SHAW TRADED FOR HEAT'S DOUGLAS

January 11, 1992

SHAW GETS TRADED FOR HEAT'S DOUGLAS

The Celtics' lineup is undergoing a major shakeup -- but this time it's by choice.

Following last night's numbing loss to Minnesota, Boston pulled off a blockbuster coup, trading slumping point guard Brian Shaw to the Miami Heat for Sherman Douglas. Shaw, who did not play a minute last night, thus ends a tumultuous, if brief, Boston career, having fled to Italy after his rookie NBA season and then taking the Celtics to court in a futile attempt to have his new contract with the club voided last season.

Shaw had struggled this year after injuries hampered him during the preseason. He was unable to establish himself even as Boston's so-called Big Three -- Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish -- went out with injuries. Veterans John Bagley and Rickey Green had been getting most of the minutes at the point. Douglas, a former Syracuse star who averaged 16 points and 8 assists a game in two seasons with the Heat, recently signed a seven-year, $17 million deal with Miami after sitting out the early part of the season in a contract dispute. While holding out, Douglas signed an offer sheet with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Heat matched it.