Matt Barnes has delayed his free agency decision, according to his Twitter account. He said the delay is because a couple of teams got into the action at the last minute. Before whatever teams entered the discussion, Barnes was reportedly looking at the Celtics, Lakers, Heat and Mavericks.

More teams is probably bad news for the Celtics, because more teams mean more money. More money means less chance for the C’s, who can only offer the minimum. I’m getting less optimistic by the second about Barnes joining the C’s. If the Celtics strike out on Barnes after missing on Ronnie Brewer, Marquis Daniels is going to start looking mighty, mighty good.

Damn. I’m really starting to worry about the backup wings. Think Ray and Paul are up to playing 48 minutes a game next season?

So you're telling me there's a chance?

So Danny Ainge is trying to convince people Sheed’s retiring, Sheed’s agent won’t confirm it, Jermaine O’Neal is trying to urge Sheed to play again and Paul Pierce thinks there’s a chance Sheed could still play. (Boston Herald)

But Paul Pierce had a similar response to the ’Sheed question yesterday. In the minds of some, apparently, the big guy can still play.

“I’m not sure,” the Celtics captain said of whether he believes Wallace is actually going to retire. “I’ve texted him a couple of times. I think it’s still up in the air. I definitely think we could use him, but that’s on Rasheed.”

At first, I thought it’d be the worst thing ever if Sheed came back. If he was THAT lazy last year, what’s he gonna do with an extra year of age and beer under his belt? But the more I think about it, the more I’m kind of sold on talking Sheed out of retirement. Buy him a personal trainer, work off some of his sagginess, pray Matt Barnes signs here, re-sign Marquis Daniels or pick up a minimum wing (Antoine Wright?) and all of a sudden the Celtics have a damn good bench.

Plus, we know Sheed now. So when he fails to pass the three-point line at either end of the court we won’t blame him. We understand he doesn’t give a shit until the playoffs, so it won’t be as frustrating as it was last year. Of course, there’s the other side to this, which is basically: Any time you can write the words “We understand he doesn’t give a shit until the playoffs, so it won’t be as frustrating” about a player, it’s usually a pretty bad sign.

Truth is, Sheed is probably faking his retirement to cover up the real reason he went into the referee’s locker room after The Game I’m Still Trying to Forget — to kick some serious ass. I’m only kidding, by the way. I think.

P.S. – Ronnie Brewer is off the market. Chicago scooped him up for three years, $12.5 million. And he turned down an offer from the Celtics. He wanted the chance to start in Chicago, even though the Celtics offered him similar money.

Wordaapp.

Nate Robinson has re-signed with the Boston Celtics, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

I can’t say I’m surprised, as the Celtics pretty much HAD to sign Nate. After all, they can only offer the veteran’s minimum to other players and have a dozen or so holes to fill on their bench. Nate was pretty good in the postseason, and there’s hope he will be even better after half a season and a full training camp to get accustomed to the C’s system.

I find myself almost hoping Marquis Daniels will join Robinson in re-signing. Never thought I’d say that when he was disappearing for the second half of the season, but the C’s still need a lot of perimeter help. (And interior help, too, for those keeping track.)

Maybe Matt Barnes will be next. His “Decision” will come today, he has tweeted.

Update: According to the Boston Herald, Nate’s deal is for two years, $8 million.

You've got a plan, Danny. Right?

“I’m looking at all the players signing and wish we would get on the ball a little bit. I trust in Danny to put a good team around us, but I’m sitting here watching all these good players fall to other teams.” – Paul Pierce

Amen, Pauly. Amen. I want to trust Ainge, but all these other teams are signing outside help while the Celtics sit with a bench full of holes.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. That’s all we’ve been doing since the Jermaine O’Neal news, it seems. Doesn’t Danny Ainge know I’m pretty damn impatient? (Boston Globe)

“It’s a challenge, because if you have a bird in the hand, sometimes you need to take it because you’re waiting for something you see better but might not be there if you wait too long,’’ Ainge said. “There’s a lot of players still waiting for something. There’s an offer sheet for Portland and Utah. Two teams right there with a little uncertainty that’ll have some money to spend depending on which way that goes. There’s an offer sheet with Orlando and Chicago. There’s a couple more teams that are looking for wings depending on which way that goes. So yeah, there’s some waiting going on.’’

Waiting? Yes. Worrying? For me, at least. The C’s have a ton of holes to plug, so this waiting game is getting me anxious. Even if I realize Ainge is probably just waiting to see which teams go over the luxury tax and will want Rasheed’s retiring contract. Why am I still nervous, even if I know Ainge’s waiting game makes sense?Just look at the C’s depth chart right now. It needs a whole lotta work.

