November 24, 1996
Eric Montross looks pretty much the same these days. He hasn't grown a ponytail or anything, and with his large body and deep-set eyes he hasn't given up his membership in the Scare Club for Men. And, yeah, he was 0-for-5 from the line in Dallas' first 10 games.
But Montross as a Maverick is happier than during his Celtic incarnation last season. And that happiness will be on display tonightwhen Dallas arrives at the FleetCenter (SportsChannel, 7:05).
Montross, a center never accused of being fleet, was prime material for the trade market in large part because of his apparent displeasure with the state of the Celts. He had an out clause in his contract for next summer, and his agent (his father Scott) didn't calm the Celtic fears he would use it as a way out. So Montross and the No.9 draft pick were sent to Dallas for the No.6 overall pick last June and the Mavs' first-rounder in '97.
Montross was simply excited to be away from the confusion.
"I think the entire team last year -- the players, the entire organization _was kind of astray," he said. "As a Celtic unit, we didn't know what was going to happen. A lot of things were up in the air - personnel, whatever.
"These were things I really wondered about. I'd had a good first year, but in my second year I needed to be developed, and I wasn't developed.
"I think my dad was concerned that they had a young center with a good work ethic and an attitude that was focused on winning. But the development wasn't there. The direction wasn't there. My standpoint was that the team would still jell somehow and that we'd move on in the right direction. But for whatever reason, they wanted to be a small team, a running team. And they didn't need a center. I never came out and said to them that I wanted to be traded, but I think there was a situation where they felt that."
Asked point-blank whether he would have exercised the option to sever his contract, Montross was noncommittal even though the deal was set up so he could get out and get a better market value from the Celts.
It is clear he believes the Mavericks are on a positive path that the Celts have not yet mapped out.
"Things are great," he said. "I think the adjustment to Dallas has been very positive. If there had to be a trade made, and obviously the Celtics felt one did need to be made, this is an excellent place to come.
"The team is championship driven by the coaches and by the organization. You can't learn to win overnight, but this team will learn to win and will be a championship team at some point."
One might easily take the use of the phrase "championship driven," M.L. Carr's pet slogan, as a verbal elbow under the boards. But Montross isn't looking to be on the undercard of tonight's battle.
"I'm excited about the game," he said, "but maybe more because it's another chance for our team to improve itself. I'm not thinking about it so much as Boston, but that might be different when I get there and see a lot of familiar people.
"I really enjoyed my experiences in Boston. I had a lot of good times there, and the people I met were very positive to me. I enjoyed the town, and I enjoyed the people."
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