The Celtics Have A New Point Guard

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

It's Jiri Welsch....
http://www.projo.com/celtics/content/projo_20031022_22celts.6957f.html

But Welsch, who watched the practice from the sidelines, met briefly with the media afterward.
The 23-year-old, who hails from the Czech Republic and is now in his second NBA season, was quite personable in his first meeting with reporters here, displaying a sense of humor about the unexpected turn of events.

"I have to say I'm a little bit (surprised)," he said of the five-player trade that brought him to Boston with LaFrentz and Chris Mills (as well as a 2004 first-round draft pick) in exchange for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk. "I really didn't see it coming because I came to Dallas two months ago [as part of a nine-player deal with the Golden State Warriors]. But hey, it's the NBA. Trades are happening every day, so I'm glad to be here. I'm excited to be here."
Although O'Brien admits that he has no idea what type of role Welsch will play this season, from what he has seen of the 6-foot-7 guard on tape, he says he appears to be "a really good ball handler, a solid shooter and has pretty good speed."

"We're going to introduce Jiri to our offense at the point-guard spot because we have a lot of 2s and 3s and we're thin at the point," as a result of Delk's departure, O'Brien said. "And that's a good way to learn the offense from the quarterback position, so you understand where people are supposed to be."