Gotta love blurry-ass Scal in the background.

The Celtics have had discussions with free agent Jarvis Hayes about joining their roster. (CSNNE)

As much as the Boston Celtics need to add a perimeter defender coming off the bench, it wouldn’t hurt to add another backup shooter to the mix as well.

With most of the higher-priced shooters off the free agent board, CSNNE.com has learned that the Celtics have had some conversations about one of the best still available, Jarvis Hayes.

Go ahead and laugh at A. Sherrod Blakely calling Jarvis Hayes one of the best free agents still available. I know I got a good chuckle out of that. But the truth is, I’m kind of intrigued by a couple things Hayes IS (scorer, jump-shooter) and a couple things he ISN’T (Larry Hughes and Ime Udoka). That said, I really hope these wings we keep hearing about — Adam Morrison, Hughes, Udoka and Hayes — are the guys Ainge is looking at as 12th men. Because if any one of those four is playing significant minutes next season, the Celtics might as well forfeit the next 82 games. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about NBA basketball over the years, it’s this: You don’t win a ring with Jarvis Hayes as the primary backup small forward. You just don’t.

Another in a long line of intriguing free agents.

Add Ime Udoka to the list of scrub free agents the Boston Celtics have had discussions with. Actually, maybe it’s a bit harsh to call Udoka a scrub. He once scored 17.1 points per game… for the Fort Worth Flyers. (CSNNE)

It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics have a gaping hole in their roster for a defensive-minded perimeter defender. And in all likelihood, it’ll have to be a player willing to accept a salary for the veteran’s minimum.

Sacramento’s Ime Udoka may in fact be that player.

Udoka, who will be 33 years old next month, is a player that the C’s have had preliminary discussions about acquiring.

However, his agent Mark Bartelstein, made it clear that no deal is imminent.

“There have been some talks, but nothing close to being done,” Bartelstein told CSNNE.com.

Udoka IS a very good defender, or at least he has that reputation. Unfortunately, he’s all glove and no bat. And by no bat, I mean NO bat: Udoka averaged only 3.6 points last season while shooting 37.8% from the field. On the plus side, if the Celtics sign both Udoka and Larry Hughes, the two could have some very entertaining shooting contests. Okay, maybe entertaining isn’t the right word.

And as a nice little P.S. – Kwame Brown’s agent, who happens to be the same as Udoka’s, says the Celtics aren’t out of the picture yet. My prayers have been answered!