Thursday, September 10, 2009

Celtics Going After Arroyo

By Louis Matthews

This previous spring, we watched the start of a rivalry building involving the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. The 2 organizations met during the first round of the postseason for a memorable playoff matchup, forcing 7 overtimes in 7 games, and the magic was present.

It was a rivalry based around guards. The Boston Celtics had Rajon Rondo, 23 , averaging just about a triple-double per night and carrying a Boston franchise decimated by injuries and forced to go small. The Bulls had Derrick Rose, a rookie, experiencing a major series in the early years of his existence. A first timer surrounded by experienced players, Rose played with composure out of his age.

Presently, four months have gone by, and the two teams still maintain a rivalry revolving around point guards.

The man at hand is Carlos Arroyo. The 30-year-old career bench guard played 8 years in the league between 2001 and 2008; he then departed and relocated to Israel, reaching a one-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Presently, after a year elsewhere, Arroyo wants back into the NBA.

The Celtics are the plausible landing point for Arroyo. The C's are now devoid of a suitable bench for Rondo at the point -- and after two years of acquiring one in the middle of the season (first Sam Cassell in , then Stephon Marbury this previous year), they can basically use a year-round solution. The team has allegedly come to conditions with Marquis Daniels, although Daniels is more of a swingman-type than a natural point guard. He's not quite the answer.

Arroyo is a nice match. He's relatively low-priced, he tries hard on both sides of the court, and he would be more than happy as a backup on a first-rate franchise. He's done it in the past -- he backed up Mark Jackson with the Jazz, Chauncey Billups with the Pistons, as well as Jameer Nelson in Orlando. He doesn't require a starting gig to be happy in the league -- he will just get minutes any way he could obtain them.

Seemingly Arroyo is in talks with the Celtics about becoming the latest bench for Rondo.

Unless, of course, the Bulls snatch him away beforehand.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment