X-Man Questions 'Nique Signing

August 25, 1994

Celtics basketball head M.L. Carr, who has been basking in the warm glow of positive feedback from a flurry of signings, was doused with a bucket of ice water yesterday - from a member of his own camp.



Forward Xavier McDaniel became the first player to publicly question how the addition of Dominique Wilkins, Blue Edwards, Derek Strong and Pervis Ellison will affect team chemistry and distribution of minutes, particularly his own.

Other players have chosen to complain privately, and without attribution, but McDaniel said if Boston objects to him venting his frustrations, then "too expletive bad. I'm only telling the truth."

McDaniel said he had just finished his morning workout in South Carolina a few weeks ago when he picked up the paper and learned of the Wilkins signing.

"That's how I found out about it," he said. "It doesn't take a expletive genius to figure out they are going to play the guy 35 minutes a night.

"So where does that leave me? All I know is, I signed with Boston two years ago and they told me I'd fit in. But all I've done is sit on the bench.

"I'm tired of it. I don't know why they signed me. I gave up a lot of money in New York to come here. The only reason Boston wanted me was to keep me away from the Knicks."

McDaniel said he has nothing personal against Wilkins, an eight-time All-Star.

"I have nothing bad to say about him," he said. "I'm not afraid to battle Dominique on the floor."

McDaniel said he waited a week until after the Wilkins signing before he called Carr to find out where he figured in the team's plans.

"I told M.L. they are paying me all this money, but I really haven't done anything since I've gotten here," McDaniel said. "My minutes haven't been there.

"I asked M.L. to be straight with me. Before he became the general manager, he was always straight with me."

And now?

"I don't know," he answered. McDaniel said Carr told him he would play with Wilkins, and would draw time at both big and small forward.

"He told me they were going to play Blue at the 2 spot shooting guard," said McDaniel. "But Blue is basically a 3 small forward. I've played against the guy. I know. You can't tell me Chris Ford is going to keep him at the 2 spot the whole time. He's not stupid. He's going to see that will put Blue out of position.

"Even without Blue, you still have Rick Fox and me and Dominique at small forward. If you play Dominique 35 minutes, then do you give Rick and me five minutes?

"All I want is for these guys to be up front with me. They don't have to b.s. me for two straight years."

When told about McDaniel's comments, Carr appeared unfazed.

"This team is more competitive, on paper, anyway, than it has been in some time," he said. "Clearly, we are stronger at some positions.

"Do I fault X for questioning this? I don't. I won't suppress X. As far as I'm concerned, X has the right to say whatever he wants. I take it as competitive spirit."

McDaniel could have exercised an option in his contract to become an unrestricted free agent last spring. In light of what's transpired, is he sorry he didn't do that?

"I'm sure the Celtics wish I did it," he said. "But how can I walk away from what I've got? They are going to pay me $ 2.66 million this year, then another $ 1.5 million when they buy me out next season.

"My friends have been asking me, 'What do you care about? Playing or money?' I care about both. If I wanted to play for nothing, I could stay here in South Carolina and do that all day."

McDaniel's relationship with the Celtics has been deteriorating for some time. In fact, the veteran said, after the April 6 game in Atlanta last season, when he played only sparingly, he refused to return to Boston on the team charter.

Instead, he spent an extra day in Atlanta, an off day for the team, and returned to Boston the following day for a game against Minnesota.

"Basically, I decided, 'Expletive this expletive,' " he said. "They told everybody my dad was sick, and that's why I stayed behind. But that wasn't true.

"I thought when I came to Boston, I was coming for a fresh beginning. Things started out OK, but when the Globe wrote that story about players accusing me of busting plays, it went all downhill from there.

"After that, Chris put me on the bench for a couple games. And when he put me back in the lineup, he said he thought I had 'learned my lesson.'

"Well, I hadn't learned nothing, because I didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't busting plays.

"That thing hung around. After I took a shot, Chris would say to me, 'Did you see that guy who was open over there?' I'd say, 'No, I didn't, but I don't hear anybody asking these other guys if they notice me not getting the ball when I'm open.' "

McDaniel said he told Carr he'd welcome a trade, something Boston has been unsuccessfully trying to orchestrate for nearly a year.

"I'm not mad at any of the signings they made," McDaniel said. "You should always do what you feel is best for the team. But you've got a logjam at my position.

"So if I'm not in the plans, then try to ship me along to another team.

"I'm 31 years old. I believe I can still play. I can still put the ball in the hole, but I've got to have shots and I've got to have minutes.

"I play hard every night. Chris Ford can't look me in the eye and say otherwise. I've got scars all over my body. I played all season with a bad back. I should have taken three weeks off and rested the thing, but I didn't. I played through it."

McDaniel said he isn't the only one who is frustrated with how last season was handled.

"All the guys were," he said. "We should have been much better than we were, but we needed the right people in there.

"But once they gave guys time instead of making guys work to get it, it was over.

"Are you going to tell me there's no place for Kevin Gamble on this team? That's expletive. They've turned their back on the wrong guys."

Carr said he does not believe McDaniel will be a problem this season.

"I think X can still play," he said. "And he didn't say anything to you we haven't discussed already.

"If he was saying all this, then sitting home and doing nothing, I might have a problem. But he's out there working. He'll come to camp in top form, ready to fight. And as I told him, there are no politics. Whoever performs will play."