Boston Celtics To Sign Carlos Arroyo for Remainder of Season

According to an NBA source, the Boston Celtics continued their midseason maneuvering this Saturday and Sunday, signing veteran point guard Carlos Arroyo, who was waived by the Miami Heat after their signing of Mike Bibby.

Arroyo fills the roster spot vacated by Chris Johnson, a center signed out of the NBA Development League's Dakota Wizards for a 10-day contract to compensate for a lack of big men. With the additions of Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and Troy Murphy, it appears his services are no longer required.

Arroyo, 31, is expected to finally provide a true backup at the point for Rajon Rondo, who has seen his minutes increase as of late as the Celtics cling to a three-game lead in the Eastern Conference. Rondo has had little backup at the point guard position for much of the last several seasons, with his only support coming in the form of Avery Bradley, a rookie out of Texas.

With the addition of Arroyo, Rondo will finally get some rest, at least for the remainder of the regular season. Arroyo also some playoff experience, including last year's first round series with the Heat against the Celtics. This will certainly come in handy in the postseason, as Avery Bradley is far too inexperienced to even be trusted with the ball in the regular season, let alone in the playoffs.

Arroyo is averaging 5.6 points per game and 2.0 assists per game this year, and will likely serve as a stopgap more than anything else.

Come May and June, expect Rondo's playing time to tick back up. He's the only one who can make this offense work the most efficiently, and he's guided the Celtics through three straight playoff appearances.

It will be interesting to see how the Celtics function with yet another new addition to the roster. Hopefully Danny Ainge's moves don't ruin the the chemistry this team has achieved over the last three seasons.