RealGM is reporting that newest Celtic James Posey will be suspended for the 2007-2008 season opener against the Washington Wizards for pleading guilty to reckless driving charges.

While the suspension is unlikely to be lifted, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald is reporting that Posey will fight the suspension.

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald is reporting that the Celtics have agreed to terms with the #32 overall pick of this year’s draft, Gabe Pruitt. While Pruitt still has a lot to absorb, the Celtics brass believes that the young combo guard has a lot of potential, and I personally can’t say that I disagree. Pruitt isn’t your prototypical playmaker, but he’s extremely athletic and he brings a giant burst of energy that every team needs from their role players. His stroke from the perimeter isn’t too shabby, either. For the time being, it seems as though Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, and Eddie House will be receiving the bulk of the minutes at the point guard position, it may not be out of the question to predict that Pruitt may earn himself some playing time as the season progresses.

Bulpett also reports that the Celtics have made the Tom Thibodeau signing official.

“Bringing the energy and accepting that challenge every night, that’s what I take pride in. I take pride in trying to stop people,” Posey said. “I like that challenge and if that’s what coach wants I’m all for it.”

“I waited patiently and I landed here in a great situation where we have an opportunity to win a championship,” Posey said. “There [were] other teams out there but I wanted the best chance to win a championship. This is the place to be.”

Click here for more photos from the press conference.

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald is reporting that the Celtics have agreed to terms with free agent forward James Posey, and will sign him to a 2-year deal worth approximately $7 million, which used up the rest of the Celtics’ mid-level exception. In 71 games with Miami last season, Posey put up 7.7 points and grabbed five rebounds per game. In the playoffs, where Miami was swept in the first round by Chicago, Posey averaged 7.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Posey was also a key player on Miami’s 2006 championship team.

I absolutely love this pickup. Danny went out and got exactly what this team needed: a defensive presence who can play and defend three positions, and it gives us a valid sixth man until Tony Allen is 100%. Posey will allow Doc to go with either big or small lineups without having to worry about putting a defensive liability out on the floor. Posey can defend swingmen, power forwards, and he can hold his own against some of the bigger point guards in the league. Posey can also shoot the three, and gives this team a certain level of toughness that before, only Kendrick Perkins brought.

Great pickup, Danny. Welcome to Boston, James Posey!

After strenuously working out with NBA players, including Kevin Garnett, and asking family and friends for advice, Reggie Miller has decided not to return to the game of basketball.

“Earlier today (Thursday), I was ready to come back. I was going to do it. But then I flew back here, I thought about it, I talked to a lot of people, and honestly, most people told me I should come back. Charles (Barkley), Mark (Jackson), Doug (Collins), they all said I should do it. And when I was back in Indy this week for the Peyton (Manning charity bowling event), people on the streets, they’d tell me to do it. But as the day went on, I just realized I wasn’t ready mentally to put myself through the grind again.”

It was fun to think about. Miller would have created extra buzz in the city as well as strengthen our bench, but you have to respect his decision and move on. I never thought he would return, to be honest, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for it.

What’s next? We’re not sure, but if we’re going to bring in a cheap swingman, I would give Ruben Patterson (who recently said he would love to join either the Celtics or Heat) and/or James Posey a call.

With all the buzz about the recent acquisition of Kevin Garnett, the possibility of Reggie Miller coming out of retirement to suit up for the C’s, and how the Celtics are legitimate contenders, the biggest wild card for this year’s team has almost been forgotten. Tony Allen is on the road to recovery, and reports that have circulated over the coarse of the summer state that Allen is ahead of schedule. How far ahead? According to Tony himself, who caught up with NECN for an interview with rookie forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, the knee is at about 65%.

Some may look at that number and feel that it’s low, but I personally am optimistic about it. When the injury occurred back in January, most felt that he wouldn’t be able to step on the court until Christmas time at the earliest. With that in mind, is 65% with over two months to go until the season opener (November 2) really that bad? In my opinion, that’s a great spot to be at. How strong he comes back and how he initially deals with the mental aspect of it remains to be seen, but if Tony Allen can get his feet wet by November, I’m a happy man.

To watch the interview, click this link and scroll down the list of videos in the box underneath the video screen on the left hand side. As of right now, it is the last video on that list, and it is titled “Rookie Glen Davis and Tony Allen have high hopes for Celtics.” Enjoy, and get well soon, TA!

It’s safe to say that in the eyes of most Celtics fans, this should be the make-or-break season for head coach Doc Rivers. A good majority of the fan base was irritated when Rivers received a contract extension earlier this summer, and I was one of them, due to his poor in-game coaching decisions (especially late in games). Though he did not have much to work with last season, the poor decisions were present. The same poor decisions that he has struggled with throughout his entire coaching career: questionable substitution patterns, questionable distribution of playing time, questionable timeout calls (or lack thereof), running a fairly stationary offense, playing favorites, and mismanaging certain young players.

