Celtics Title Town

News broke today, and every blog reported it as well. I waited a bit, because I saw the conflicting reports. Ainge did his weekly radio stare of the Celtics address, and he had this to say about Barbosa.But look at Barbosa's statement first.

"I won't lie to you. I've tried to get out several times, but Danny Ainge doesn't want to let me leave," Barbosa told ESPN Brazil. "He is a guy that I've admired in basketball for many years. I was supposed to have gotten a good contract from the Boston Celtics, but it did not happen. He's not going to let me leave this way."

The statement didn't make sense to me. Barbosa wasn't picked up by any other team, and he's become a guy that makes minimum money. Barbosa hasn't been a Celtic that long to try, and get out several times. I just doesn't make sense to me. 

Ainge said Thursday he was unfamiliar with the ESPN Brazil report and while he has had discussions with Barbosa about his role with the team, there have been no trade demands.

"I think it's been hard for [Barbosa] not to get an opportunity to play as much as he's wanted, but we have said from the beginning, even before he signed here, that minutes might be difficult to come by, because we were deep at that position, and he still chose to come here," Ainge said. "Actually, early in the year he played more than I expected him to play, and he played pretty well. So I think that we have had a couple of conversations, just about his role and where it went and he seemed satisfied with it. But he's never demanded or asked to be traded or any of those things at all."

That statement sounds more realistic even if it's coming from Ainge. I'm not saying Danny is a compulsive liar, but he can stretch the truth from time-to-time. Barbosa has a good chance at winning a title if the Celtics continue to play well. He's on a one year contract, and I just don't see him being traded or released.