OTHER CELTIC OPTIONS

Celtics still in the mix with Pietrus

CSNE - July 19, 2012, 7:41 am

In addition to their pursuit of Carlos Delfino, the Celtics remain very much in the picture for Mickael Pietrus.

His agent, Bill McCandless, has told CSNNE.com that his client has had a number of teams express interest, but the connection Pietrus made with Celtics players and their fans is very strong.

"I think it goes without saying that he loved it in Boston," said McCandless. "We'll see how it all works out in the end."
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Delfino on Celtics' radar

CSNE - July 18, 2012


With O.J. Mayo off the board (he'll sign with the Dallas Mavericks) and Courtney Lee looking more like he'll be out of the Boston Celtics' price range, the Celtics must start to dig a little bit deeper into the free-agent pool of wing players.

Milwaukee Bucks swing man Carlos Delfino, a playerthe Celtics have expressed some interest in according to league sources.

Delfino doesn't have the same kind of sizzle as a Mayo or Lee signing might have, but he would definitely fill a need.

At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Delfino has the size, speed and athleticism to play both shooting guard and small forward.

In addition, the 29-year-old (he'll be 30 next month) has played under defensive-minded coaches in Milwaukee (Scott Skiles) and Detroit (Larry Brown), so the adjustment to Doc Rivers wouldn't be quite as startling as it would for some players.

But the challenge for Boston in acquiring a player like Delfino isn't all that different than it was for Lee and Mayo -- money.

Short of a sign-and-trade, Boston's only shot at acquiring Delfino would be to offer him its bi-annual exception, which is worth about $1.9 million.

Coming off a three-year deal worth $10.5 million, it's not a given that Delfino would be willing to accept significantly less money, especially if he could get more elsewhere.

However, Delfino hasn't been on a playoff team that made it past the first round since he left Detroit following the 2006-07 season.

An opportunity to play for a team that has made a habit out of going deep into the postseason the way Boston has in recent years may be enough of an enticement for Delfino.

But when it comes to free agency and you're a team like the Celtics with limited resources, you have to keep plenty of options at your disposal.

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Gyso,

Could be right if they lose Pietrus. But with Danny, one never knows!

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