Posey Details

Some details on the Posey situation reported by Scott Souza:

Posey said his agent, Mark Bartelstein, spoke with the Celtics throughout the summer in what became an increasingly frustrating and prolonged free agency period for a player thought to be among the most coveted on the market in June. But as teams struggled with the luxury tax threshold, and Posey dealt with a DUI arrest from April that was settled two weeks ago when he pled guilty to the lesser charge of reckless driving, he remained unsigned well after many of the bigger names found new homes.

"It was a long summer, a rough summer," Posey admitted. "But things happen for a reason. I am here for a reason and I am happy about it."

Miami and New Jersey were reportedly in the hunt for Posey's services at a discount rate before Ainge, who found out last Thursday that his hopes of bringing Reggie Miller out of retirement at age 42 would go unfulfilled, closed the deal with a large portion of the team's mid-level exception.

"I waited patiently and landed here in a great situation where we have an opportunity to win," said Posey, who consulted with Heat teammate and former Celtic Antoine Walker about relocating in Boston. "The moves that this team has made have been great.

"For me, it's about winning," he added. "Obviously, this is the best opportunity that there is to do that."

Some more on that DUI charge in the Herald (reported by Bulpett):

Speaking of which, the 6-foot-8 Xavier product had to defend himself against drunken driving charges in Miami after an April arrest. But he steadfastly maintained he was innocent and ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving. 
 
Ainge said he investigated the matter. 
 
"My finding is that I just feel very confident that James is a good teammate," he said. "He’s a good guy in the locker room, and I’m confident about who he is. (The incident) is behind him. I asked James about it and I talked to a lot of other people, too. We’re very comfortable with what we found out."