NBA Free Agency 2012: Boston Celtics Pursuit of Carlos Delfino Is Waste of Time

Doc Rivers has been vocal over the past few weeks for sure.

First, the Celtics head coach dismissed the rumor that Rajon Rondo was the major reason that Ray Allen left, citing that he himself angered the sharpshooter by playing Avery Bradley over Allen late in the season.

A few days ago, Rivers discussed how he would like to have Carlos Delfino, who is placing extremely well for the Argentinian national team in London, on the roster next season.

When asked by Argentinian magazine Ole, Rivers said:

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"We've looked, and I wish we had the money to add [Delfino]. We could really use him. They've turned him into a shooter, but he can give you more."

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Rivers is right to say that Delfino is more than just a shooter. He is actually an underrated defender, who has averaged 0.9 steals over the course of his career.

In some ways, he could fill the void left by Mickael Pietrus, who is likely not returning to Boston, after his agent stated that he would not play for the veteran's minimum.

Sure, Delfino is a solid role player, who is only 29 years old, but is he even going to find on the court this season? Delfino will likely be the fourth or fifth player off the bench for Boston behind Jeff Green, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and even Jared Sullinger.

More importantly, is a ninth or tenth player going to be the difference against the Heat?

Probably not. In fact, Delfino will likely take minutes away from other wing players such as Green, Terry and Lee, all three of whom are better than the Argentinian when healthy.

At this point in the offseason, it isn't about adding bench players, who will contribute very little to the cause.

Instead, the Celtics should focus on building team chemistry with this roster. As much as Delfino seems like a smart addition, he alone will definitely not put Boston in the pole position for an NBA title, let alone an Eastern Conference title.