Marc Stein keeps us up to date on the latest Corey Brewer updates.
At night's end, I'm told, there were 5 teams at forefront of Corey Brewer chase: Celts/Mavs/Spurs ... w/Hornets and Bobcats trying, too
Michael Jordan's Charlotte, it appears, has replaced Cavs as the upstart trying to crash bidding, with Brewer still weighing his options
And one last reminder: Anyone bought out by 11:59 PM Tuesday night has until final day of regular season to actually choose his next team
Hopefully Brewer will understand that he can cash in next year but he'll never get a better chance to play on a Championship contender than right now.
Update: Scratch that last comment. It appears that Brewer may be able to cash in and play for a contender right now.
Latest on the chase for Corey Brewer - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
But Boston and San Antonio, in this case, can’t compete financially with the Dallas Mavericks, who have their full mid-level exception remaining -- worth just under $4 million as of Wednesday because the figure is reduced daily from its original $5.8 million at this juncture of the season -- to comfortably exceed any offer the Celtics or Spurs could make.
And if you are wondering why all the fuss over Corey Brewer - please read this TrueHoop post. It is about stats, but in the process they make a very convincing argument for Brewer's value to any team that has him.
UPDATE 2: (again, Twitter / @Marc Stein): Looks like Brewer is not going to be wearing green.
Just filed to ESPN.com: Mavs close to completing free-agent deal with Corey Brewer. Closing in on multi-year deal if Brewer clears waivers
Moving on to Troy Murphy, for those wondering why we are excited about signing a guy that was buried on New Jersey's bench, here is Troy's response.
Murphy joining Celtics - The Boston Globe
"I was injured in the summer, before the season started, and it kind of got me behind the 8-ball a little bit for training camp,’’ he said. "They’re a young team and going in one direction, and they wanted to play those younger guys and I really didn’t fit into their plans. So I’m just happy to be moving on and happy to be coming up to Boston.’’
On one of the reasons Boston won out over the Miami Heat - the Rondo effect.
Ex-Irish star Troy Murphy’s wish comes true - BostonHerald.com
"The guys they have and the way they play are very appealing to me," Murphy said. "(Rondo) always seems to find his shooters."
As for the other new guys, they are feeling the love from the core guys now that the shock of losing Kendrick has worn off a little. Bulpett has good quotes from Pierce and Ray but I thought Garnett's response was the most comprehensive.
Celtics warming to newcomers - BostonHerald.com
"Jeff is probably one of the most versatile guys I’ve been around," said Garnett. "It just looks like he does things effortlessly. He just makes it look simple. I can’t really put him into words right now. I’m glad he’s an addition to our team. "I’ve got my own personal feelings about Perk because he’s my brother, but I’m embracing this new relationship with Jeff and Kris. Kris is very versatile. I didn’t know he was that good of an offensive rebounder. He’s very active. I’ve just got to learn the small things about them, about what they like to do. "I’m pretty sure we’re going to be OK with those guys. They’re fitting right in. So far, so good."
Seems like a good sign. They wear green now, so they are being accepted. Now they just have to help us win.
Bonus Link: If you still need to be talked down from the ledge on this trade, perhaps Jackie MacMullan's latest can help.