Boston Celtics: Carlos Arroyo Tactically Signed by Boston for 2011 NBA Playoffs
The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat have been battling it out in the east for the past five years now. Prior to LeBron James "taking his talents to South Beach" and Chris Bosh doing the same, Dwyane Wade was making life difficult on the Boston Celtics. Playing and defeating the Heat was no easy task in the recent past and doesn't appear that it will be moving forward either.
The Celtics have recently signed Troy Murphy and in the process frustrated the Heat who were also pursuing Murphy.
This past week, Miami decided to waive Carlos Arroyo in favor of Mike Bibby. They feel that with Bibby as their starting point guard, they will have a better chance of reaching this years goal of winning the championship.
In what seems to be both a move for depth and a counter-attack on the Heat, the Celtics signed the recently departed Arroyo to a pro-rated veteran’s minimum contract for the rest of the season, according to a league source. He started in 42 games and had a total of 49 appearances with the Heat. During that span, he averaged 5.6 points and 2 assists per game.
The 31-year-old Arroyo also has 34 games of playoff experience, including being with Miami for last year's first-round battle with the C's. His experience and knowledge of the Heat system will prove to be assets to the Celtics who now seem to be the front runners to win the Eastern Conference this year. They currently enjoy a four game winning streak.
Boston's Chris Johnson's expiring 10-day contract will open up the roster spot the Celtics need to have open in order to add Arroyo. "They just want a guard to give Rondo some rest, especially with [Delonte West] hurt," Johnson said.
This may be the last in what has been a flurry of moves by the Celtics in the past two weeks. There will be more to come as it develops. Stay tuned in for more on this and other late breaking Celtics news.
