COMMENTARY : Celtics Still Haunted by Bias’ Death

The tears have long since dried, but the specter hangs over the Boston Celtics, a black pennant alongside 16 world championship flags.

Len Bias died.

The Celtics had won the National Basketball Association title in 1986 and held the second overall pick in the league’s annual draft. It was too good to be true.

Len Bias died.

“The Bias thing was a real crusher for them in the middle of the ‘80s,” said Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Bob Zuffelato. “It came at a time when they needed an impact player. I believe Bias would have been a tremendous contributor right away. Who’s going to predict a guy is going to die from drugs?”

A combination of low drafting position, some picks that turned out woeful--Darren Tillis where are you now?--and, of course, Bias’ tragic death have made the draft a troublesome proposition for the Celtics in recent years. Don’t think so? Ask Jimmy Rodgers.

And don’t expect the Celtics’ first pick of the ‘90s, the first under the direction of Dave Gavitt and Coach Chris Ford, to be much different than the past.

With the 19th pick in the first round--the Celtics have picked 20th or higher seven of the past 10 years--Boston could have difficulty coming up with a player that will be of immediate help.

“It’s very difficult to build from the bottom of that heap,” said Zuffelato. “You could have the greatest scouting staff in America and still not do well.”

The Celtics have done well in the draft when they have been in position to do well. In 1980 the Celtics got Kevin McHale with the third overall selection in a blockbuster deal with Golden State that also brought Boston Robert Parish. In 1978 the Celtics made a visionary pick of Larry Bird, who was only a junior, and the rest, including three world championships, is history.

The Bird and McHale picks were typical of the Celtics’ player moves years back when they came up with Frank Ramsey (1953), Bill Russell (1956), John Havlicek (1962), JoJo White (1969) and Dave Cowens (1970) with first-round picks. But in the ‘80s the Celtics record with late first-round picks has been spotty. Perhaps the Celtics should consider trading their first-round pick or packaging it with players in a deal to improve the team.

The Celtics probably should have known guard Brian Shaw was at least thinking about heading to Italy when they drafted forward Michael Smith out of Brigham Young last year. Golden State’s Tim Hardaway (14.7 ppg in ‘89-90 and Chicago’s B.J. Armstrong (199 assists) were point guards out there when Smith (8.5 ppg, 6.2 reb) was another possibility, but it was the Los Angeles Lakers, the Celtics’ arch rivals, who had the fore sight. Smith was barely a factor with the Celtics this year.

Brian Shaw, the 24th pick in 1988 was a good pick, but an asterisk is necessary because it was a good pick that went bad. Would the Celtics have won their division and would they have beaten the Knicks in the playoffs if Shaw had not bolted to Italy last summer? Instead, Bird, McHale and Parish are a year older--and it is not certain if the talented Shaw will return to the Celtics for the 1990-91 season.

In 1987 Reggie Lewis, the 22nd choice, was a nice pick. Nice player. Nice break. If they had had their way, the Celtics would have grabbed Dallas Comegys, who played two seasons, one with the New Jersey Nets, one with the San Antonio Spurs, before dropping out of the league. But the Atlanta Hawks had a chance to make that mistake and they took Comegys one pick ahead of the Celtics, who then tapped Lewis.

“I like it,” said then-Celtic coach K.C. Jones on draft day. “(Lewis) quick with a street-fighter’s approach to the game. He will take what he’s given and he goes after it.”

Right on, K.C.

Sam Vincent, 1985, guard, 20th overall.

There was plenty of room for second-guessing the 1985 pick, Sam Vincent, the 20th overall. A.C. Green (12.9 points per game last year, 8.6 rebounds) of the Lakers and John “Hot Rod” Williams (16.8 ppg, 8.1 rebounds) of the Cleveland Cavaliers would have been excellent options. And if it was a point guard the Celtics wanted, how about Terry Porter (17.6 ppg, 9.0 assists), now the Portland Trail Blazers’ outstanding floor leader? The Celtics also missed the Denver Nuggets’ Michael Adams (15.5 ppg).

Why Sam Vincent (3.4 ppg in two seasons with the Celtics), who was never more than marginal backup help in Boston and in Chicago and is now with the Orlando Magic?

“I had him rated No. 1 all season,” then-Celtics head scout Ed Badger said at the time. “He has good range and he can play either position and defense is not a liability. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.”

In 1984, Michael Young was the Celtics’ first-round pick and 24th overall. Wrong Young. Danny Young. Danny is a point guard with the Trail Blazers. Michael made it back to the fringes of the NBA this season. Young could not make the Celtics and played only four NBA games his first two years before going to Europe. Sixers small forward Ron Anderson (11.9 ppg) or the other Young (4.7 ppg 2.8 assists) would have been more worthwhile picks.

In 1983, Greg Kite was the 21st player selected. “Why him?” Celtics president and general manager Red Auerbach was asked after that pick. His answer: “He’s 6-11, 250, blocks shots, sets picks and gets up and down the floor well. You’ve got to have as much size as you can get.”

That was when beef was in, when every NBA team thought they had to have a Rick Mahorn-Jeff Ruland type frontcourt. The Celtics would have done better if they had taken the Atlanta Hawks’ Doc Rivers (12.5 ppg, 5.5 assists) or Cleveland’s Craig Ehlo (13.6 ppg). They were available when they took the plodding Kite, who averaged 1.6 points in five seasons with the Celtics.

Forward Darren Tillis was the Celtics’ first-round pick in 1982 and 23rd overall. There was slim pickings by the time the Celtics drafted, but the Celtics were still optimistic.

“Everybody can get a player in the first round who will be a big factor in four to five years,” then Celtics Coach Bill Fitch said before the draft. The Celtics had gone into the draft hoping to get a shooting guard.

Fitch sang a slightly different tune after Tillis was acquired.

“We picked last because we finished with the best regular season record,” Fitch said. “That tells you we don’t have to be desperate to change our team around. We can afford to develop a player. This guy is going to keep getting better and better.”

Tillis played in only 15 games (1.1 ppg) with the Celtics and was out of the league after the following season.

In 1981, the Celtics selected guard Charles Bradley as the 23rd pick.

“He’s not a great shooter,” Auerbach said at the time, “but he’s quick and he’s a winner.” He’s also been out of the league since 1984.

The Celtics found a first-round-type on the second round with a flier on Danny Ainge. Ainge gave up baseball and was an integral part of two world championships with Boston.

In 1986 the Celtics were again in their favored position. A trade with the Seattle SuperSonics for guard Gerald Henderson had given Boston the No. 2 choice, another great move by the team that had just won its 16th NBA title.

The Celtics could have drafted any of these outstanding players: Chuck Person, Ron Harper, Johnny Dawkins, John Salley, (Bullets’ forward) John Williams, Buck Johnson, Mark Price, Dennis Rodman or Kevin Duckworth. The Celtics drafted Len Bias.

Len Bias died.

And so did a large part of the Celtics.