he's a
good defender. An original 2 guard, his ballhandling and assists are
only going up the more he plays at the point. Dee backs up. So does
Barros, sort of...

SG: Dana Barros he didn't have the minutes and the ball like he did in
Philly, and had a subpar season as a result. I think he'd be good off
the bench as a microwave, and could be more consistent than Todd Day.
Minor is a FA - unclear if he'll sign w/Boston. Day has a year left on
his contract. Dee plays here, as does Fox in a pinch. Nobody is solid
here; Minor is the best of the bunch (he took 3rd place in the Slam
Dunk contest, for what it's worth). They could still use a
consistent scorer here , though I don't think they'll take one in the
draft.

SF: Fox started, and produced well. He had lots of 15+points,  8 or so
RB, 8 assists, and a few steals type of games. He hustles and plays
good D. I think *he* should be captain. He's shown much more heart and
leadership than Dee Brown. Eric Williams is the man in the wings here.
He's a sparkplug, and proved to be worth the pick. Hope he can get more
minutes. Junior Burrough plays both forward spots.  He didn't get the
minutes to do much, but seems to be an aggressive player.

PF: Radja was the man, till his injury. I like Dino, but he's soft
defensively and not very quick. We need aggressive rebounding, hustle,
and blocking in the lane. Boston's paint is the easiest in the league
to waltz through. If we can get some scoring from the 2G (they have
it from PG and SF), I think Dino should be dangled as trade bait. Pervis
Ellison, aahhh. When he was on, what a joy to watch.  This summer will
be a good test - it will be the first full summer he can work out and
train and get/keep his knees in shape. He's with the trainer he loves
(Lacerte), and has a committment to himself.  I think he'll be solid
next season, and is more special because he plays center as well. Also
in a show of solidarity, Ellison decided not to enter the free agent
market, and not to terminate his contract w/the Cs. By doing this and
not opting out, he goes on the payroll at his actual salary 1.76 mil,
leaving Boston another 1.1 mil to sign free agents. Pervis prob
wouldn't have gotten a better deal elsewhere, without a solid
injury-free season under his belt.

Center: We're in deep doo-doo if the Cs really trade Montross (lots of
rumors of him being shopped around, like to Cleveland). Alton Lister,
Ellison, and Thomas Hamilton played at the 5-spot when Montross was
injured. Eric was slumping before that, but I think he's better than a
mediocre center - he had some good games. He's certainly a better
alternative than signing Stojko Vrankovic or trading for Rony Seikaly!
If not, we don't have enough bodies to risk a trade unless we draft
Eric Dampier or Todd Fuller and throw them into the fire.

Thomas Hamilton teased everybody. In 12 minutes vs Juwan Howard and the
Bullets, he scored 13 points and pulled down 6 rebounds (just for fun,
that extrapolates to 52 points and 24 rebounds over 48 min.) He's 7-2
with soft hands and good feet and great moves, but he weighs about 350
Pillsbury doughboy pounds. A high school teammate of Rashard Griffith,
he's never shown the fortitude to do something about his weight.  He's
currently on suspension, and was basically told to get his weight down
this summer or don't bother showing up for training camp. The aging
Alton Lister (who arrived with Todd Day in the Sherman Douglas trade)
did himself proud and proved to be more valuable than just a trade
throw-in. He started 14 of the last 16 games when Montross was on IR,
and performed well on the boards.

Coach: ML did a good job. My biggest complaint is his tinkering - his
style is to play the bulk of the roster  20 minutes a game, which keeps lots
of players from finding a groove (but does let others get more time
than they might otherwise.) Just when someone was doing good and
getting up to 30 minutes, they'd get yanked down to 10 min for a few games. 
Though ML started the season as the laughing stock of the NBA, I felt he
aquitted himself admirably. I don't think he should hold down three
jobs, though, and should give Dennis Johnson a chance at coaching.
Although Peter May wrote recently that "there is a widesperead
assumption among NBA people that Rick Pitino will take over the Celtics
within two years."

Moves:
Nobody on this roster is untouchable, and I would listen to all offers.
Free agents: it would be nice to keep Greg Minor. I would go after
Juwan Howard, Allen Houston, Dale or Antonio Davis.  Mutombo certainly
would clog the paint, but he's not tough enough for me. He whines,
counts stats, and won't play offense. Assorted rumors circulating
include trading for Rony Seikaly (please no!), and Dana Barros for Rasheed
Wallace (ok by me).

Needs:
Generally, the Cs have poor defense. They need a 4/5 who can rebound
aggresively.  They are also inconsistent almost to a man. They need a
leader, they need consistency, they need a go-to guy, they need someone
to clog the paint, an inside intimidator, and they still need a 2G who
can score consistently (though Minor could be this, with the minutes,
and contribute better D than the likes of Day or Barros). They need too
much from one draft.  Unclear who they'll go after in the FA pool.

Draft pick:
Antoine Walker, Kentucky. BPA. Good rebounder, strong, can shoot,
handle the ball, is quick, plays D, can play both forward positions,
and is tough. So what if we have two other small forwards?  Walker is
young (19) and growing. I think he can be a go-to guy, something the
C's desperately need.  With his versatile skills, there's plenty of
room for him on a team with Fox and Williams.  His downside: he's a kid
who will need a lot of guidance to stay clean and on track. He needs to
be real about his current level, be open to learning and fitting in
(good sign that he did this at KY this season).  He tends to not always
see reality, and will not be the physical consistent force that you'd
get from, say, a John Wallace.  But there is a lot of potential that,
if harnessed right, will see him grow into a leader and great player.


Others considered.
Roy Rogers. Actually, if I knew more about his playing ability, he
might have been my 1st choice. Has two qualities the Cs need: he's a
leader, and he's aggressive.  He's an athletic 4/5 who can block shots.
He also has two degrees (marketing and finance) so can help ML out in
the office in a pinch. Supposedly not much offense yet (though went
11-17 from the field at the Nike Desert Classic), but will develop it,
I think.

Who the Celts will probably take: Barring trades or trading draft
positions, I really think they'll go for an aggresive paint player.  I
don't think Walker will be available at #9 next week.  If they trade
Barros for Rasheed Wallace, they could take a guard (Delk, Kittles, or
Kobe Bryant, if he's worth it). They may try for one of the Greek
centers, or Todd Fuller but I don't think so.