BOSTON - Leandro Barbosa may have been the last addition to the Celtics roster, but it certainly wasn't due to a lack of interest.
In addition to past inquiries into his availability when he played for Phoenix, the C's reached out to Barbosa's camp on July 1 - the first day of free agency.
Although it's still early, the wait has been worth it thus far. Barbosa had a team-high 16 points in the C's season-opening loss to Miami.
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The C's would love for him to deliver a similarly strong performance in the home opener Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
"He's a guy that we liked and followed and evaluated for a long time," said Danny Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations.
The addition of Barbosa on Oct. 18 was a bit surprising when you consider the depth that Boston has in the backcourt.
In addition to Rajon Rondo and Courtney Lee starting, the C's also have Jason Terry and Avery Bradley who is out recovering from shoulder surgeries.
C's coach Doc Rivers made it clear to Barbosa that the backcourt in Boston would be crowded and that his playing time would be limited.
It didn't matter to Barbosa, who signed a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum.
"That will be Doc's call," Barbosa said. "I'm here just to help."
The C's could have certainly used another ball-handler with Bradley out, but Ainge stopped well short of saying that Barbosa's signing filled a void on the Celtics roster.
"We weren't desperate," Ainge said. "We liked what we had. But Leandro, he's a very good player."
