...the pitch about Celtics history: “Oh yes, we heard about that,” said Wallace’s agent, Bill Strickland. “He’s well-aware of that. He (played at) North Carolina, so that kind of thing matters to him.”
...
“One thing I liked that Danny (Ainge, executive director of basketball operations) said (Thursday) is that if they sign Rasheed, that won’t stop him from adding further to the team, because they are committed to winning,” Strickland said.
...
money is unlikely to be the issue... Neither will contract length. Wallace doesn’t plan to play much longer... “He could retire right now and be happy,” Strickland said. “But that’s something we’ve already dealt with. He said, ‘I want to play more and go for another ring.’ ”
...
“That’s one of the criteria,” Strickland said. “I had to call people from other teams (Thursday) to say thanks, but no, because they didn’t offer the same chance.
...
Though teams were under the impression Wallace would take his time with the decision, Strickland said yesterday the choice will be made once the interviews are completed.
And, according to Strickland, the Celtics left a great impression.
“I think it was important for one of the owners to be there,” Strickland said of C’s co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, who joined the Big Three, Ainge and coach Doc Rivers at Thursday’s meeting. “Sheed and his wife (Fatima) thought that was a very classy thing to do.
“Sheed obviously has a great relationship with KG, and he also has come to know Paul and Ray over the years. They did a very thorough job - a nice presentation. Rasheed and his wife got to sit back and take things in. I think it went very well.
“Give Danny and Boston credit. They called me about setting up a meeting at midnight (after Tuesday’s deadline), but Rasheed didn’t want that. But I think they showed us how serious they are.”
Looking good.
