Consider it a case of the rich getting richer: Dikembe Mutombo has decided to play this season and the Celtics are high on his list of teams. Doc Rivers, who's friends with Mutombo and talks with him frequently, confirmed that the C's would like to sign him -- and he's not the only one applying the pressure:
Yesterday, Mutombo attended a United Nations presentation of a Ben Affleck-directed film about refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo's home country.
"I told [Affleck] that I might play in his hometown," Mutombo said in a telephone interview. "He said, 'Come, we'd love to have you.' He's a really nice guy."
Mutombo confirmed that his agent, David Falk, has been in touch with Boston's front office, though he added he's received interest from several other teams, as well. The Celtics are over the salary cap but have $2.3 million remaining from their mid-level exception to offer. It'd mean paying a little extra luxury tax, but they were going to have to do that anyway, so that probably won't be a deterrent.
If you thought Boston was good already, putting Mutombo on the bench would be downright unfair. The Celtics' defense is already smothering, and that's without the second-all-time leader in blocked shots anchoring the bench. The Celtics are already too good to say Mutombo could be the proverbial "missing piece," but it'd certainly help their chances in the race for 70 wins.
