Back in July the Boston Celtics formally introduced their new players they've acquired from the Brooklyn Nets as part of the summer's blockbuster deal but small forward Gerald Wallace was absent from that press conference to attend the start of his youth basketball camp in his home state of Alabama.
A few months later with training camp less than a week away the former All-Star still hasn't made an appearance at his new team. A reporter brought up the absence of Wallace to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on Tuesday and it was interesting to hear that Ainge hasn't spoken to Wallace neither.
When questioned Ainge smiled and offered:
"I'm right there with you. I'm anxious to meet Gerald."
Ainge and Wallace have crossed paths briefly in the past when Wallace was rookie with the Sacramento Kings and Ainge was doing TV work. Now Ainge is in charge of his second Boston rebuild and Wallace already has his contract locked in the books.
"I haven't had much conversation with him. He's really the only one" said Ainge. "He'll be in town I think next week."
For now Ainge seems hopeful that the Celtics will help Wallace rekindle his game.
"I obviously have watched him play a lot of basketball" said Ainge. "It's interesting Gerald was a guy that got a good contract in Charlotte was their best player when they went to the playoffs [during the 2009-10 season] and that led to a big payday for him. He was traded for two first-round picks to Portland [and] played very well in Portland to the point where New Jersey wanted to give away [the No. 3 pick] Damian Lillard to get him. And then New Jersey wanted him back enough to pay him a very lucrative contract.
"It seems that everywhere he's been he's been well-liked and well compensated. He's a good player. It wasn't a great fit for him in [Brooklyn] last year but we'll try to make it a better fit for us."
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