It almost seems like Danny Ainge is hesitant to give Doc the ax because of his relationship with him. Whether you like Doc Rivers as a coach or not, he is undoubtedly a very charismatic man who is very easy to like on a personal level, which is why a lot of players enjoy having him around. He’s a player’s coach and he’s an excellent motivator, but when it comes to x’s and o’s and decision making, he’s in the bottom tier among active NBA coaches.

That leaves fans with one simple question: Is Doc Rivers the guy to coach this team to an NBA championship? The supporters could make a strong case by saying that his player’s coach personality will mesh well with hungry veteran’s, he will be able to let the players freestyle and not have to worry so much about drawing up plays, and they could say that he has never had a group as talented or experienced as this one. The naysayers (meaning the average Celtics fan) could make a case just as strong, if not stronger, by saying that Doc may overplay the trio (especially with this paper-thin bench), wearing them out. They may say that his late-game decisions are still there and that he won’t give construct proper game plans.

This is clearly a better basketball team, but it’s still the same coach. Will Doc Rivers really coach this team to a title? If not this year, does he get a longer leash? If so, how long? My personal stance is that if this team does not make the NBA Finals this season, Doc Rivers should be fired. There is no excuse for this current roster to fail to come out of the Eastern Conference in 2008. They will need time to mesh, but if Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, and Antoine Walker can put their ego’s aside to win a title in year one, why can’t a ego-free and unselfish trio of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce?

Many believe that defensive specialist Tom Thibodeau is an NBA head coach in the making, and one could theorize that he was only signed to a one-year assistant coaching deal with a plan in place to replace Doc Rivers as head coach after this season. Calling that theory far fetched is not blasphemy, but calling it a possibility isn’t either.

It’s impossible to read the mind of Danny Ainge, but it will be interesting to see what his intentions are with coach Rivers. If this team does not make the 2008 NBA Finals, and Doc Rivers is still coaching this team by 2008-2009 training camp, I will not be a happy camper, nor will I be alone. Will Danny Ainge man up and put their friendship past him for the betterment of the team, or will Doc be handed extra leverage once again? Ainge may have saved his job by making big moves this summer, but the length of Doc’s leash remains to be seen.

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald is reporting that the Celtics have finally filled their assistant coach hole by signing defensive guru Tom Thibodeau to a one-year deal. Thibodeau has been in Houston for the past two seasons, and improved their team defense dramatically by leading the team to set franchise records in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. In 11 of his 14 years in the league, he has coached his team to finish in the top 10 in team defense.

Many believe that Thibodeau is an NBA head coach in the making, and one could speculate that the one-year deal is setting up an opportunity to sign him as the Celtics’ head coach next season if Doc Rivers doesn’t get it done this year. This was a great pickup for the Celtics, even if it does turn out to be just a one-year quick fix. Between Thibodeau and Clifford Ray, the Celtics’ toughness level and team defense should improve beyond belief.

According to J.A. Adande at ESPN.com, Reggie Miller is contemplating an NBA comeback. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers gave Reggie Miller a call and offered him a position on this Boston Celtics roster, playing roughly 15 minutes per game and giving Miller one last shot at winning a championship. Miller turns 42 years of age in a little over two weeks (August 24, to be exact), and is asking for advice from family and friends.

My take: Miller would be a nice addition off the bench. We could use some scoring/shooting off the bench, and Miller is a guy that would be able to play some 2-guard and small forward. We would likely be able to snatch him up for the veteran’s minimum, and we’d have a savvy group off the bench with the addition of Miller. He may be 42 in two weeks, but I’m sure he can still shoot the ball.

On a mission to fill out the roster with cheap veterans, the Celtics added big man Scot Pollard for a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum of $1.2 million, according to Shira Springer of the Boston Globe. The veteran’s minimum does not count against the mid-level exception, so the Celtics still have money to try and lure in guys like P.J. Brown, Dikembe Mutombo, Troy Hudson, etc.

Throughout Pollard’s 10-year NBA career, he has played one year in Detroit, five years in Sacramento, three years in Indiana, and last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who appeared in the NBA Finals. Pollard was given just three minutes of playing time in last year’s NBA Finals series, but played a role in playoff runs with both Sacramento and Indiana.

The 10-year veteran big man will not only provide some help defensively and on the boards, he will be one of the guys to light up the locker room, as Pollard is the ultimate goof ball. Another interesting anecdote is that Pollard also played college basketball, at Kansas University, with Celtics captain Paul Pierce for two seasons.

My Take: I don’t mind this acquisition at all. The veteran’s minimum doesn’t count against the MLE (mid-level exception), as stated above, and he can help us defensively in small doses. Even if we aren’t fortunate enough to bring in Brown or Mutombo, Pollard playing 10-12 minutes per game off the bench isn’t necessarily a bad thing.