Basketball: Marks in transfer to Celtics

By PETER JESSUP

New Zealand's only United States National Basketball Association player, Sean Marks, is moving to the Boston Celtics as part of a three-player trade and is hopeful of more court time than he had with Toronto.

The Raptors sent Marks and fellow guard Alvin Williams to Boston for forward Danny Fortson.

The move was not unexpected as Marks last month said he was looking outside Toronto for a club to give him more court-time.

The first New Zealander to break into the NBA when he was picked up by the Toronto Raptors via the New York Knicks for the 1998-99 season, Marks, aged 25, has been used sparingly since his arrival.

The 2.08m Tall Black forward got court time in only eight games in his debut season and played in only five of the Raptors' first 40 matches in 1999-2000.

The Celtics, who are 21-28 so far this season, have been short on height and have no standout defenders, so Marks has the opportunity to prove himself worthy of more game-time.

"Sean and Alvin have been big contributors to the team, both on court and in the locker room, and we wish them well," said Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald.

But they were not allowed to sit on the bench as the Raptors played in Detroit yesterday as the NBA had already registered them as Celtics.

Marks' statistics are good, and he expects his new team to take better advantage of his ability after he joins them on Sunday.