Unsettling times for Atkins
TORONTO -- It hasn't been the easiest stretch for Chucky Atkins. There was the move from Detroit after he was traded to the Celtics Feb. 19. And then, a week ago, he learned one of his closest family friends, a cousin named Bartel Coleman, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Alabama.
Coleman's funeral was Saturday, and Atkins flew down to Florida for the service. He returned to Toronto Saturday night and then played yesterday with a heavy heart, still managing 13 points and three assists in the Celtics' 91-82 victory over Toronto.
"It was a reality check, but not the kind of one you ever want to get," Atkins said of Saturday's service. "I really looked up to the guy. He was like a brother to me.
"He taught me how to be a man and how to be successful."
According to Atkins, Coleman was a disc jockey in Birmingham, Ala., where he went by the name of Bartel Bartel. Coleman's mother and Atkins's mother are sisters. Coleman was 34.
"It was a terrible loss for me," the 29-year-old Atkins said. "For the last couple of days, it's all I could think about. But the reality didn't hit me until I got off that plane and went into that church. It was hard."
A Baker taker?
Toronto general manager Glen Grunwald said yesterday that "we're in the hunt" for former Celtics forward Vin Baker. The Raptors could use a big guy, any big guy, that's for sure. (Jerome Moiso qualifies for now.) Grunwald said he'd been told by Baker's representatives that a decision will come soon. He also said he has talked to the league and been told that there is no legal reason Baker could not sign with a club even while his grievance against the Celtics moves forward. Miami and the Knicks also are believed to be interested in Baker . . . Paul Pierce got into it in the first half with a heckler, who razzed the Celtics captain constantly, mentioning something called Club Sugar more than once. Pierce told the man to zip it and an usher asked the fan to tone it down . . . The Raptors must be trying to sell their red uniforms, because they were allowed by the league to wear them yesterday. The Celtics were in their home whites for the third time this season on the road, the other times being in Los Angeles against the Lakers and in Orlando . . . Vince Carter missed his sixth straight game with a sprained ankle suffered in the Feb. 18 game against the Spurs. Carter is eligible to come off the injured list and the Raptors are hoping he does so this week. (Couldn't he have done so yesterday in honor of Leap Year Day?) Toronto also is still upset that no foul was called on San Antonio's Bruce Bowen, who appeared to move into Carter, not allowing him to come down on the floor. As one Raptors official quipped, "That's an old Danny Ainge move." . . . Pierce and Jiri Welsch were in the lineup after being given Saturday off to rest. "All guys have bumps and bruises at this time of year," interim coach John Carroll said. "When you're losing, it's a little tougher. But if you look at a guy like Paul and how many games he plays, he doesn't miss many." That's true. Pierce has not missed a game this season (61 starts) and missed all of six games in the previous four seasons . . . Also out for Toronto was Jalen Rose, who missed his 10th straight game recovering from Feb. 9 surgery to repair a fractured bone in his left hand . . . Dion Glover made his Toronto debut and started in the backcourt along with Milt Palacio. The newcomer wasn't bashful, launching 16 shots in 36 minutes. He had 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 turnovers . . . Worcester's Michael Bradley did not play for the Raptors.
