BOSTONIf Leandro Barbosa wants out of Boston, he hasn't brought it up to the only man who can make it happen - Danny Ainge.
Ainge, the Boston Celtics' president of basketball operations, denied an ESPN Brazil report that Barbosa demanded a trade.
"There's no truth to that at all," Ainge told CSNNE.com. "Leandro gets along well with the guys. Doc (Rivers), his teammates, they all love him. I don't know where that stuff comes from."
While Barbosa has been effective at times, his playing time has been sporadic at best.
When the C's signed him in October to the veteran's minimum, Barbosa seemed to understand and embrace the idea that he would not play a ton of minutes.
In the season opener, Barbosa came off the bench to score 16 points in 16 minutes as the C's rally came up short, 120-107, to Miami.
When asked about his role and whether he anticipated more playing time would be forthcoming, Barbosa said, "that will be Doc's call. I'm here just to help."
On more than one occasion, Rivers has indicated that Barbosa's opportunities to play would in all likelihood be limited because of the team's depth.
Ainge reiterated that on Thursday.
"We love Leandro and what he brings to this team, obviously. But he knew that the opportunities he has had in the past, probably wouldn't be as plentiful here based on the players we have. You look at our roster, and we're really deep at his position. Having said that, he is still an important part of what we're doing here."
Barbosa has provided instant offense for the C's just about every chance he has had to play this season, something that the Celtics were in short supply of in their last game, a 90-78 loss to New Orleans on Wednesday.
Barbosa played just three minutes but still managed to score seven points, prompting Rivers to acknowledge after the game that in hindsight, he should have went to Barbosa sooner.
"He's played well when he's gotten a chance to play," said Ainge, who added that he has not spoken to Barbosa about the matter. "And as the season goes on, I'm sure he'll get more opportunities to play."
Barbosa has appeared in 29 games (one start) this season, averaging 4.9 points while playing 10.7 minutes per game.