Celtics Set to Welcome Leandro Barbosa

The Celtics have reached a deal with Leandro Barbosa for the league minimum. What kind of impact will the veteran guard have on his new team? Probably not a large one. Not to take anything away from Barbosa, but the Celtics are loaded at the guard positions heading into the season. Plus, Barbosa is a huge liability on defense and really the only thing he would be able to contribute is scoring. Back to Boston’s depth in the backcourt though. There are already plenty of options for Doc Rivers. Rajon Rondo is the obvious starter at the point, while Avery Bradley is working himself back to health and will be the primary backup once back at full strength. At the two, the Celtics brought in both Courtney Lee and Jason Terry. Lee will begin the season as the starter, with Terry coming off the bench to ignite the team, a role he fulfilled perfectly for the Dallas Mavericks. Basically, Barbosa could get minutes here and there, but only until Bradley returns. The team is hoping that Bradley will be good to go by mid-December, so there’s a chance Barbosa will get to show what he’s capable of for a couple months, perhaps paving the way for extra minutes down the road. Nonetheless, it’s always nice to add an experienced scorer for the league minimum, so Rivers has to be pleased with the deal. Management didn’t have to bend over backwards to bring him on board, and he’ll provide scoring and has also been praised for his team-first mentality. Barbosa aside, the Celtics are in for a great season. They’ll be making money with people’s NBA picks all year long, as they’ve re-tooled their roster nicely and now have an interesting mix of veteran talent and promising young players.