Where does Marcus Thornton fit in with the Celtics?

Let's get this out of the way.  Marcus Thornton is a Boston Celtic because the Cavs wanted to clear salary and taking his salary allowed the Celtics to add a draft pick and a young center.  He's a means to an end.

With all of that said, he's not necessarily just a walking expiring contract.  I don't mind reminding you that's exactly how I described Kris Humphries at this time last year.  Turned out the guy could play a little and even though it looks like we won't re-sign him, I could see his value on the court as well as on the balance sheet.  Same could end up being true of Marcus Thornton.

Danny Ainge assesses games of Tyler Zeller, Marcus Thornton | masslive.com

Stevens: "Marcus can score. And I think any time you think about your team, and you think about what your needs are, putting the ball in the basket helps a lot. And I think Marcus will complement the guys we have back there well. But he also can run off screens both directions and shoot the basketball. He can get it off pick-and-rolls or handoffs and shoot the basketball. And he can create his own shot going full speed, which is hard to do.

The problem is, there's a very crowded backcourt right now.  In fact, the roster technically has 17 players on it (or will once the ink is dry on Avery Bradley's contract).  Something has to give, even if it just means waiving Bogans and one of the non-guaranteed guys before the season begins.

Agent: Concerned over Thornton's opportunities with C's | Comcast SportsNet - CSNNE.com

"Our biggest concern is whether he will get an opportunity to play," his agent Tony Dutt told CSNNE.com. "At the end of the day, he wants an opportunity to showcase his talents. I have been told that he will get that opportunity."

Still, there's a lot of summer left and anything can happen with the roster.  We might have plenty of room for Thornton to play or he might be redirected in another trade before the end of the summer.  Or maybe he's just another expiring contract that could either be used at the trade deadline or left to expire at the end of the season.

Basically I'm setting my expectations of Marcus at "Keith Bogans Level."  Meaning anything we get from him will be a pleasant surprise (similar to the unexpected good play we got from Jordan Crawford last year).  But if he doesn't produce anything but Tyler Zeller and a draft pick for us, I'll still be happy with that.