The Celtics will be without SG/PG Delonte West for the first 10 games of the season due to a league suspension. The Celtics knew about this suspension when they signed him so they are obviously o.k. with it. Marquis Daniels will back up Ray Allen at shooting guard until West is ready to return so they should be in good shape until West returns to action.

The Celtics have released 26-year old guard Oliver Lafayette. Lafayette played in 1 game for the Celtics last year in which he played 22 minutes scoring 7 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. Lafayette also played in 48 games (42 starts) for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants last year in which he averaged 35.4 minutes, 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The Celtics won’t miss Lafayette as they have a lot of depth at both guard slots for 2010-11.

The Celtics have signed 27-year old guard Delonte West to a 1-year, non-guaranteed deal. West played in 60 games (3 starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 25.0 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He has now played in 364 games (223 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.4 minutes, 10.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. West has been suspended for the first 10 games of the 2010-11 NBA season due to his off-court behavior but I still really like this signing for the Celtics as he is a good basketball player.

The Celtics have signed 38-year old center Shaquille O’Neal to a 1-year deal. O’Neal played in 53 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers last year and he averaged 23.4 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 1,170 games (1,161 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 35.2 minutes, 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game. Shaq Daddy is #5 all-time in points scored (28,255), #14 in rebounds (12,921) and #7 in blocked shots (2,690) in NBA history. O’Neal will back up Jermaine O’Neal when the season starts and it’s quite possible that he could be a third team center when Kendrick Perkins comes back from his injury. But it’s also still possible that Shaq could beat out Jermaine O’Neal for the starting job at center. I like this signing for the Celtics as it never hurts to bring another Hall of Fame player to the roster.

The Celtics have signed 25-year old shooting guard Von Wafer to a 1-year deal at the veteran’s minimum. Wafer did not play in the NBA last season. He has played in 109 games (11 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 13.3 minutes, 6.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. This was a solid signing for the Celtics as Wafer brings instant offense off the bench.

The Celtics have re-signed 29-year old SG/SF Marquis Daniels to a 1-year, $2.5 million dollar deal. Daniels played in 51 games (4 starts) for the Celtics last season and he averaged 18.4 minutes, 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He has now played in 402 games (113 starts) in his 7 years in the NBA and he has averaged 22.9 minutes, 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. This was a smart move for the Celtics as Daniels is a solid bench player when healthy.

The Celtics have re-signed 26-year old guard Nate Robinson for a 2-year, $9 million dollar deal with bonuses. Robinson played in 26 games (0 starts) for the Celtics last season and he averaged 14.7 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He has now played in 338 games (61 starts) in his five years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.0 minutes, 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Robinson was a huge asset in the playoffs for the Celtics and they have locked him up for two more years which was a smart move. He brings instant offense off the bench.

The Celtics have signed 31-year old C/PF Jermaine O’Neal to a 2-year, $11 million dollar deal. O’Neal played in 70 games (all starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 28.4 minutes, 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 862 games (646 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.4 minutes, 14.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. This was a great signing for the Celtics as O’Neal will be the starting center until Kendrick Perkins returns.

The Celtics have re-signed 34-year old shooting guard Ray Allen to a 2-year, $20 million dollar deal. Allen played in 80 games (all starts) for the Celtics last season in which he averaged 35.2 minutes, 16.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He has now played in 232 games (all starts) in his three years with the Celtics and he has averaged 35.9 minutes, 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. This is outstanding news for Celtics’ fans as it appears the team has some unfinished business.

The Celtics only have 7 players under contract heading into free agency. The only two starters who will be ready for the start of the 2010-11 season on the roster right now are PG Rajon Rondo and PF Kevin Garnett. It will be interesting to see if the Celtics bring back Ray Allen or Paul Pierce who are both now unrestricted free agents. They also will need help up front with Kendrick Perkins out until December or January and Rasheed Wallace retiring. It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Celtics are in free agency. My thinking is that they will try to retain Pierce unless he gets an offer the Celtics don’t feel comfortable matching. But I have a feeling the Celtics will let Ray Allen walk and try to replace him with a younger player like John Salmons or Mike Miller. The reason to let Allen go is so that the Celtics can sign a center like Brad Miller, Brendan Haywood or Zydrunas Ilgauskas to fill in while Perkins is out of action. The winds of change are blowing in Boston.