May 31, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher (37) dribbles up court against the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma City won 102-82. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

With the surprising news of Keyon Dooling’s retirement, the Celtics are now in the market for a backup point guard. Many fans have asked the question whether Derek Fisher would be an option for the Celtics if they do intend to sign a replacement for Dooling.

Last night the Boston Globe reported the speculation of the Celtics pursuing Fisher, and given Danny Ainge’s history, it would make sense. Fisher is entering his 17th season, he’s looking for a contender, and he has championship experience along with five rings. It’s a perfect situation. The Celtics get a veteran point guard who can share his wisdom with Rajon Rondo, and he is the best option out of the remaining available point guards. One thing Boston had lacked throughout the Big Three era, until last season, was having a backup for Rondo who could command and control the second unit. Derek Fisher is a proven leader, and I wouldn’t want anyone else leading the bench other than him.

Other point guards that are possible options are Jonny Flynn, Carlos Arroyo, and Mike Bibby. While some of those players would be good fits on this team, Derek Fisher, in my eyes, is the only player on that list who is worth the bi-annual exception of $2 million.

One thing worth noting is if the Celtics decide not to pursue a backup point guard, they’re putting all their trust in either one of the recently acquired shooting guards, or Dionte Christmas who hasn’t played one game in the NBA.

I suspect right now, that Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are on the phone with Fisher or at least trying to contact him. Like they’ve done with every free agent veteran, I’m sure they’ll have some type of meeting with him, trying to persuade him to joining the team.

July 17, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Boston Celtics guard Dionte Christmas (50) takes the ball down court during the game against the Chicago Bulls at the Cox Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Throughout this entire off-season, Danny Ainge has done an amazing job retooling and avoiding rebuilding the roster for next season. Last week, the Celtics acquired Courtney Lee by trading four players who may not even be in the league in a few years. They got another great replacement for Ray Allen, and by making this trade, the depth in the backcourt gets even deeper. The Celtics weren’t done there, they signed a couple of other players to round out the roster.

Goodbye Stiemsma, Hello Jason Collins

Today it was made official, Greg Stiemsma is heading to Minnesota to play for the Timberwolves. The Celtics were unable to match with the qualifying offer due to their lack of cap space. To off-set losing the big man, the Celtics went out and signed Jason Collins who played for the Atlanta Hawks last season.

Collins is an 11 year veteran, and over his entire career has averaged 3.8 ppg and nearly 4 rebounds a game. His stats aren’t all that impressive, but he’s a 7 footer and you can’t teach size. Its way to early to speculate, but this signing was merely to fill the 3rd string center slot.

I’m not expecting a lot, but if he can come in and do what P.J. Brown did back in 2008, he would help the team immensely.

Celtics Invite Dionte Christmas To Training Camp

After a very impressive summer league, Dionte Christmas was finally invited to Celtics training camp and pre-season. Christmas scored in double-figures 9 out of 10 games in summer league play, and averaged 14.2 ppg in Las Vegas.

Even with the deep roster, Christmas can easily find a place on the team. He does everything. From rebounding, to scoring, to being a good passer, Christmas is a well rounded player. I’m looking forward to seeing how well he plays in the pre-season games. Watching him in summer league, I just got the feeling that he has the determination and will to do whatever is necessary for him to score or make his teammates better.

Christmas is a shooting guard, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Celtics try turning him into a point guard. They already have Jason Terry, Avery Bradley, and Courtney Lee at shooting guard, so the move over to a new position may benefit him, just in terms of getting minutes and the opportunity to shine while he’s on the court.

He’s definitely going to be a player to keep an eye on. I think there is something special about this guy, and I’m so glad he was given the chance to play for the Celtics.

Will The Celtics Make Any More Moves?

Seeing that the roster has almost been completed, the Celtics may not need to make another signing, but if they were, I’d expect to see Keyon Dooling to return. They don’t really need to add another player, but if Boston can get an experienced veteran for the veterans minimum then thats icing on the cake.

This is the deepest Celtics team I’ve seen, probably since 2008. If they can stay healthy, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Apr 20, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Jason Terry (31) reacts after making a three point shot during the game against the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Warriors 104-94. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Now that Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass, and Chris Wilcox are officially signed, the Celtics can now turn to some other important free agency matters that the team still needs to address.

Jason Terry and Jeff Green have not been signed yet. For the past week or so it was rumored that the Celtics were looking to see if they could do a sign and trade with Dallas so that Boston wouldn’t have to use the mid-level exception on Terry. But according to a new report by Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, the Celtics will just sign Terry to the mid-level exception worth $5 million after not being able to strike a deal with the Mavericks.

There has been no word as to why Jeff Green hasn’t been officially signed yet, but there is some speculation that its just small, technical stuff like the fourth year of the contract, and whether it will be guaranteed or not, thats holding up the deal.

O.J Mayo Signs With the Mavericks

Well, we can cross Mayo’s name off our free agency wish list. Last night via Twitter, Mayo announced that he will be joining the Dallas Mavericks. I’m not exactly sure how Dallas pulled this off since they don’t have a lot of money to work with. In the end, it was best that the Celtics didn’t sign him, because Mayo has expressed a few times that he was not interested in going to Boston.

Greg Stiemsma Going To Minnesota?

May 14, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Greg Stiemsma (54) during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers in game two of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

According to ESPN Minnesota, the Timberwolves are expected to sign restricted free agent Greg Stiemsma. Reports say the T-Wolves will make an offer that Boston can’t match, so they feel extremely confident in their chances of acquiring him.

I’m not shocked by this, seeing that Stiemsma is from Wisconsin and he wanted to be closer to family.

Celtics Interested In Darko Milicic

Yes, you’ve read that right. According to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports, the Boston Celtics are front runners to land the 7 foot center. The Timberwolves will amnesty Milicic and teams can then bid for him, but it is unlikely that he’ll be picked up by any team with cap space. Once Milicic becomes a free agent, expect the Celtics to make a run for him. Why? I have no idea. But I guess you can never have too many centers.

Hardwood Houdini’s own Brett Roberts sees things quite differently, however, citing that the amnestied Milicic could make a great addition at the right price.

Courtney Lee

On the Courtney Lee front, its been relatively quiet. The Celtics can’t make any type of offer for him without making a trade. It has been reported that the Celtics will need a 3rd team involved to make a deal work, but so far there have been no takers.

The Toronto Raptors have been rumored to be a possible 3rd team, but there hasn’t been anything concrete as to what role they’d play in the deal.

Overview

Within two weeks, the Celtics have constructed a decent lineup and still have a few roster spots open. If Boston can’t find a good player in free agency, there is a summer league team full of capable players in Las Vegas.

Last season, Greg Steimsma proved that a D-League player can make it in the NBA. Its worth the shot to see if a player like Dionte Christmas can follow the same path.