Tweet of the Night went to Greg Stiemsma, who thanked former teammate Avery Bradley for congratulating him on his new one-year, $3 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Stiemsma had the chance to re-sign with the Boston Celtics, but it would have forced the journeyman to take about $2 million less, which obviously made no sense from a business perspective. He will now go back to the first NBA team that signed him to a contract back in April of 2010. The gritty center never had the chance to suit up for the Timberwolves then, but his defensive presence could compliment Kevin Love’s game very well and is likely to carve out a meaningful role for the team in the upcoming season.
Here is a little more on Stiemsma’s decision, from Mark Murphy: “Stiemsma added that Minnesota’s proximity to his home was also a plus. “Minnesota was not too hard a sell for me,” he said. “It’s very close to my family and home.” But Stiemsma will never forget the role the Celtics played in not only giving the young big man his first NBA chance, but also his development. “Nobody was really sure, myself included, of what would happen going into training camp last year,” Stiemsma said. “But I got some great opportunities to play, and (Kevin Garnett) and Doc (Rivers) were great with me right from the start. Everyone was willing to teach, and they genuinely wanted me to do well. “Confidence has always been a big part of my game — when I feel comfortable on the floor everything flows from there — and playing for the Celtics really gave me that confidence,” he said. “I’m grateful for what Boston did for me. I just hope I can use this last year as a springboard.”
Stefan Bondy’s Tweet of the Day