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Keyon Dooling has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Celtics, per a league source.
— Paul Flannery (@Pflanns) July 24, 2012
This signing will go under the radar after Danny Ainge hit home runs with free agents Courtney Lee and Jason Terry, but to continue with the baseball analogy, this is a solid double or at least a bunt to move a runner in scoring position. Even with Terry in the mix, another ball-handling point guard is a much needed addition to their depth, but Dooling's presence far exceeds what he does on the court.
Doc was very fond of saying that last year's team was one of his favorites to coach and I think a lot of that has to do with Keyon's veteran leadership. The Reverend's influence in the locker room and his close relationship with Rajon Rondo are worth every penny of the veteran minimum. I wouldn't be surprised if he's an assistant coach for Doc down the road. Plus, who's going to lead the bench in flexing?
Spoke to Mickael PIetrus' agent. MP "still open to a return" to Celtics but not for veteran's minimum. More here: greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/…
— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) July 24, 2012
Ben Rohrbach had a candid conversation with Bill McCandless, Mickael Pietrus' agent, and it doesn't sound like the Frenchman will be back in green next season:
"MP will not play for the veteran's minimum. Period," said McCandless. "It's not happening. That's the beginning, middle and end of that. ... He is not a veteran's minimum player. There's no chance he'll ever sign for that."
"I've had the veteran minimum thrown at me like hubcaps," added McCandless. "In this collective bargaining agreement, a component of any player's wishes and desires is the money teams are willing to pay. They're pro athletes. My mother might cry in her beer when Johnny Damon runs away to the Yankees, but you and I understand it's a business."
I was a big Pietrus fan, but with Green and Lee already in the fold, playing time at either wing position is going to be limited. It sucks because of all the free agents, including Garnett and Bass, Mickael was the most out spoken and most enthusiastic about coming back to Boston. I remember during the playoffs when the shot clock was down and he'd go head-to-head with LeBron, I'd start yelling at the TV and counting down the number of seconds that Pietrus had to stay in front LBJ and try and force a bad shot. "6...move your feet, MP...4...don't reach, don't reach...1...good D, Peaches." McCandless intimated that MP has lucrative offers abroad and even if Danny offered him the BAE, that doesn't sound like it would be enough. It's just unfortunate that a guy that embodies the Celtics and loved being a Celtic (not unlike Dooling) won't be in uniform next season.