March 8, 1989
The Celtics waited patiently for the signal. The whistle blew and they were off, dribbling circles around the court, switching left, switching right. It was exactly like the drill your teacher made you do in eighth grade during Phys Ed class.
In fact, you half-expected a bombardment game to break out at any moment in the Hellenic gym.
Despite the strangeness of this back-to-basics week of practice -- which left more than one veteran giggling in transit -- this is a crucial time for many players for different reasons.
At the top of the list, obviously, is Larry Bird. He was not snickering during any drills; in fact, he went about his work with quiet resolve. But don't get carried away. His comeback mission does not begin tonight against Chicago (7:30, SportsChannel), or Sunday against Denver. Remember that March 16 date we submitted a couple of weeks ago, the one that would have Bird return with a visit to his real home, Indiana? It might just stick.
"He feels better today," said coach Jimmy Rodgers. "That's two straight days with no setbacks. That's good. But we'll have a better idea of where he is after several days.
"He will not play tonight. I guess someone said that was possible, but I assure you, it will not happen."
What will happen when Bird does return is that Reggie Lewis will get more time at the off-guard spot. With Danny Ainge producing 45-point outings in Sacramento and Jim Paxson still bothered by an abdominal/groin pull, the Celtics are thin in the backcourt. Lewis has played guard this season with some success, but needs more work on his ballhandling skills.
"I'm taking this dribbling drill seriously because I know it's something I really need to work on," said Lewis. "But the guard spot is not new to me. The only difference is I'll be guarding smaller guys."
While Lewis worked on posting up his backcourt mates, the new Big Boys on the block tried to familiarize themselves with a system they have been improvising in the past two weeks.
Joe Kleine and Ed Pinckney need the gym time as much as anyone, even though they've been getting positive feedback from their teammates.
"Ed has a great deal of athletic ability, and he could be a great player for us," said Kevin McHale. "But he has to be consistent, he has to establish himself off the bench as a guy who can give us 12 or 14 points.
"It is so vital to a team to have that. It's hard to put its worth in wins, because what it means to a team is unbelievable."
McHale already has felt the fruits of his backup's labor.
"I feel good mentally and physically," said McHale. "When Ed gets in the game, he can give me 7, 8 or 9 minutes' rest, or even a whole quarter if he gets it going.
"I remember when I was coming off the bench, some nights I felt so good I felt I could carry the team for a quarter. Ed could be that way. He could have 15 points in a quarter himself."
To do so, he must learn the plays as well as the habits of his teammates. He and Kleine worked on such subtleties after practice, first with McHale, then assistant Lanny Van Eman, then assistant Chris Ford.
"Right now, this just isn't the typical Boston team," Kleine said. "You have me and Ed, and Larry trying to come back, so that's three guys trying to feel comfortable. It's a little tough right now for everybody.
"But, hey, just playing with the guys helps. In Sacramento, we didn't scrimmage much at all."
There were scrimmages yesterday, along with shooting drills and wind sprints and rebounding sessions. As for bombardment, kickball, Capture the Flag and the rest, that was for another time, when there wasn't so much work to be done.
With the acquisition of Kleine and Pinckney, there have been no minutes left for Mark Acres, but it is center Ramon Rivas who stands to lose his job because of the trade.
The sudden overabundance of big bodies likely will make Rivas, the affable rookie out of Temple, the casualty when Bird returns.
"I'm happy the team has found some big players that have been in the league a while who have the respect of the referees," said Rivas. "I've been very fortunate to stick with the team this far.
"Only good things can happen to me from here on. Before, I was nobody, and now I'm a member of the Celtics."
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