BOSTONIf it seemed as if Mickael Pietrus became a Boston Celtic almost immediately after he was waived, well there's a reason.
The 6-foot-6 wing had already made his mind up before the Phoenix Suns bought him out last week, that he wanted to don the Green and White this season.
Once he cleared waivers, it became a matter of when, not if, he would be taking his talents to Causeway Street.
"I'm not going to lie to you," Pietrus said prior to Boston's blowout win over the Detroit Pistons. "Before I knew I would be waived, I already picked my team."
And that team was the Boston Celtics.
His reasoning was simple.
The Celtics are a team that has been among the more consistent squads in terms of competing for an NBA title, something he admits weighs heavily on his mind these days.
Boston Celtics
Well aware that they don't have an athletic wing of his caliber, there was a clear need on this roster for a player with his skills.
And it didn't hurt that the head coach is Doc Rivers, someone Pietrus said he "always wanted to play for, someday."
"I watched him on TV, old games when he played, and I watch his teams in Boston," Pietrus told CSNNE.com. "He played hard, and so do his teams. That's the kind of team I want to play for."
But before you get too excited about "Air France" bringing his game to the TD Garden floor, first he must recover from a knee injury that will likely keep him out for another couple weeks.
"I am going to listen to my body," he said. "Around here, you play to be healthy in June. That's why they got 17 banners."