Dikembe Mutombo
NBA Legend Dikembe Mutombo is rumored to return for one last season and he might sign with none other than last year’s champions — the Boston Celtics. Mutombo, who has blocked 3,278 shots during his 17-year career, said he is in “good shape” from working out three hours a day with spinning classes, yoga, and weightlifting.
“You’ll see me in the next two weeks,” Mutombo said. “I will be somewhere. I really need to go back to playing. I’ve just got to make sure that I go to a place where I can be happy. There are about four to five teams that I’ve been looking at and about seven teams that have shown interest. It’s up to me to make my decision.”
The Celtics have the maximum 15 players under contract and would have to waive one in order to sign Mutombo. Since they have struggled to find a replacement for the leadership and veteran experience that P.J. Brown left behind, the organization might not hesitate to pull the trigger. Most likely, one of the backup centers might be on their way out as Patrick O’Bryant is rarely used and Glen Davis is, at best, Glen Davis.
“The way Boston is playing right now with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, the team is heading in a direction toward winning another championship,” Mutombo said. “It will be interesting if I made the decision to go there. It would be very good. I’ve been to the Finals twice [with Philadelphia and New Jersey]. I got close, but I walked away empty-handed. Maybe going to Boston would give me a chance to win.”