Point Guard – Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Oliver Lafayette

Shooting Guard – Ray Allen

Small Forward – Paul Pierce, Tony Gaffney

Power Forward – Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis

Center – Kendrick Perkins (injured), Jermaine O’Neal

That’s it. Those are the only players the Celtics have. Matt Janning has a camp invite too, but — last I heard – isn’t sure if he’s going to use it). And even if he does, he’s probably unlikely to make the team. So if the offseason ended today, the Celtics would head into the 2010 season with no backup center, no backup shooting guard, and Tony Gaffney as the seventh man. Sweet. I like Gaffney’s hustle as much as the next guy, but I think we can all agree that Gaffney as Paul Pierce and Ray Allen’s lone backup is not exactly what one would call ”ideal.”

So this waiting game is killing me. I just want the Celtics to make a move and make it quickly, so I can sleep easy at night. Mostly because, well, they need some serious help just about everywhere on their bench. They definitely need another big man, absolutely need a wing or two and, even though they have a few short players on the bench, could use a backup point guard, too. Meanwhile, almost every name I hear the Celtics are interested in makes approximately zero sense. Josh Howard won’t accept the minimum and can’t get traded. Shaq clogs up the middle and is a worse defender than Regular Season Sheed. (As we all know, that’s bad. Really, really bad.) Matt Barnes? Is he really ready to sign for the minimum, even though he hasn’t had a big payday once in his entire career? Ronnie Brewer? Well, maybe. It’s possible. But Adam Morrison? Kwame Brown? Gag me with a spoon. The good players Ainge is after seem to be far-fetched dreams, while the bad players are nothing short of brutal nightmares.

There are so many questions left to answer this offseason and I have no idea what’s going on. I realize Ainge is normally a good GM and probably deserves a little faith, but the Celtics have a whole lot of work left to do and — for the life of me — I can’t figure out what moves they’re going to make.

At some point, I have to believe, they’ll make improvements to the roster. Until then, we wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Barnes? Count me in.

Update: A. Sherrod Blakely reports Barnes is likely headed elsewhere. His probable suitors? The Lakers, Mavericks and Heat. Yuck. I’m going to puke.

Boy, that was a quick 180 on Matt Barnes’s availability.

Earlier today Danny Ainge spoke about Matt Barnes as though he were a pipe dream, but now Barnes is reportedly strongly considering the Celtics.

“The problem with Matt Barnes,” Ainge said in an interview with WEEI earlier today, “is that he is a terrific player, he started last year, and he opted out of his contract so I think he has some expectations of making more money than he had than last year. All we have to offer is the veteran minimum.”

I guess he might be willing to take the min after all. (Orlando Sentinel)

Those with knowledge of the situation say Barnes is strongly considering the Heat or the Celtics, among several other teams.

The Barnes’ camp still contends that the Magic have not offered him a contract and have moved on after signing free agent guard-forward Quentin Richardson.

The defensive-minded Celtics might make more sense. Boston is looking for back-up help behind small forward Paul Pierce and at power forward behind Kevin Garnett after the retirement of Rasheed Wallace.

The Heat are crowded at the small-foward and power-forward spots.

I’d like Barnes on the C’s. He can shoot a little, he can defend a little, and he will allow the Celtics to finally meet the NBA’s tattoo quota. Is he really willing to take the minimum?

(Thanks to our reader Jeff on the heads up)

The Three A-me-goes.

When the Three A-me-goes got together in Miami, it was widely assumed they’d be surrounded by a bunch of dog meat. With those three signed to max contracts, only veteran minimum contracts would be available for the Heat to bolster their roster.

Except, well, those three DIDN’T sign for max contracts (Update: Each player took about $2 million less than the max), so Mike Miller has agreed to a five-year, $27 million-ish contract to join them. And Derek Fisher is meeting in Miami today. And word on the NBA street is that the Heat will be able to somehow keep Udonis Haslem. And Matt Barnes is interested. And Zydrunas Ilgausakas is another rumor floating about. And would anyone be too surprised if Shaq joined his old buddies Flash and Lebron for a chance to tie Kobe in rings?

So the supporting cast might not be mincemeat after all. Not that Danny Ainge ever expected it to be. (Boston Herald)

“I think they’ve got a couple of holes to fill, but there are a lot of good NBA players who will end up playing for minimum salaries,” Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said yesterday. “I’m sure they’ll find guys who would love to come in and play in that situation. I don’t think there’s a problem at all.”

Ainge also thinks Miami will be able to draw from a larger pool of players because it won’t have to go strictly by positional need.

“They have big guys, and they have people like Dwyane Wade and LeBron and Mike Miller who are all ballhandlers and passers,” he said. “So they don’t need a classic type of point guard and all that stuff. The guys they have now are all very talented, but they’re versatile.”

The Three A-me-goes are scary enough. The thought of those three surrounded by meaningful talent makes me sick.

Oh well, I guess it will just be nicer when the Celtics take them down.